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A chip in his brain allowed this paralysed man to move his hand again

Source: BrightVibes

A freak accident while on holiday left him paralysed. Now he can play video games!

Ian Burkhart was just 19 when he was paralysed from the neck down in a freak accident. To celebrate the end of his first year of college, Burkhart went on a beach holiday. After diving headfirst into a wave, he was dumped into a hidden sandbar and his neck was snapped. He instantly lost the ability to move his legs, and he had very limited control over his arms and hands. 

Six years on, after being helped by a team of researchers at Ohio State University, Burkhart has now had an electrical chip implanted into his brain. The chip converts brain signals from the motor cortex into electrical pulses that are fed into a sleeve he wears on his arm. From here, the signals are sent through the skin to the muscles in his arm, which allows him to move his arm, hand and fingers again. 

Since 2014, Burkhart has slowly been practicing with the sleeve. He can now pour a drink from a bottle, hold cutlery, and play video games. 

Watch the video below to see just how amazing this is! 

Source: BrightVibes

Image source: The Guardian 

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