TECH STEPS UP
Paralysed man walks again just by thinking thanks to mind-reading AI tech
A MAN who was paralysed 12 years ago can now stand and even walk again thanks to mind-reading AI tech.
Scientists created a “digital bridge” to restore the link lost between Gert-Jan Oskam's brain and spinal cord after the bike crash.
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The "digital bridge" uses 16 electrodes that stimulate the nerves when he thinks about moving - allowing his legs to move in real time.
It has allowed Gert-Jan Oskam to regain control over the movement of his legs — enabling him to stand, walk and even climb stairs.
He has even been able to show motor skills when the digital bridge was turned off — suggesting that “new nerve connections have developed”.
Gert-Jan, 40, underwent surgery twice to implant electrodes in the brain and the spinal cord.
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Together with a headset and computerised backpack, the technology uses artificial intelligence to convert movement thoughts into actions — establishing a direct link between the brain and spinal cord areas involved in walking.
Dutch engineer Gert-Jan said that, after intensive training, he is now able to walk at least 100 metres with a walker or crutches on a good day.
He said: “For the first time after more than ten years I was able to stand up and have a beer with some of my friends, so that was pretty cool.”
His life has been transformed by neuroscientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
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He was unable to take a single step after suffering his severe spinal cord injury in 2011 in China — where he was living and working.
Professor Gregoire Courtine declared: “For the first time this digital bridge bypasses an injury, restoring the communication between two regions of the central nervous system that are disconnected.
“We observed a digital repair of the spine.”
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