Brain Computer Link Enables a Paralyzed Man to Walk Again

About five years ago, Adam Fritz had an accident that made him paralyzed in both legs. Today, he is able to walk nearly 12 feet with the help of Brain-Computer technology developed at University of California, Irvine. It is the first successful experiment in the field of medicine where a paralyzed patient man walked successfully without any robotics assistance. To transfer thoughts into actions, researchers used a Brain Computer link which converts brainwaves into electrical signals that can be read by muscles. Through this research, it is possible to use the brain control to walk again.

Researchers linked Fritz’s brain with this legs with wires that connected EEG device around his head to electrodes around his knees. This allows him to tell the muscles to move bypassing the broken spinal cord. With researcher’s help, Fritz was able to move astonishingly 3.6 meters (11.8 feet).