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It is a giant step for humanity.
A paralyzed man is back on his feet thanks to a new implant of the spinal cord.
Revolutionary technology, called epidural electrical stimulation, fills gaps in damaged spines and revives the ability to translate neural messages from the brain into thorns, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
One of the three trial patients, David M'zee, 30, is able to walk about half a kilometer with his device turned on and about eight steps when he is off.
Doctors had previously told M'zee that he would never walk again.
Two other paraplegics who have received the implant are also able to move their legs, to varying degrees, and their prognosis is promising.
In a video published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Swiss Institute of Research in Lausanne, senior researcher Gregory Courtine explains that his team has studied a technology that "allows us to stimulate the spinal cord as the brain naturally does."
In addition to helping paralyzed people regain their movement capacity, the device also regenerates damaged nerve cells in the spine, reports the BBC.
"The results were completely unexpected," says Courtine.
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