© Illustration: Science Photo Library/Nicolle R. Fuller
An implant in the spine allows paraplegics to walk step by step using electrical stimulation. Doctors hope for a permanent cure. And studies are being carried out into whether people with autoimmune diseases can also be helped by bioelectronics.
When the researchers conduct electricity on Helmut Tröger's back, his legs tingle. Then his knee rises, the lower leg straightens, and the foot hits the ground. A step is taken - with the help of an implant in his back. It works like a miracle, because the 33-year-old has been incompletely paraplegic from a car accident for 16 years: His spinal cord is
