A team of European experts is working on a mind-controlled
robotic exoskeleton that could enable people currently confined
to wheelchairs to walk again and also help astronauts
rehabilitate to Earth gravity after prolonged periods in the
weightlessness of space. The MindWalker system, which is being
developed as part of a three-year, 2.5 million euro project,
consists of a brain-computer interface (BCI), a virtual reality
training environment and a robotic exoskeleton attached to the
legs. If perfected, MindWalker will enable people with spinal
chord injuries to achieve mobility by sidestepping their spinal
chord as a communications pathway to their lower limbs. And,
instead of having to rely on wheelchairs or walking frames to
get around, they will be supported by an exoskeleton specially
designed for everyday use. Continue reading