REVERSING PARALYSIS

Breakthrough
Wireless brain-body electronic interfaces to bypass damage to the nervous system.
Why It Matters
Thousands of people suffer paralyzing injuries every year.
Key Players
– École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne


– Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering


– University of Pittsburgh


– Case Western Reserve University
Availability
10 to 15 years
To complete the bypass, the Case team, led by Robert Kirsch and Bolu Ajiboye, also slid more than 16 fine electrodes into the muscles of the man’s arm and hand. In videos of the experiment, the volunteer can be seen slowly raising his arm with the help of a spring-loaded arm rest, and willing his hand to open and close. He even raises a cup with a straw to his lips. Without the system, he can’t do any of that.

Just try sitting on your hands for a day. That will give you an idea of the shattering consequences of spinal cord injury. You can’t scratch your nose or tousle a child’s hair. “But if you have this,” says Courtine, reaching for a red espresso cup and raising it to his mouth with an actor’s exaggerated motion, “it changes your life.” Follow link to read more : www.shugarreyluminations.com