A robotic exoskeleton and electric shocks has helped this man walk again!

folarin okunola

September 7, 2015 3:51 PM

A team of UCLA scientists attached electrodes to his skin and stimulate his spinal column with small jolts of electricity.

Screenshot of Mark Pollock using the robotic exoskeleton to walk

Mark Pollock has tested Ekso Bionics’ exoskeleton before, but now he can move more naturally. This is largely because Pollock, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2010, gained back some control and feeling of his legs, thanks to a process known as “transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation.”

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According to Mashable, a team of UCLA scientists attached electrodes to his skin and stimulate his spinal column with small jolts of electricity.

After this process, Pollock’s legs tingled when he exercised and he began to regain voluntary control – he can raise his legs and flex his knees know – and even started to sweat, which has happened since the accident that paralyzed him.

As a result of this, his legs and the battery-operated exoskeleton now operate in sync to give him a more natural gait.

Although he may never be able to walk unassisted again, the results of Pollock’s five-day training at UCLA sounds promising: he walked thousands of steps successfully.

READ: Meet the Hermes robot, if you hit its human controller, it will also feel it

According to Engadget, one of the researchers, Reggie Edgerton said the feat "will greatly improve their overall health and quality of life."

Watch the video of the man walking below:

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