This is possibly the most exciting news of the entire week. Thanks to technology, a tetraplegic patient is able to walk again, well, albeit very slowly and only in laboratory.
The man, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down, uses his thoughts to control an exoskeleton suit to the take steps. However, for now, the four-limb robotic suit has to be tethered to the ceiling to help maintain balance.
Remember this is still at the very early stage of testing and there are much to be done before such a suit could help the paralyzed walk again.
The system demonstrated in Grenoble, France uses a semi-invasive wireless brain-computer system designed to activate all four limbs.
Sensors are implanted in the patient’s brain, near the region which scientists have identified as the area responsible for sending out signals for limb movements.
It is indeed a groundbreaking development and while it is far from clinical application, it is a glimmer of hope for people of the future. It will be years before It will becomes a reality, but here’s to hoping.
A whole-body exoskeleton, operated by recording and decoding brain signals, has helped a tetraplegic patient to move all four of his paralysed limbs: results of a 2-year trial @TheLancetNeuro https://t.co/5KaJ9qLSaz pic.twitter.com/2Rr9sSXrNr
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) October 3, 2019
Images: Twitter (@TheLancet).
Source: Twitter (@TheLancet) via CNA.