Spinal implants allow the paralysed to walk, swim and cycle again
The new device works in less than a day after it is fitted
FOUR YEARS ago Michel Roccati was involved in a motorcycle accident. He suffered what neurologists call a “complete” spinal-cord injury—he lost all sensation below the site of the damage to his spine and he could no longer move his legs. In December last year, however, the young Italian stood up on the streets of Lausanne, Switzerland, and took a short walk.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Standing ovation”
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