Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV
Many wheelchair users have never walked, but now a robotic exoskeleton could allow them to move around upright for the first time. Last week at the Wellcome Collection in London, Sophie Morgan, who was paralysed in a car accident, demonstrated bionic legs after just two short practice sessions.
The exoskeleton, developed by Richard Little and colleagues at Rex Bionics, has lithium batteries that can power up to 2 hours of walking. The user can select different modes, for example to walk up stairs or head down a slope, then guide themselves manually using a joystick. But soon the bionic legs could be controlled using thought alone, thanks to a collaboration with Jose Contreras-Vidal from the University of Houston in Texas. The new mind-reading system will detect brain activity using EEG and translate the electrical impulses into commands for the exoskeleton. Contreras-Vidal is taking a unique approach by extracting impulses associated with motion from the lowest brainwave frequencies.
The team hopes to test the thought-controlled system this year. So far, about 30 people worldwide use the joystick-operated device to help them walk.
If you enjoyed this post, check out an exoskeleton glove that can control a twin robot arm or watch an aqua-wheelchair perform flips underwater.