Paralyzed Man Walks Again Thanks to Electronic Brain Implants Indian Express
go to original May 26, 2023

Paralysed man walks again thanks to groundbreaking thought-controlled implants (euronews)

There are advancements in science every day that no one could have predicted a few years ago. In a stunning breakthrough that could change lives, a paralyzed man was able to walk again simply by thinking about it. Thanks to electronic brain implants!

According to a BBC report, the man from Netherlands named Gert-Jan Oskam was paralyzed in a cycling accident 12 years ago. He described that he felt like a toddler, learning to walk again. Oskam shared that the use of electronic implants that wirelessly transmit his thoughts to his legs and feet has changed his life. He said that it has been a long journey, but now he is able to stand up and have a beer with a friend. “It’s a pleasure that many people don’t realize,” he added.

According to the report, the electronic implants work by wirelessly transmitting his thoughts to his legs and feet via a second implant on his spine. The system is still at an experimental stage but a leading spinal charity in the UK called it “very encouraging.”

The initiative was led by Swiss researchers and published in the journal Nature. The surgeon who carried out the surgery to insert the implants, Prof Jocelyne Bloch, of Lausanne University, stressed that the system was still at basic research stage. She said it would be many years till it is available to paralyzed patients but the team’s aim is to get it out of the lab and into the clinic as soon as possible.

See the original at Indian Express

Related: Your Right to Mental Privacy in the Age of Brain-Sensing Tech (TED2023)