Adam Fritz hasn’t walked in five years, since a motorcycle crash left him paralyzed from the waist down. But a study published this week describes the first-steps he took, with the aid of a computer.
Researchers at the University of California Irvine’s iMove Lab say that Fritz, a disability claims administrator from California, is the first person with this type of spinal cord injury to walk again without robotics. Instead, the technology used involves a computer algorithm that translates the electrical impulses from Fritz’ brain waves, which are then transmitted to his legs via electrodes attached to his knees, and uses them to activate his legs, according to a Reuters story.
In the experiment, which was captured on video, Fritz is held up partially by an overhead harness but is able to move his body forward twelve feet, walking on his own with the computer brain propelling him. Fritz spent a year training with a virtual reality simulator before taking the twelve-foot walk. He says that he was concentrating so intensely on walking during the experiment that the most challenging part was stopping.
Fritz has volunteered to continue with further studies, which will involve miniaturized brain implants that are expected to give the patient greater control and potentially offer the sensation of pressure on his feet, for improved balance and support.