Paralyzed Patient Walks Using Brain-Wave System

With the Modular Prosthetic Limb, researchers from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab have successfully demonstrated the possibilities of controlling artificial limbs simply by thought. A 26-year-old man who was paralyzed in both legs has regained the ability to walk using a system controlled by his brain waves, along with a harness to help support his body weight, a new study says. In order to walk, the patient wore a cap with electrodes that detected his brain signals. These electrical signals -- the same as those a doctor looks at when running an electroencephalogram (EEG) test -- were sent to a computer, which "decoded" the brain waves. It then used them to send instructions to another device that stimulated the nerves in the man's legs, causing the muscles to move.