Neuroscientists in Switzerland is making history by making a man, who was paralysed for over a decade, walk with the aid of technology.
Gert-Jan Oskam met with a motorcycle crash in 2011, which left him paralysed from the waist down. Last year, in an attempt to regain movement, researchers in Switzerland, surgically inserted electronic implants in his brain and spinal cord. With the help of AI, they built what is called a ‘digital bridge’ that will connect his brain and spine, which bypasses his injuries. In this technology, AI is being used as a ‘thought decoder’.
The “digital bridge” is the most recent innovation from a group of Swiss neuroscientists working on a long-running project to create brain-machine interfaces to treat paralysis. The project’s goal is to employ wireless signals to re-establish communication between the brain and muscles that become inactive after spinal cord neurons are severed.
Oskam used a technology that sent impulses from a computer to his spinal cord to simulate the rhythmic steps of walking in a prior attempt. Although it enabled him to take many steps at once, the device’s movement was extremely robotic and required the press of a button or sensor.
The technology is still not widely available as it is in the development stage.
