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The Professor Behind the Neural Bypass | Neuvotion CEO Chad Bouton
17 Plays6 months ago
In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, host Nikhil Reddy dives into the cutting-edge world of neurotechnology with Chad Bouton, a pioneer in brain-body interface (BBI) systems and the founder of Neuvotion.
Chad shares his groundbreaking journey from advanced robotics to healthcare innovation, detailing his pivotal work on neural bypass technology that enables paralyzed individuals to regain movement and sensation. From life-changing research published in Nature to creating non-invasive wearable solutions, Chad discusses how Neuvotion is redefining independence for patients with neurological injuries. Tune in to explore the intersection of AI, neuroplasticity, and the future of brain-computer interfaces, along with the ethical considerations shaping this transformative field. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about how innovation can restore hope and independence.
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Transcript
Introduction to Chad Voten and Neurotechnology
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the healthcare theory podcast. I'm your host Nikhil Reddy and every week we interview the entrepreneurs and thought leaders behind the future of healthcare care to see what's gone wrong with our system and how we can fix it.
00:00:14
Speaker
On today's episode, we're speaking with Chad Voten, an accomplished researcher and BBI in your technology, who's made many breakthroughs, not only in his research, but with his company called New Votion, in changing how we approach paralysis. Hi, Chad. Thanks so much for coming on today. Oh, thanks so much for having me.
00:00:32
Speaker
Of course, yeah. And before we get into kind of what new devotion does in your research, I mean, can you kind of walk us through what your background is and not only healthcare, care but what brought you to like, BBI and your technology as a whole? Sure, absolutely. So, ah you know, many years ago, I won't say how many, but I got involved in the areas of neurotechnology and even cancer and diabetes. ah But basically trying to find ways to take medical ah technologies out of the lab and develop them to a point where they can be commercialized and and actually used by patients around the world. So I really kind of fell in love with that process ah and of course have always been someone with a background in technology. I studied electrical engineering and control theory and also machine learning and then a bit of engineering mechanics and physics all mixed in. So my grad work was kind of a
00:01:23
Speaker
a competition and really was kind of heading in the direction of advanced robotics, but ended up in healthcare. um and And there's a couple things that happened along the way that turned me that way, but but absolutely have loved being in that field.
00:01:39
Speaker
Yeah, of course. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I know with your research, I mean, a lot of it was around surrounding assistive devices, kind of rehabilitation as a whole. And like, a quite a while ago, I mean, people always use technology. And I think your answer to process was kind of using computer and technology
Breakthroughs in Neuro Bypass Technology
00:01:55
Speaker
for that. And in 2016, you had a pretty well known study where you prove that like an implant can use signals from their brain to control muscles and Can you kind of talk about like what that kind of research was about and what a neuro bypass even is for the audience that's not as familiar? Absolutely. And you know, I'm going to tell you kind of how this works. It's going to sound like science fiction, ah but I'm also going to tie it in with my personal story. And I kind of alluded to that earlier, but what happened that steered me into this direction. So ah when I was so ah finishing grad school, I had
00:02:29
Speaker
a traumatic brain injury. um I was ah basically hospitalized and had two subdural hematomas so bleeding on the surface of the brain. And the neurosurgeon had to go in and stop ah the bleeding and and do two lifesaving operations. And the next ah morning, i were I obviously survived, but then had expressive aphasia and couldn't speak um and only could say a couple of words. And so it was unclear whether I was going to recover at that point. um And my family you know feared that I i might not.
00:03:05
Speaker
So I went through intensive therapy, but the medical team was incredible ah and had a large team of occupational and physical therapists, speech therapists, et cetera. But over the months was able to have a ah a full recovery and be able to speak again. um And so a day doesn't go by when I don't think about how lucky I was. And so it was just a few years later, starting my career, I had the opportunity to get involved in healthcare care and specifically in in neurotechnology.
00:03:32
Speaker
and brain implant technology and again will sound like science fiction but ah what we initially wanted to do was help people that had been through a traumatic injury or for example a brain injury or a spinal cord injury and had become ah either have not have the ability to speak or have become paralyzed or even had lost sensation.
