Spinal Implants Help Paralyzed People Walk Again

Injuries to the spinal cord are debilitating because they prevent the transmission of nerve impulses from the body to the brain. If the brain doesn’t receive sensory input, it can’t control the muscles that help us move. According to a recent ArsTechnica article though, a new spinal implant is helping paralyzed people move again within just hours of receiving it. The researchers behind it built a computer model and used it to control the stimulation of the leg muscles in three subjects. Once the implants were activated, all of the subjects were able take assisted steps on a treadmill.