AI-based ‘digital bridge’ enables paraplegic patient to walk
A “digital bridge” that uses artificial intelligence to decode brain signals has enabled a paraplegic patient to walk just by thinking about moving his legs, boosting hopes that the neurotechnology could eventually help millions of people overcome disabilities.
Swiss researchers implanted an electronic device in the patient’s skull on top of the region of the brain responsible for controlling leg movements. Using algorithms based on adaptive AI methods, “movement intentions are decoded in real time from brain recordings”, said Guillaume Charvet, head of brain-computer interface research at French public research body CEA.
Although the digital bridge has so far been tested only on Gerd-Jan, the researchers are about to extend the clinical trial, initially to three new patients and then many more. They expressed confidence that the technology would work in other applications if the position of implants was altered. Hand and arm mobility could be restored in people with paralysed upper limbs and disability reduced in stroke patients, for example.
“The concept of a digital bridge between the brain and spinal augurs a new era in the treatment of motor deficits due to neurological disorders,” the Nature paper concludes.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Clive Cookson