00:03:53
Speaker
And so in all these cases, it's about regaining some functional abilities to be able to do simple things like feeding yourself or grooming yourself. and When we started, the idea was to put just a single chip in the motor area of the brain right above your ear ah and to allow someone to just navigate ah the internet and move the cursor just with their thoughts alone. And that that was the initial work we did. ah But it grew into something much bigger that we called the neural bypass ah because at that time, you know, the question was, ah you know, could someone actually move their hand again or move their body?
00:04:31
Speaker
And I had patients and study participants that would comment on, you know, it was great to be able to surf the internet and do these things. It was the first time that had ever been done in humans with an implant. But, you know, they had kind of hoped also they could move again. And so we launched what's called the neural bypass program. And that was under development for a number of years and we grew and expanded that program, enrolled the first participant.
Publication and Progress in Neuro Bypass
00:05:00
Speaker
His name was Ian Burkhart. And as you mentioned, in 2016, we published the result in Nature. It actually happened in 2014, but it always takes time to publish. But we published in Nature in 2016 that a young man who was unfortunately paralyzed from a diving accident, um you're diving into the ocean and hitting a sandbar, being pushed by the wave,
00:05:23
Speaker
um was a motor complete C4 or 5, well, basically a C5 injury with partial preservation of C6. But that means that he was paralyzed from mid chest down, ah couldn't use his hands, couldn't walk, you know, was bound to a wheelchair. ah But in that study, he was able to use the chip in his brain and the complete bypass, as we say,
00:05:43
Speaker
yeah to move his hand and fingers again. And so the way it works is we link the decoded signals and these tiny little signals in the brain to the computer and then we link that back to ah the body through muscle stimulation electrodes that are actually on the skin um and allows ah someone who's paralyzed to use their thoughts ah to reactivate or reanimate those muscles and use um use those muscles to do things. And he was able to pick up a glass um and bring it to his lips and and take a drink from that ah glass. And so it was a huge ah step forward in this technology and we've been you know really taking it even further since then.
00:06:28
Speaker
That's amazing. Yeah. And you you did it like 10 years ago now, which is pretty amazing because I mean, I guess even now you said it's people think of science fiction today. You guys are doing this a decade ago. So you guys are pretty ahead of the time in that way. I mean, what kind of but like gave you guys the ability to be this far ahead?
Advancements in Restoring Sensation and Movement
00:06:45
Speaker
Was it just like knowing about this earlier or was it all technology always there? Well, no, it's always about standing on the the shoulders of giants. And there was many researchers that had done incredible work, um you know, preclinical work.
00:06:58
Speaker
in the lab and and different types of studies um that, you know, mapped out the brain, you know, understood how these electrodes would behave and actual brain tissue, you know, lots of work through the years. And then in 2004, so which was 20 years ago, yeah did the first human chronic implant,
00:07:17
Speaker
ah where we could collect signals, look at things over you know many months. um And then in about 2006, we enabled a woman named Kathy Hutchinson and she her story was covered and the initial kind of ah amazing thing she did was was covered in a 60 Minutes piece ah ah right around then. And it was about her being able to not only move a cursor and all with her thoughts and surf the internet, but she was actually able to drive her her wheelchair as well with this implanted right yeah are electric in her brain. And um so this is 20 years ago. So first ah BCI, our brain computer interface that was implanted chronically.
00:08:01
Speaker
And then several years later, we started the neuro bypass program you mentioned to restore movement. And yes, that took a number of years, to another 10 years to 2014. And then in 2023, just last year, um we were successful in ah completing what we call a double neuro bypass.
00:08:22
Speaker
And this involved five chips, two in the motor area and three more in the sensory cortex. And what we did is ah the goal, in fact, was to restore movement and sensation in the hand, not a robotic arm, but the actual hand of the participant.
00:08:38
Speaker
And um a ah man named Keith Thomas here in New York ah was implanted in 2023 last year in the springtime. And then in the summer, ah we demonstrated last summer for the first time, ah Keith was able to open his hand and his sister was there.
