This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, a groundbreaking study was published in The Lancet Neurology journal, detailing the successful use of a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton to enable a 28-year-old man to walk again.
The patient, who had been paralyzed from the shoulders down, used a system of sensors implanted near his brain to send messages to move all four of his paralyzed limbs. The sensors, which were implanted on either side of the patient's head, contained 64 electrodes that collected brain signals and transmitted them to a decoding algorithm.
Over a period of 24 months, the patient underwent extensive training to teach the algorithm to understand his thoughts and translate them into movements. The results of the trial were nothing short of remarkable, with the patient able to walk using the exoskeleton.
According to Alim-Louis Benabid, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Grenoble, France, who co-led the trial, the system is the first semi-invasive wireless brain-computer system designed to activate all four limbs. He noted that previous brain-computer technologies have been limited by their invasive nature, connection to wires, or ability to create movement in only one limb.
While the results of the trial are a significant step forward in the field of paralysis treatment, experts caution that the technology is still in its experimental stages and far from clinical application. Tom Shakespeare, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that proof of concept is a long way from usable clinical possibility, and that cost constraints may limit the availability of the technology to those who need it most.
