Virtual Reality Helps Paralyzed Man To ‘Walk’ Once More
A team of Japanese scientists were able to give a paralyzed man the feeling of how it would be if he could walk again. The man – who has not walked over 30 years – volunteered for an experiment at the Keio University in Japan.
In the experiment the man put on headgear that had the ability to sense brainwaves that were connected to his legs and arms. He was able to ‘walk’ again by imagining it as a character in Second Life – a very popular virtual world.
Although it’ll never replace the mouse and keyboard for able-bodied folks, the team hopes to use the system to help stave off depression in immobilized patients — no doubt a common problem.
The team’s next goal is to allow the patients to create and send text messages by mentally selecting the letters.