A paralyzed man from the Netherlands is doing the incredible, thanks to modern technology and a lot of hard work.
When 40-year-old Gert-Jan Oskam was paralyzed during a motorcycle crash in China 12 years ago, his life became extremely difficult, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
Oskam spent years in physical therapy and later became part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s “digital bridge” program.
The team put implants in his brain and spine that are connected to a computer in a backpack. Whenever he wears special head gear, brain signals telling his body to move communicate with his spinal cord, which in turn, helps his legs move as he wishes, per a study published this week in Nature.
Oskam is overjoyed at the difference in his life, and a photo shows him standing tall while wearing the head device:
“Last week, there was something that needed to be painted and there was nobody to help me. So I took the walker and the paint, and I did it myself while I was standing,” he commented.
Oskam is also seen in video footage moving his legs to walk:
“Scientists say it’s like a digital bridge that bypasses the damaged part of his spine,” NBC News reported.
Meanwhile, study author Prof. Grégoire Courtine is amazed by Oskam’s progress, adding that when the team met him, he was unable to take a single step without needing help.
Now, Oskam says he is able to walk 330 to 660 feet a day, and he can also stand for a few minutes on his own.
“I am in full control of what the stimulation does, and that gives me a lot of freedom, which I didn’t have with previous therapy,” Oskam explained.
More video footage shows the man lifting himself out of a wheelchair and climbing stairs, according to ABC 7:
Courtine believes this particular case and the technology will help others in the future, saying, “There is no reason why it would not apply to the vast majority of people with spinal cord injury.”