Mind Reading Exoskeleton
By Silvestre Mora 
Recently, a paralyzed man named Thibault got to walk again. Thibault got paralyzed by falling off of a 40 foot balcony. He was able to walk again by having surgery that put brain sensors on his brain. Scientists made a robot that can translate his brain readings into movements to move his legs.
“I hadn’t walked for two years. I had forgotten that I used to be taller than a lot of people in the room. It was very impressive,” said Thibault in a CNN interview.
Over the course of the project he walked 145 meters (476 feet) in the mind reading skeleton.
Recently, a paralyzed man named Thibault got to walk again. Thibault got paralyzed by falling off of a 40 foot balcony. He was able to walk again by having surgery that put brain sensors on his brain. Scientists made a robot that can translate his brain readings into movements to move his legs.
“I hadn’t walked for two years. I had forgotten that I used to be taller than a lot of people in the room. It was very impressive,” said Thibault in a CNN interview.
Over the course of the project he walked 145 meters (476 feet) in the mind reading skeleton.
Since, the project is still in progress, scientists hope that they can improve the exoskeleton so that it can improve patients' lives. Scientists think that they are one step closer to only use brain signals to operate the exoskeleton. An exoskeleton is a rigid external covering for the body in some invertebrate animals, like a beetle.
The exoskeleton cannot be used outside of the laboratory because the exoskeleton needs a ceiling harness, but scientists think that they can make an exoskeleton that does not need the ceiling harness. They also say that they will need to work on the balancing of the exoskeleton.
Thibault learned how to move his wrists, arms, and legs. Moving his wrists was a hard thing to learn, over the course of the project, according to The New Scientist.
When they tried doing all the tests on Thibault for the second time they failed due to technical difficulties. “Thibaut was very disappointed,” says Benabid a scientist in an interview in The New Scientist.
The exoskeleton cannot be used outside of the laboratory because the exoskeleton needs a ceiling harness, but scientists think that they can make an exoskeleton that does not need the ceiling harness. They also say that they will need to work on the balancing of the exoskeleton.
Thibault learned how to move his wrists, arms, and legs. Moving his wrists was a hard thing to learn, over the course of the project, according to The New Scientist.
When they tried doing all the tests on Thibault for the second time they failed due to technical difficulties. “Thibaut was very disappointed,” says Benabid a scientist in an interview in The New Scientist.
When I asked 6th grader Kevin Zamora what he thought about this, he said, “I feel like this is very important because this shows that technology is improving. If we can start using exoskeletons to help paralyzed people we can succeed in many things.”
Since, they fixed their project and have good results with Thibault they are ready to put implants on three other people.
If you want to watch a video on this, click here.
Since, they fixed their project and have good results with Thibault they are ready to put implants on three other people.
If you want to watch a video on this, click here.
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