Reversing Paralysis
New Brain Implant Size of Matchstick Brain Implant In Australia, University of Melbourne bioengineers have developed a brain implant the size of a matchstick, that may help people paralyzed walk again. It's been successfully tested on sheep. Stentrode The implant is called Stentrode. It circumvents the spinal cord and enables movement driven by the person's thoughts. It's a tiny device containing electrodes. DARPA and Australian Government Research Funding The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA and the government of Australia have funded the research. The research team hopes to test the Stentrode on 5 volunteers. Wireless Thoughts The system relays thoughts wirelessly to an external robotic device such as an exoskeleton or prosthetic limb. The Stentrode enables patient directed brain control over movement and locomotion. Human Augmentation The Stentrode device is part of the growing field of roboti...