Recent tests validated that approach. The cuff was temporarily implanted on the femoral nerves of seven patients undergoing routine thigh surgery. Pulses of current 250 microseconds long were used to selectively and independently activate the muscles that extend the knee and flex the hip joint when a person stands up. The pulses were not enough to bend the joints as much as they would when standing, but the results suggest that longer pulses should stimulate the muscles to provide enough force to support the body’s weight (Journal of Neural Engineering, DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/7/2/026006). Longer trials are being planned, subject to approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Future devices using FINE would likely be targeted at people paralysed from the waist down. A computer interface to the implant could give them control of their legs. Further into the future, a brain interface might allow a person to control their implant with their thoughts.
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