In paralysis, finding freedom via brain-wave tech

Eric Valor, 45, at his home in Aptos, Calif. He uses an eye-tracking camera to help him communicate and a sensor taped to his cheek to alert an attendant. James Martin/CNET All of a sudden, Eric Valor struggled to surf.

His left foot started dragging while he tried to pop up on his board, causing more wipeouts than normal for the avid wave rider. What started as a visit to the foot doctor resulted in an eventual diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, an incurable neurodegenerative condition with few known causes that bit by bit takes away a person's ability to control muscle movements and leads to death.

Valor out surfing, once a regular hobby along with snowboarding and scuba diving. Courtesy of Eric Valor

"The gravity of that day," he said of when he was diagnosed, "of the terrifying fear, volcanic anger, the inconsolable sorrow for the loss of the perfect life my wife and I had built -- still remains as a stark and adrenaline-inducing memory."

Valor -- a 45-year-old former information technology professional living outside Santa Cruz, Calif., who is now paralyzed -- built a new life as an advocate for the ALS community. That calling led him to take part in an experimental project this year developed by consultancy Accenture and tech firms Royal Philips and Emotiv. Using Valor as their first trial case, the companies successfully used Emotiv's wireless brain-wave-reading headset to allow him to request medical help and control the lights or television simply by thinking commands.

This kind of technology could in the future help people paralyzed by diseases or injury to communicate with others, control different facets of their homes without someone else's help and gain mobility by operating a wheelchair.

"We're just excited about the potential of what this product can provide," said Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv. "We're just scratching the surface."

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In paralysis, finding freedom via brain-wave tech