Gert-Jan Oskam was living in China in 2011 when he was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the hips down. Now, with a combination of devices, scientists have given him control over his lower body again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 12 years I\u2019ve been trying to get back my feet,\u201d Mr. Oskam said in a press briefing on Tuesday. \u201cNow I have learned how to walk normal, natural.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers in Switzerland described implants that provided a \u201cdigital bridge\u201d between Mr. Oskam\u2019s brain and his spinal cord, bypassing injured sections. The discovery allowed Mr. Oskam, 40, to stand, walk and ascend a steep ramp with only the assistance of a walker. More than a year after the implant was inserted, he has retained these abilities and has actually showed signs of neurological recovery, walking with crutches even when the implant was switched off.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve captured the thoughts of Gert-Jan, and translated these thoughts into a stimulation of the spinal cord to re-establish voluntary movement,\u201d Gr\u00e9goire Courtine, a spinal cord specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, who helped lead the research, said at the press briefing.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 12 years I\u2019ve been trying to get back my feet,\u201d said Gert-Jan Oskam, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2011. \u201cNow I have learned how to walk normal, natural.\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/l2Wbb4CttN<\/a><\/p>\n — NYT Science (@NYTScience) May 25, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n