Michael Roccati’s spinal cord was severed in a motorcycle accident. It immediately kept him from being able to walk or feel in his legs. But, like the Six Million Dollar Man, doctors were able to work some new tech into his body. They literally attached wire fibers to sections of nerves and worked in a small computer with advanced software. A couple hours after surgery, Michael was showing use of his legs again. Michael wasn’t the only one. They did implants on a couple other patients who also showed similar improvements.
The implant works by stimulating damaged nerves and helping signals jump the gap on a spinal injury. It helps the signals from the brain reach further to the healthy nerve areas, kind of like a wi-fi repeater which picks up a signal and rebroadcasts it. It’s not the same as before the injury, but it’s an improvement. Doctors think that this combined with stem cell advances might be able to help patients get back to normal.