瘫痪了4年的人通过意念控制的外骨骼重新行走

这个瘫痪了4年的人终于可以通过意念控制的外骨骼重新行走了

Someone once said that the greatest inventions are those made to ease the life of others. And this time, we’re not talking about some conventional things made for the convenience of the masses, no. This time, all the undivided attention goes to the scientists putting all of their efforts to make humanity step up a level and help immobilized people walk again. Sure, it may seem like it’s straight out of a sci-fi book at first but just take a look at the brilliant work they’ve done already in making this completely paralyzed man take his first steps again after being bed-ridden for 4 years!

有人曾经说过，最伟大的发明是那些使别人的生活变得轻松的发明。这一次，我们讨论的不是一些为大众方便而做的传统的东西，不是。这一次，所有的注意力都集中在科学家们身上，他们付出了所有的努力，让人类更上一层楼，帮助瘫痪的人们重新行走。当然，乍一看这像是直接从科幻小说里出来的，但只要看看他们已经做的出色的工作，让这个完全瘫痪的男人在卧床4年后重新迈出第一步!

28-year-old Thibault was paralyzed 4 years ago after suffering a spine injury

28岁的Thibault四年前脊椎受伤后瘫痪

A French man known by the name of Thibault suffered a severe injury to his spine after falling 15 meters at a night club four years ago. The injury left him paralyzed from the shoulders down but he later regained some movement in his biceps and left wrist and was therefore able to operate a wheelchair with his left arm.

四年前，一名叫蒂博(Thibault)的法国男子在一家夜总会从15米高处坠落，脊椎严重受伤。这次受伤使他从肩膀以下瘫痪，但后来他的肱二头肌和左手腕恢复了一些活动，因此他可以用左臂操纵轮椅。

But was able to walk again with this mind-controlled exoskeleton

但通过这种意念控制的外骨骼，他又能走路了

The former optician spent two years in hospital after his injury and enrolled in the exoskeleton trial with Clinatec company and the University of Grenoble in 2017. He first started to use brain implants to control the movements of a virtual character in a computer game and only then moved on to walking in the suit himself.

这位前眼镜商受伤后在医院住了两年，并于2017年参加了Clinatec公司和格勒诺布尔大学的外骨骼试验。他先是开始使用大脑植入物来控制电脑游戏中的虚拟人物的动作，直到后来才开始自己穿西装走路。

He controls it via two sensors implanted between his skin and his brain

他通过植入皮肤和大脑之间的两个传感器控制它

At this point, both his movements and the suit are far from being perfect but Thibault is really excited by the progress he’s made. He said walking in the exo-suit felt otherworldly. “It was like [being the] first man on the Moon. I forgot what it is to stand, I forgot I was taller than a lot of people in the room,” said Thibault.

在这一点上，他的动作和宇航服都远非完美，但他对自己所取得的进步感到非常兴奋。他说穿着太空服走路感觉就像到了另一个世界。“这就像第一个登上月球的人。我忘记了站着是什么感觉，我忘记了我比房间里的很多人都高。”

Sensors record the activity from the part of the brain that’s responsible for movement and sensation

传感器记录大脑中负责运动和感觉的部分的活动

Saying it could help immobilized patients walk on their own in the near future is really optimistic but it’s a huge step for humanity nonetheless. Previous attempts in making such suits involved more invasive sensors and required wires to be attached to the computers. This robo-suit is completely wireless but is still not suitable for outside use, as it has to be hung from the ceiling for stability.

说它能在不久的将来帮助瘫痪的病人自己走路是非常乐观的，但它仍然是人类的一大步。之前的尝试涉及到更多的侵入式传感器，并且需要连接到电脑上的电线。这款机器人服完全是无线的，但仍然不适合在室外使用，因为它必须挂在天花板上才能保持稳定。

Then an algorithm interprets the signals and transforms them into movements

然后，一个算法解释这些信号，并把它们转换成动作

Even though the exoskeleton can only be used in the lab, for now, the whole research is being compiled in order to ease and improve the quality of life for patients with movement-related disabilities all over the world. At this time, the robo-suit is quite simplistic. It requires Thibault to think “walk” to set off a chain reaction, resulting in the suit moving his legs forward. He has a bit more freedom with his hand, which he can move in a three-dimensional space.

虽然外骨骼只能在实验室中使用，但目前，整个研究正在进行中，目的是为了缓解和改善全世界与运动相关的残疾患者的生活质量。在这个时候，机器人服装是非常简单的。这需要Thibault思考“行走”来引发连锁反应，从而使他的腿向前移动。他的手有更多的自由，可以在三维空间中移动。

Enabling him to walk as a real-life cyborg

使他能像正常人一样行走

Image credits: thelancet