Revolutionary Implants Allow Paralyzed Man to Walk Again

A man who was paralysed in a cycling accident in 2011 has been able to stand and walk with an aid after doctors implanted a device that reads his brain waves and sends instructions to his spine to move the right muscles. The “digital bridge” is the latest from a team of neuroscientists in Switzerland who have a longstanding programme to develop brain-machine interfaces to overcome paralysis. The device does not produce swift, smooth strides, but the implant allowed for more natural movements than before, because standing up and walking were initiated and controlled by thinking about the actions.