00:09:00
Speaker
ah And he was able to open his hand and she reached out and held his hand and he could feel her hand for the first time in three years since injury. That's a great story. Yeah. Yeah. And he, so he's doing, you know, amazing work, making progress.
00:09:17
Speaker
And then we we call it a double neuro bypass because we combine it with ah spinal cord stimulation, all driven again by his own intentions. um And we found that he's been able to double his arm strength, so he wasn't able to lift his arms off of his wheelchair armrests. when he started the study, but now he can lift both arms all the way up to his face and touch his face, scratch, you know wipe his mouth. ah and ah And then the most recent accomplishment is to use that increased strength with the sensation, and then he's been able to pick up a cup by himself and take a drink from it and feel that cup.
00:09:57
Speaker
So considering how where he started, um this is this is a huge, huge milestone for him. And so it's the first time that ah we're aware of that anyone has linked ah brain recording and stimulation together. So we're stimulating not only his his spinal cord, but his brain.
00:10:18
Speaker
and we stimulate with very specific patterns to help restore the the sensation and, of course, allow him to move again. ah The interesting thing is and we found now we can turn off everything, and he's maintaining the increased sensations in his wrist area, and we're starting to work on his fingers as well. So the incredible kind of aspect of this, we call it neuroplasticity, is that the brain and the nervous system is so adaptive and so you know plastic that um But the way we are stimulating, we were hoping this might happen and and and indeed it is starting to to occur. So, yeah, so that's, ah you know, what we would call ah the neuro bypass that's rerouting signals from the brain to the body and back and then restoring movement and sensation. And then that, ah a few years ago, gave us also the idea that could we ah develop this and commercialize some aspect of this
00:11:15
Speaker
because I've had a lot of patients ask me, you know, could you, ah you know, could they take this home? Could they use it outside of the laboratory? And so that was the next question that we asked, and we've been working on that as well.
00:11:28
Speaker
Of course, yeah, and I think that's actually incredible, being able to not only, I mean, the double bypass, so you can of course connect the spinal cord to the brain. And I mean, eventually guys kind of on that note, they kind of came up with new devotion.
Founding New Votion and Wearable AI
00:11:40
Speaker
What kind of led to the creation there and what do you guys do currently? If you kind of give some background, that'd be amazing for the audience.
00:11:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So that then led to this idea that what if we could ah kind of carve out some of the non-invasive, you know, aspects of this technology, develop perhaps a completely ah wearable non-invasive, you know, technology that doesn't require brain surgery.
00:12:09
Speaker
And so in 2019, we founded a company called NuVotion and spun that out so that we could do exactly that, commercialize this non-invasive version that was a wearable with AI on board. And the goal then was to use what we call body language inference. So we infer from body language ah what the intention mover is to say, you know, pick up a cup and take a drink or feed themselves. And so we, you know, if you've ever played poker, ah there's something called the tell, right? So if you see somebody's yeah doing a certain thing with their body, it's a tell.
00:12:43
Speaker
And so we I was watching patients several years ago and they were all kind of leaning a certain way or moving in a certain way, even in some of their gross motor that that is often spared in these injuries. Like even the most common level of C5 or kind most common level is a C5 injury for a spinal cord injury and ah for for quadriplegia. And in that case, ah shoulder movement is spared and biceps usually are spared. ah And what you can do then is have someone initiate movement or do certain things with their body and we use onboard sensors in AI to then infer, ah they're trying to reach out and pick something up. And we keep track of this and the AI can tell what the next step is. And so it's really fascinating. And the device, actually I have a part of one right here. Okay, that's awesome.
00:13:31
Speaker
ah this is Yeah, so this is a what we call thin patch technology here and you can have hundreds of electrodes in this very flexible and thin patch and there's different sizes and shapes. You put them on different parts of your body. This one actually goes on the forearm. I'll show you on the inside here.
00:13:48
Speaker
yeah And we have smaller ones that go on the extensors, what are called the extensor muscles on the back of the floor, or you can put it on you know any part of the body. And this is what we call brain-body interface. So this body interface ah will allow you to stimulate muscles and nerves to get all sorts of different finger and hand movements or even leg movements and allow someone, even if they can just start, say, the gross motion, but allows them to finish that movement and do these things, yeah like like drinking and self-feeding.
