As research continues for exoskeletons designed to help paralyzed people walk again, a new project is being developed for that same purpose, and relies on stimulation of the spinal cord rather than the use of a large suit.
NEUWalk is being developed by a team of researchers at the Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, who tested their work on paralyzed rats, according to CNET. Researchers severed the rats' spinal cords in their middle-backs, which in turn, paralyzed their lower limbs.
The main focus of the project is electricity, which affects the body's ability to move because electrical signals are sent from the brain down the spinal cord and into the nervous system. Severed spinal cords prevent these signals from reaching that area of the spine, which results in paralysis of certain body parts. However, the research team found that electrodes could be used to send these signals through the spinal cord under a cut and could replace the brain signal.
The rats were also assisted by a treadmill and a harness so they would be able to walk, ExtremeTech reported.
The research was published in Science Translational Medicine.
Flexible electrodes were implanted in the severed spots of the rats' spinal cords, sending electrical signals to the several parts of the spine, CNET reported. The team was able to stimulate the spine to allow for smooth movements of the rats' legs, including their gait.
Gregoire Courtine, neuroscientist and lead researcher of the EPFL team, said that while the rat cannot voluntarily move its limbs, its severed spinal cord can be stimulated so it can walk naturally.
"We can control in real-time how the rate moves forward and how high it lifts its legs," Courtine said.
Silvestro Micera, neuroengineer and co-author of the research, said the team's research could eventually be used to make life easier for people with neurological disorders.
The team is looking to begin testing the project on humans with spinal cord injuries with help from the University Hospital of Lausanne's Gait Platform, CNET reported. The laboratory includes a custom treadmill, 14 infrared cameras for reading reflective markers on patients and two video cameras that record movements.
Clinical trials for human testing are expected to begin in June of next year.
