A man who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident over ten years ago is walking again after a surgical procedure assisted by artificial intelligence.
Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, said he dreamed of walking again after being paralyzed from the waist down in the 2011 crash.
“I tried everything at home,” Oskam told ABC News. “I tried to stand up and take steps, but it wasn’t enough.”
It was only last year that Oskam, in collaboration with researchers in Switzerland, experienced a breakthrough.
In 2022, researchers at Lausanne University Hospital surgically inserted electronic implants into the areas of Oskam’s brain and spinal cord that control movement.
EPFL/Jimmy Ravier
Then, using artificial intelligence, the researchers built what they call a “digital bridge” between his brain and spine, bypassing his injuries and essentially putting his thoughts into action.
“Thanks to algorithms based on adaptive artificial intelligence methods, movement intentions are decoded in real time from brain recordings,” one of the researchers, Guillaume Charvet, said in a statement, noting that the technology enables the patient to “move independently”.
Oskam said now he can think about moving and his body follows his thoughts.
“I think about moving my leg, and then the stimulation gives me a pulse to take the step,” Oskam said, noting that even when the sensors are off, he can still walk with the help of crutches.
Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, was able to walk after being paralyzed using a “wireless interface” between his brain and spinal cord.
EPFL/Jimmy Ravier
Although this type of AI has been used in medicine for decades, researchers say Oskam’s case is the first successful procedure of its kind.
Researchers describe the breakthrough as using AI as a thought decoder that processes what the neurons in the brain region are trying to do and sends that signal to the spine.
Details of the achievement were published Wednesday in the medical journal Nature.
Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, was able to walk after being paralyzed using a “wireless interface” between his brain and spinal cord.
EPFL/Jimmy Ravier
The technology that enabled Oskam to walk is still in its early stages, the researchers acknowledged. Oskam was the first human to undergo this procedure.
Although the technology is not widely available to patients, the researchers said their mission is to “bring it to other people.”