A Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) project led by Professor Andreas Demosthenous of University College London, has developed a new type of microchip that can be implanted into people that suffer with paraplegia. What’s remarkable is that it then enables them to exercise their paralyzed leg muscles! It is the first time that researchers have developed a device of this kind that is small enough to be implanted into the spinal canal and incorporates the electrodes and muscle stimulator in one unit. The implant is the size of a child’s fingernail.
Although electrical stimulation of leg muscles has been used for some time, it is usually done by attaching electrodes to the outside of the legs and then connecting the electrodes to an external stimulator. This is too time consuming to be used every day so few people with spinal cord injury continue with this method despite the clear health benefits.
Professor Andreas Demosthenous commented:
The work has the potential to stimulate more muscle groups than is currently possible with existing technology because a number of these devices can be implanted into the spinal canal. Stimulation of more muscle groups means users can perform enough movement to carry out controlled exercise such as cycling or rowing.
The small chip could also be used for a range of restorative functions such as stimulating bladder muscles to help overcome incontinence and stimulating nerves to improve bowel capacity and suppress spasms. The Active Book will be made available for pilot studies sometime next year.
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