Slashdot Mirror
Device Allows Paralyzed Rats To Walk, Human Trials Scheduled Next Summer
An anonymous reader writes "A new technique pioneered by scientists working on project NEUWalk at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL) have figured out a way to reactivate the severed spinal cords of fully paralyzed rats, allowing them to walk again via remote control. Human trials are scheduled for next summer. "We have complete control of the rat's hind legs," EPFL neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine said. "The rat has no voluntary control of its limbs, but the severed spinal cord can be reactivated and stimulated to perform natural walking. We can control in real-time how the rat moves forward and how high it lifts its legs."
Bad joke, given that this might one day truly help people. But it was the first thing that came to mind.
Before the military and spys use this so that they can can control ordinary people as infantry, assassains or spys?
I don't see how this can be practical to have a device so humans can walk like rats.
and leave their remotes behind.
After they optimize this for human physiology and gain commercial approval, this technology will obviously be a boon for accident victims. However, the engineer in me can't help but think of how far they can take the cyborg theme. ALS is a disease where motor neurons selectively waste away. Do we dare hope that we can eventually bypass the whole path of neuro connections to directly stimulate individual muscle groups?
========== "Hello World" in my programming language of choice: ATG - LET THERE BE LIFE - TAG ==========
Haven't we been hearing about "using computers to allow the paralyzed to walk" stories since the 1980s? Still seeing a lot of folks using crutches and wheelchairs, though. Wake us when it actually works.
.
Meanwhile many non-walking humans are sitting around waiting for the trials.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
They severed the spinal cord of a rat? Why don't they experiment on volunteer humans who are already paralyzed? Nothing anyone says will ever convince me that animal testing is worth it for the benefit of humanity. Animals feel pain, happiness, excitement, fear, misery and can have bonding relationships too (like our pets). I'd rather die than have dozens, hundreds or thousands of animals tortured to help me live more comfortably. I go out of my way to find products that weren't tested on animals. And yes, I am a vegetarian.
There are about a dozen politician jokes to be mined from this story.
Table-ized A.I.
"We can rebuild him...we have the technology"
Slashdot is a bit slow on this one. Here is a TED talk from the researcher posted last year.
https://www.ted.com/talks/greg...
Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
I knew it was just a matter of time before the zombie apocalypse, but I never thought it would be done by remote control.
to see of humans will allow rats to walk?
Maybe I will get lucky and I will become ROBOCOP. I'm already thinking about how much fun I will have in Detroit. :)
I predict a huge market that is not helping people walk.
I don't see how this can be practical to have a device so humans can walk like rats.
no humans are not going to walk like rats. Just read the research paper it is written that they are using Neuromodulation and some sensors are embedded into the system those track the forward movement of a body in real time and based on these feedbacks they have made a system that will help an animal or human who has spinal cord injury.
Regards - fLanker
The difference between this and what we did back in the 60's in biology class (making the frog's leg jump with a jolt of electricity) is sad, considering. The control systems are certainly better. Oh, and the marketing, yes.
Wake me when they have a video of a human doing this.
This also accidentally describes the nearly-attained goals of the US state security organs (with assists from the POTUS and the Supremes).
Are the groups researching repair of spinal cord injuries. Seems if you get to them before too much time passes you can get the nerves to re-grow and connect again with a certain compound. I think that will stave off future handicapped people.
If you had a paralyzed family member like me, you'd really understand what this means to a lot of people. I'm thankful for those rats, I'm sorry they might've to suffer to get us here, but then again, it gives us hope. It might be too late for my aunt already, but if future generations of handicapped people can take advantage of this, that's amazing.
Any time I hear about spinal injuries in rats, it always reminds me of this (go to 3:56). "Well that's good news, huh? Getting all those rats up and around again!" :-D
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Let's hope the devices are wifi enabled. ;)
My dream of becoming a centaur sounds more possible than ever
If this kind of rat experimentation bothers you, and I can't say that it shouldn't, I'd like to ask two follow-up questions.
First, have you ever seen what a cat does when it encounters a rat or a mouse? Cats are predators, but they don't always just swiftly kill and eat their prey. They often toy with it for quite a long time.
Second, having learned about this behavior, are you ready to call for the abolition of cats? I'll promise you that cats torture and kill far more rats worldwide than all scientists put together, and we gain far less from that activity than we do from medical research.
If you oppose animal testing, I can see that as a principled and well-supported stand. But if you aren't willing to go further and call for the end of domestic cat propagation, I'd very much like some insight into your reasoning.
Yes! The first step in developing Cymeks (look up the term if you're unfamiliar with the Dune universe).
1. It's the cat deciding to torture the animal, not us. We don't control cat brains.
2. Domestic cat propagation should end, but that is a different discussion entirely.
All chemicals used on or in humans must be tested, by law. This includes virtually all cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, etc.
The companies you patronize get around the labeling issue by using chemicals and compounds that have already been tested and approved by original manufacturers or other companies/organizations. Or that have been tested by historical use.
Sometimes even a subsidiary or parent company does the testing, but by law, the company selling the product "didn't do animal testing" Just like I've never killed an animal to eat it. But I eat meat and or fish every day, let others do my dirty work.
You are being fooled and they are profiting off making you a fool. How do you feel about the ethics of those companies now?
(NOTE: people are animals as well, so any testing on people is, of course, scientifically testing on animals. Not by the weird legal and marketing standards, but that is on them.)
This is the most awesome Rat Zombie Terminator Cyborg I have heard yet.
no reference to the wrong trousers?