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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The BBC reports on a UC Irvine brain-computer interface [wikipedia.org] (BCI) that has allowed a man with a spinal cord injury to walk [bbc.com]:

A paralysed man has regained some control over his legs using a device that reads his brain, scientists say. Brainwaves were interpreted by a computer, which then controlled the electrical stimulation of his leg muscles.

The US study, in the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, showed he was able to walk just under four metres with support. Experts said maintaining balance was an issue that needed to be addressed. A spinal cord injury prevents the flow of messages from the brain. However, the brain is still able to create messages and the legs are still capable of receiving them.

The researchers at the University of California, Irvine, used a brain-computer interface to bypass the damage in a man who had been paralysed for five years. An electroencephalogram (EEG) cap read the activity of the man's brain and his initial training was to control a virtual person or avatar in a computer game.

Videos of a patient walking using a BCI [youtube.com] and training with a virtual avatar [youtube.com] are available on this channel [youtube.com].

Brain-Computer Interface Control of Walking After Spinal Cord Injury project page [uci.edu]

Full paper: The feasibility of a brain-computer interface functional electrical stimulation system for the restoration of overground walking after paraplegia [jneuroengrehab.com]

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