Unlike similar efforts that have seen paralyzed subjects walk again by using their own brainwaves to manually control robotic limbs, the researchers say this is the first time a person with complete paralysis in both legs due to spinal cord injury was able to walk again under their own power and demonstrates the potential for noninvasive therapies to restore control over paralyzed limbs.

The subject of the research, carried out by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, had been paralyzed for five years. The work began with a stint of mental training designed to reengage the brain's walking ability, which saw the subject don an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap (a piece of headwear fitted with electrodes that monitor the brain's electrical impulses). The man was first made to control an avatar in a virtual environment, which was then followed with physical training to build up the strength of his leg muscles.