For Eoin Egan, a father of two in his forties, reliable access to communication and mobility is everything.
Diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2020, Eoin has navigated a condition that damages the nerves carrying messages to the muscles, causing progressive weakness. As the disease progressed, he lost the ability to move and speak.
As a client of both our wheelchair and community equipment services, Eoin initially used eye-tracking technology to communicate and drive his wheelchair. While this gave him access to essential functions, it came with frustrating practical limits. Changing outdoor light conditions could disrupt the sensors, often forcing him to rely on someone else to take over driving when the sun was too bright. Using his eyes to operate the controls also meant he couldn’t simply look around and enjoy his surroundings while moving.
In December 2025, Eoin’s experience shifted when he received an implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) through a clinical trial. The system detects brain signals associated with intended movement and translates them into computer commands. Working closely with Homebrace, Eoin has been testing how these commands can now control his powered wheelchair.
The everyday difference for Eoin and his family is clear. He describes being able to spend time out in his garden and go on outings with his wife and children again. He is now navigating the city using buses and trains, and because he no longer relies on his eyes to steer, he can communicate freely throughout the journey.
Next Tuesday, 20 October, Provide Equipment Hub will be sharing Eoin’s journey at the Posture Mobility Group (PMG) Annual Conference at Doncaster Racecourse.
Our Wheelchair Service Clinical Lead, Helen Nelson, will present Mind over Motor: When your thoughts get a driving licence, alongside Eoin and Pete Jones of Homebrace.
Helen combines clinical assessment with engineering to meet highly individual needs. As a Clinical Scientist and Chartered Engineer, she has worked in NHS wheelchair services since 2010, specialising in custom seating and paediatric wheelchair provision. Helen is also a dedicated PMG Trustee, actively helping to share specialist knowledge and promote best practice across the profession.
During their session, Helen, Eoin, and Pete will look closely at what happens when conventional wheelchair controls are no longer enough. They will examine system calibration and wheelchair driving in both virtual and physical environments. Crucially, they will discuss the everyday human factors of using a BCI: how consistently the technology interprets intention, how to manage cognitive fatigue, what happens when signal quality changes, and the vital role of backup controls.
At Provide Equipment Hub, our core purpose is to help people live safely, independently and well at home. Eoin’s experience shows exactly why we explore better solutions to complex needs, and why adapting equipment around a person’s changing priorities is so important.
Please join us in wishing Helen, Eoin, and Pete well for their presentation next week, and look out for the learning they bring back from PMG2026.