Having suffered from paralysis for the past four years, a 30-year old by the name of Thibault took his first steps again recently. Not on his own, but with the help of a highly-advanced mind-controlled exoskeleton suit. For this to happen, Thibault had surgery to place two implants on the surface of the brain, covering the parts of the brain that control movement.
These implants read the brainwaves and then beam them to a nearby computer, which reads them and turns the brainwaves into instructions for controlling the exoskeleton. That means that when Thibault thinks “walk”, it sets off a chain of movements in the robotic suit that moves his legs forward. His movements, particularly walking, are far from perfect, and the 65kg robo-suit is being used only in the lab as of now. Still, researchers say the approach could one day improve the quality of life for other patients suffering from paralysis.
