Good legs ‘control’ paralyzed partners
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The unique therapy allows a patient to move their paralyzed leg in a natural way without being aware that they are doing it, says Wenwei Yu, who developed the technique at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. But it could be another five years or more before the technology becomes available, he says.
In Yu’s system, muscle sensors monitor signals from the patient’s able leg. These are used to trigger pre-programmed electrical impulses in 11 electrodes implanted near nerves in the paralyzed leg. This lets the paralyzed leg do what the patient wants it to do - by taking its cue from the good leg.
