Man with quadriplegia regains ability to pinch and grasp

Thanks to an implanted chip, a man paralyzed in a diving accident has regained limited movement of his fingers, hand and wrist, reports CBC News.

The technology was developed in a lab in Ohio. Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff, director of the ICORD research centre at UBC, commented that an alternative brain interface would use electrodes on the scalp, but the challenge is getting a good quality signal from the brain because of scarring, nerve cell death and the gradual breakdown of the electrode.

Ultimately, a biological cure could be found that regenerates the nerve fibres, said Tetzlaff, who wasn’t involved in the Ohio research.