Brain-computer interface enables thought-controlled walking after spinal cord injury
ONWARD Medical N.V, a medical device company that develops therapies to restore movement, function and independence in people with spinal cord injury (SCI), announced a paper in Nature showing that using a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI), thoughts can be used to control ARC therapy. The researchers reported that an implanted BCI combined with ARC therapy gave a person better control over when and how they moved their paralyzed legs.
"This publication shows that the significant potential of ARC therapy can be extended by the introduction of a BCI, allowing more natural movements based on a paralyzed person's thoughts," said Dave Marver, CEO of ONWARD. "With our superior understanding of spinal cord stimulation for people with SCI, we have positioned ONWARD as a leader in BCI."
"BCI provides a continuous link between movement intentions and spinal cord stimulation, enabling a more natural recovery of mobility," said neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine, professor at EPFL and co-author of the Nature article. "I look forward to advancing this important new technology with the ONWARD team."
The data released are part of an ongoing clinical feasibility study investigating the safety and preliminary efficacy of brain-guided spinal cord stimulation after SCI. The study is being coordinated by .NeuroRestore co-directors - Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) - and Guillaume Charvet, head of the medical device development laboratory at CEA-Leti / Clinatec.
All ONWARD devices and therapies, including but not limited to ARC-IM, ARC-EX and ARC Therapy, are in the trial phase and are not available for commercial use.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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