Researchers have restored hand movement and the sense of touch to a man paralysed from the chest down. The results, published in Nature Medicine, suggest the technology partly rewired his nervous system.
The system, called a “double neural bypass,” comes from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health, the team said. It combines a brain-computer interface, AI, and electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and brain.
What the participant regained
The participant, Keith Thomas, broke his neck in a 2020 diving accident. He had complete tetraplegia and could not lift his hands to his face. He enrolled in the three-year trial 13 months later.
After training, Thomas could feed himself and drink from a cup with his own hand. Over 35 weeks, his right arm grew 86% stronger and his left 62% stronger, the researchers reported. He could also scratch his nose and wipe his mouth unaided.