00:14:16
Speaker
so Now the brain interface, ah you it comes in where you can either link this wirelessly to a BCI, a brain computer interface, or ah you can have it in a completely standalone mode where basically the onboard AI uses the sensors to infer the what I call the body language and inference, ah figure out what the person wants to achieve, stimulate those muscles and nerves even before their hand or their arm reaches the target.
00:14:43
Speaker
and we've asked believe yeah We've had patients you know picking up candy bars or granola bar, and the media has covered some of these stories where ah people have been able to do these kinds of things, and you know drinking. um Just thinks that and that you know if you're an able-bodied person, like I am fortunately after my recovery, you know and I was able to kind of get you know get to this point where um you know you you kind of take advantage or you take kind of ah you kind of like take it for granted really ah that you can do these things. But to be able to enable someone to now ah feed themselves or comb their hair or wipe their mouth um you know is life can be life-changing. And so that has been our goal. ah We call it restoring independence. you know So it's really the mission of New Motion to use these technologies and develop them to a level where they can ah restore independence.
00:15:38
Speaker
And at the end of the day, I've had a lot of, and that's what we want to do, and a lot of patients have told me they just want to be able to do things without having to ask for help. And that makes complete sense. um And I had a ah tiny taste of that um many years ago, and it doesn't go by when I don't think about you know that. and let's keep So let's keep pushing, and that's what we're doing. And so now yeah we can tie it all together. So the the new technologies ah from New Motion and the new STEM, as we call it,
00:16:11
Speaker
can also interface wirelessly to a brain computer interface. So if someone, let's say someone is say an ALS patient that ah needs, you know, can't even move their arms or have they've lost gross motor ah capability, then we can link it to the BCI so they can still think about certain movements. In this case, we have other approaches because ALS unfortunately affects lower motor neuron function.
00:16:38
Speaker
ah But we have also 3D printed active orthoses and we're doing some really neat work in that area. The team, I have a ah great team just doing some incredible work. um and And so ah that's another avenue, but the whole idea is to open up the the door for ah increased independence.
00:16:59
Speaker
Definitely. Yeah. I love that mission statement. Honestly, I think i I can just imagine the difficulty of like being in a hospital and not being able to kind of, or even at home and you're not able to kind of do things on your own. It must feel like a little like suffocating in a way. and Yeah. There's locked in syndrome, in fact, and locked in syndrome could come from, you know,
00:17:19
Speaker
a number of conditions, the neurodegenerative or or different neurological ah
Future and Commercialization of BCI Technologies
00:17:24
Speaker
injury states. And no, it's a very it's very difficult and the idea is, yeah, to help unlock some of those doorways and allow some more function and independence.
00:17:35
Speaker
Of course, yeah. And I think it's ah with that admissions statement, before we kind of like end off here, I mean, you kind of have, of course, like your research sort of the invasive technology, neural bypass, now you guys worked on noninvasive, like, where do you kind of see that dichotomy of like, when do you think a noninvasive versus so invasive would be best? And what do you think is kind of the future of BCI and your research?
00:17:58
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's a great question. Another great question. So we have strategically ah decided to go after the some of the first indications and first devices coming you know out of the pipeline for and completely non-invasive wearables, onboard AI. ah And so we can get get these out there, out to the market, get with people using them. Then we're continuing to advance our research in brain computer interfaces where they have implants.
00:18:30
Speaker
And give those give you kind of another level of capability, but those are going to lag behind a few years. And then we have some things in between ah where we're doing some modulation of the spinal cord as well to help promote plasticity. And our our technologies and devices can all communicate with each other as well, wirelessly. ah And I would say You know, that's a good, it's a very, we feel is a very good approach so we can get things out there ah and kind of bridge the gap between different areas and also be able to um accommodate ah and enable ah patients who that have different levels of of physical disability. And so, um yeah, and then brain computer interfaces are something we've been working on for 20 plus years.
