Paralyzed Man Walks Thanks To Science
- In what health experts are calling a “scientific breakthrough,” a man who was paralyzed in a cycling accident 10 years ago is walking again after doctors re-established a link between his brain and spinal cord.
- Swiss doctors say they put digital implants on the surface of Gert-Jan Oskam’s brain that relay nerve signals to a computer, which uses artificial intelligence to decode their intent. Instructions are then sent wirelessly to another implant in Oskam’s lower spinal cord, bypassing the damaged nerves that have prevented the 40-year-old from walking, doctors say.
- Scientists in Switzerland say they hope to use the new technology to help more accident victims who have been paralyzed – and, eventually, to even help people who have suffered from strokes.