Using a cap that takes his brain waves and sends them, via bluetooth, to electrodes around his knee, a paralyzed man was able to walk. (Image via BioMed Central).
For the first time a person with complete paralysis in both legs (paraplegia), arising from a spinal cord injury, was able to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs.
The results show that brain-controlled walking can be restored after a complete spinal cord injury. After undergoing mental training, and physical rehabilitation to restore the leg muscles, the patient was able to walk along a 3.66 m course, using only a body-weight support system to prevent falls and aid his weakened leg muscles.
The patient had been paralyzed for five years, yet after learning how to control an avatar in virtual reality, he was able to walk using the noninvasive system; a cap connecting the electrical signals from the patient’s brain to electrodes places around the knees.
Original research paper published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation on September 23, 2015.
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