Paralysis Victims' Brains Rewired with Robotic Brace

Researchers at MIT have come up with a robotic brace that’s helping people with paralysis rewire their brains to regain movement. Six patients at MIT’s Clinical Research Center and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital who tested the device have achieved an average of 23% improvement in arm function, MIT reports.

The device senses electrical muscle activity and then powers the actual movement through a built-in motor. It helps close the feedback loop between brain intention and actual limb movement that’s believed to be a key component in recovering motor skills after paralysis. One patient fully bent and straightened her arm after 16 sessions.

“It was incredible to be able to move my arm again on command,” says Maggie Fermental, a 32-year-old stroke survivor. “Cooking, dressing, shopping, turning on light switches, opening cabinets; it’s easier now that I have two arms again.”

Fermental was paralyzed on one side and received routine therapy for 18 months, then used the brace 18 times in nine weeks. The portable, slip-on device uses electromyography to detect electrical activity in contracting muscles’ cells. It sends the data to a motor that responds by initiating, controlling, and completing the movement. The process helps neurons rewire themselves for movement.

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