A team of neuroscientists is working on a device they say has the ability to “hack” a person’s brain. They are so confident in their work that they will be testing the so-called iBrain on none other than the smartest man alive, Stephen Hawking.

Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, is agreeing to test the iBrain in a effort to improve his communicative abilities. His body continues to deteriorate from his affliction and he no longer is able to effectively use a clicker to operate his voice simulator. If effective, the iBrain will allow Hawking, and others with similar debilitating conditions, to operate computers and other machines using only their thoughts.

The iBrain, which is worn around the head and can measure brain activity, is only in its infancy, and it remains unclear if it will have any practical applications. Scientists are hopeful that, with further testing like that that Hawking is participating in, those applications will be realized.