A tiny device implanted in the brain could enable paralyzed people to walk again, medical researchers say.

Australia researchers invented the device, called a “stentrode.” It about the size of a paperclip and is implanted in a blood vessel in the brain in a minimally invasive procedure, without the need for surgery.

The device works by reading electronic signals emitted by the brain’s control center. These signals are transmitted to an exoskeleton ( a wearable robotic suit) or wheelchair to give paraplegic patients greater mobility, the preclinical study says.

Such brain activity could return mobility to patients with complete paralysis by recording brain activity and converting the acquired signals into electrical commands to move limbs, says Dr. Thomas Oxley, lead author of the study, who is currently based at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. He is a neurologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where the device was developed.

The device would function like a “bionic spinal cord,” said Dr. Oxley. Users will need to learn how to communicate with it, but over time, it would become second nature, like driving or playing the piano, he added.

Currently, exoskeletons are controlled by manual manipulation of a joystick to switch between the various elements of walking -- stand, start, stop, turn. This would be the first device that enables direct thought to control it, he said.


The device was developed for stroke victims and people with spinal cord injuries, but also could potentially be used by people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders, the researchers said of the study, which appears in Nature Biotechnology.

Human trials of the device are slated to begin in Melbourne next year.