Paralyzed Man Is Able To Walk Using A Mind-Controlled Robotic Exoskeleton

Is it a miracle? A former optician, paralyzed man, was able to move his paralyzed limbs with the help of mind-controlled exoskeleton suit, French scientists report. 

The invention has been published in the medicinal journal The Lancet Neurology, with experts regarding the exoskeleton an 'exciting development.'

However, the said innovation is still in its trial days and a long way from being utilized in everyday life. Additional tests on different patients are still ongoing.

How does it work?

A patient will receive a medical procedure to put two implants on his mind, covering the pieces of the cerebrum that control development.

Sixty-four ultrathin electrodes are implanted to read the cerebrum action and transmit the directions to a nearby computer.

A sophisticated computer program appropriates the brainwaves in changing directions and control the exoskeleton.

The patient needed to wear the suit, which is suspended from an overhead harness to prevent one from falling.

How easy was it to use?

A former optician named Thibault fell in an event at a dance club four years ago. The damage to his spinal rope left him paralyzed, and he went through the next two years in the hospital.

In 2017, he participated in the exoskeleton preliminary with Clinatec and the University of Grenoble.

He initially practiced walking using what was inserted in his cerebrum to control a virtual character in a PC game. At that point, he proceeded onwards to walk using the suit.

Thibault, according to a news report from BBC, said making his first strides in the suit felt like he was the "first man [to walk] on the Moon." 

"I forgot what it is to stand, I forgot I was taller than a lot of people in the room," Thibault added.

However, Thibault took a lot longer for him how to control the arms as he noted that it takes a combination of multiple muscles to move. 

Thibault's improvements, such as walking, are a long way from perfection, and the robo-suit is being utilized only in the lab. 

What is the next step?

The French researchers' next objective is to continue refining the technology.

Alim Louis Benabid, a professor of University of Grenoble Alpes in France and lead author of the study, told BBC in a news report that they needed to establish a higher reaction time for their invention.

According to Bernabid, they are limited by the amount of information they can read and interpret from the mind, send to the computer, and continuously send the information to the exoskeleton.

They have 350 milliseconds to translate the thoughts into movements. Hence the exoskeleton ends up hard to control. It means out of the 64 terminals on each electrode, only 32 terminals have been used by the researchers.

What do experts think?

Although the study presents a welcome and exciting development, Professor Tom Shakespeare, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the proof of concept has a long way to go from usable clinical possibility.

"Even if ever workable, cost constraints mean that hi-tech options are never going to be available to most people in the world with spinal cord injury," said Professor Shakespere.