00:19:17
Speaker
yeah and But now we're finally, we are truly getting very close. ah The next several years, you're going to start to see ah ah the FDA possibly even clearing some initial ah versions. And it takes time, it takes a long time. um And now we have other you know parties coming in. Elon Musk has invested in space. Obviously, he usually comes in later, and that's fine. But ah but we've been building the science for you know for two decades plus.
00:19:45
Speaker
ah But now it's it's exciting to see those additional investments because it validates ah that the science has been strong and that the ah possibilities and the the things that ah we're able to do with this technology are are strong and and are happening. And so, um yeah, I think that we're seeing a lot more investment. ah There's BlackRock Neurotech that just closed on, ah you know, $200 million and in additional funding as well in fundraising. And so there, you know, and Synchron, another great startup in BCI. And then you have Nuvotion, who's doing kind of a brain body interface, but then has is compatible with BCI.
00:20:24
Speaker
in the BCI system. And then we also have our own, obviously, work that we've been doing with some lesson days of BCI interfaces. More to come on that later. I can't say too much, yeah but it's all of these things tie in together. um And so in the next several years, we're going to finally see some of these technologies becoming more and more available and at some point even being cleared for use in certain indications. This isn't a general public, you know, next year we're going to see people getting brain implants, right? It has to be medical need, right? And the FDA has to look at the risk-benefit ratio. so And all that's been been done you know very carefully. And we've been working with the FDA and the groups that are involved in BCI and neurotechnology for many years, and they've been you know working very hard. So we're all part of an exciting growing ecosystem. So can't wait to see everything that's going to happen over the next five, 10 years.
00:21:19
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's amazing. I think definitely like, I mean, within the first few years, right? It took like five years for the first use case and takes and then it gets quicker and quicker. And now you kind of have that framework of how to approach these problems and now eventually more innovation, more iterations, and then helps more people. So I think we're kind of on that part of the curve of BCI and your technology. We're going to see more innovation innovation than ever. So really exciting. Absolutely. Absolutely. We will.
00:21:45
Speaker
Yeah, the sky I like to always say the sky's the limit at this point because think about it, we're we're now you know understanding a little bit more
Ethical Considerations and AI Integration
00:21:55
Speaker
about how the brain communicates, how neurons communicate, how networks communicate,
00:22:00
Speaker
ah we We still are only at the tip of the iceberg, but ah but we're starting to see some patterns that I've even seen some of these patterns kind of occur across different people, ah but you do have to learn the specific patterns for each person and then AI comes in. so Now imagine if we're looking at you know generative AI combined with brain-computer interfaces, which we've been doing for a number of years, but now you can imagine ah ah at ah at ah edge ah at a a simpler you know level on the AI side. But now with the latest,
00:22:30
Speaker
a generative AI, and combining that with BCI, you know the sky is truly the limit. and And we also think about there's a lot of ethical considerations. There's a lot of ah things that have not been figured out yet and need to be ironed out. um But I think if we stay focused, at least in the healthcare space, on medical needs and stay focused on being safe, but but looking at ways we can really enable ah patients to become more independent,
00:22:55
Speaker
do more things for themselves and get stronger and even promote plasticity, then I think we've got a really clear focus. There's a lot of things that just are going to be coming down the pipe here soon, and it's very, very exciting.
00:23:12
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. I think the introduction of like, generative AI beyond like machine learning is really interesting. I know everyone's kind of like kind of having their arms raised of where like, um like AI will go. But it's I think these neural tech startups have so much potential, and just even like clinical research. So it's really exciting. And I think once we get like a certain like framework of how to approach these problems, then it's like kind of happening now. But yeah, ah Well, were sad thank you yeah you went you're very welcome. No, I'm glad you're you're working in this area and I wish you luck. And but no, I'm glad to ah talk about this and and glad to do it again.
00:23:51
Speaker
Thanks for listening to The Healthcare Theory. Every Tuesday, expect a new episode on the platform of your choice. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, any streaming platform you can imagine. We'll also be posting more short-form educational content on Instagram and TikTok. And if you really want to learn more about what's gone wrong with healthcare care and how you can help, check out our blog at thehealthcaretheory.org. Repeat thehealthcaretheory.org.
00:24:18
Speaker
Again, I appreciate you tuning in and I hope to see you again soon.