It's just announced that a trial participant has used its brain-computer interface (BCI) to turn on the lights in his home, see who is at the door, and choose what to watch on the TV – hands-free and without even a voice command.

That's thanks to Synchron's interface translating his thoughts into commands relayed to Amazon's Alexa service. The virtual assistant is set up on his tablet and connected to his smart home devices. The trial participant, who is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and can't use his hands, can simply think about navigating through options displayed on the tablet to engage them.

A 'Stentrode' embedded in a blood vessel on the surface of his brain houses electrodes that detect motor intent. The participant uses his thoughts to select which tiles to press on the interface and perform actions via Alexa. Watch him use the system in the video below.

Synchron told us in an interview last year about this potential application of its tech, so it's heartening to see that become a reality.

"Synchron's BCI is bridging the gap between neurotechnology and consumer tech, making it possible for people with paralysis to regain control of their environment," said Tom Oxley, Synchron's CEO and founder. "While many smart home systems rely on voice or touch, we are sending control signals directly from the brain, bypassing the need for these inputs."

You're probably wondering how this positions Synchron against the likes of Neuralink. The former has a major advantage in that its BCI can be implanted without having to open up your skull, and by a wider range of clinics.