Two paralysed patients have been able to walk short distances and even climb stairs once more after being implanted with electrodes in their brains. Both had catastrophic spinal injuries that meant they relied on a wheelchair before the operation.
Surgeons used deep brain stimulation to re-awaken dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles. The breakthrough came after neuroscientists at the EPFL used AI to map all the neurons in the brain involved in helping rats and mice walk.
More information: