As part of a medical study conducted in France, a 28-year-old patient who developed complete tetraplegia (paralysis from the shoulders down) as a result of an injury has partially regained the ability to move with the help of a mind-controlled exoskeleton.
This unprecedented achievement offers hope to millions of people facing similar health challenges.
The system, developed by a team of researchers from Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, the biomedical company Clinatech, and the CEA, functions through recording devices implanted between the brain and the skin. These sensors capture signals from the brain’s sensorimotor cortex, which are then converted into physical movements by special algorithms.
Before taking the first steps, the patient underwent months of intensive neurorehabilitation. Prior to fitting the exoskeleton, he controlled the movements of a virtual character in a computer game using the brain implants. Following these types of training sessions, he was finally able to begin moving proficiently with the exoskeleton.
Professor Alim-Louis Benabid, the head of the study, called the results published in Lancet Neurology a “breakthrough achievement.” He stated that although the technology is still far from being widely accessible to patients, it could radically improve the quality of life and independence for those with quadriplegia.
Professor Benabid hopes that this approach will form the basis for creating brain-controlled movement assistance devices. His vision is for this technology to ultimately aim for the full restoration of abilities for people with disabilities.
