Brain Power!

Today was pretty amazing. After a morning appointment with the plastic surgeon, who said Michael's eyelid was looking really good, we were treated to a visit and demonstration at the Google headquarters building.

We were escorted to a room full of Google researchers and developers where we met with the lead Ph.D. working with the BrainPort equipment. If you don't know what it is, please "Google" it and watch the video.  We had previously networked our way into conversations with her and, as luck would have it, she was able to come to California to demonstrate it to General Schwartz, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Google staff using Michael as the test subject. The equipment uses a camera mounted on glasses and a transmitter that sends signals to the tongue using electrical pulses that match what the camera sees.  By interpreting the signals, Michael was able to visualize certain objects.  In the following pictures, he was shown an object in front of a black screen and asked to describe what he saw.  In the first shot, he is looking at a plus sign which he interpreted as a "T" when asked what he saw.

In the next picture, you can see the computer version of what he's seeing with his tongue. The small picture in the upper right section of the screen shows the real camera image. The larger picture on the left is what the sensor and transmitter are sending to Michael's tongue.  What we see as a white cross is, to him, a cross shaped stimulation by electrodes on his tongue.  It was cool to watch him scan the room, identify objects, and experiment with the scan and zoom capability of the camera.  It was also neat to sit and watch the people in the room discuss the equipment's capability and then brainstorm about other applications and options to enhance the technology.  Google would be an awsome place to work if what we saw is any indication of what goes on there daily.

Part way through, General Schwartz came into the room without identifying himself to Michael.  He stood behind Michael and watched as he worked through the various tasks. At one point, the Dr. set something on the black cloth and asked Michael what he thought it was.  He found the object, zoomed in and examined what he saw, and responded that he thought it was a ball.  She told him to reach out and touch it and he was able to find and pick it up with little hesitation.  The following picture shows him just lifting it off the table.

Here's a couple of shots of Michael wearing the glasses and camera with the transmitter in his mouth.  It made talking a little difficult but there was discussion about future enhancements that would have retainer type transmitters with wireless receivers to eliminate the wire.  How cool that would be.

We had the opportunity to meet with the general in private for a bit after the BrainPort demonstration.  He is an amazing man.  For someone with such authority and responsibility, having him take the time to sit and talk with our son is truly significant.  He told Michael at one point in the conversation that if he is interested, the Air Foirce will have opportunities for him.  I believe he was sincere and I think Michael did too.  Someone had told Michael that he probably would be retired due to his injuries as he is only an enlisted man with just under three years in the service. To hear the top man in the Air Force say something different was good.  I think it will cause Michael to think a little harder about the future and what he wants to do.

Here we are with Michael and General Schwartz in front of the Google sign just before we returned to the rehab center.

We don't know what will happen next with the BrainPort people but we sure hope Michael gets to work more with them.  He really enjoyed trying the equipment out and would love to do more with it.  We didn't get the chance to speak with the Dr. in private to explore the options but Michael will contact her by email and see where it goes from here.  The sky is the limit and the only limitations in Michael's way will be the ones he puts there.  He's an amazing young man and we're so proud of him.  His outlook, attitude, and optimism have been an inspiration to so many. We look forward to watching him progress and anticipate great things in his future.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers in his behalf.  We appreciate all of you!