Paralyzed Man Walks With Help of Brain-Computer Interface

Alex Fritz, a 26-year-old man left paralyzed after a motorbike accident five years ago, has walked again after doctors at the University of California, Irvine, successfully transmitted brain signals to his legs using electrodes, according to an academic paper published in the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation on September 24.

The doctors re-established the link between Fritz’s brain and his legs, converting brain signals using an electrical stimulation device to command his legs to move.

The footage here, uploaded on April 21, 2014, shows Fritz walking 3.66m, or about 12 feet, without intervention, strapped into a harness for safety. Credit: University of Southern California, Irvine