--- title: Ohio State University Trial Leads Paralyzed Man to Move Limbs description: New technology helps Ohio man move paralyzed hand canonical: https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-26T01:37:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:38:03.404Z article:section: Health og:title: Ohio State University Trial Leads Paralyzed Man to Move Limbs og:description: New technology helps Ohio man move paralyzed hand og:url: https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ohio State University Trial Leads Paralyzed Man to Move Limbs twitter:description: New technology helps Ohio man move paralyzed hand twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # New Technology Helps Brain Signals Move Paralyzed Hand > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2014 1:37 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2014 1:37 AM UTC A quadriplegic man was able to move his hand simply by willing it to happen with his mind–a medical breakthrough made possible with the help of a new device still in its testing phase. 23-year-old Ian Burkhart, paralyzed in a diving accident four years ago, was the first participant to try out a decade-in-the-making technology called Neurobridge, which sends neural signals directly to muscles. This April, researchers planted a tiny chip that interprets brain signals into the part of Burkhart’s brain that controls hand and arm movements. The chip interprets signals from a computer and transfers them to a sleeve that stimulated Burkhart’s muscles, thereby skipping over his damaged spinal cord. “The surgery required the precise implantation of the micro-chip sensor in the area of Ian’s brain that controls his arm and hand movements,” said Dr. Ali Rezai, one of the clinicians leading the trial. Part of a clinical trial at [Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center](http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/mediaroom/releases/Pages/New-Device-Allows-Brain-To-Bypass-Spinal-Cord,-Move-Paralyzed-Limbs.aspx), in collaboration with technology development company Battelle, researchers hope that Neurobridge could become a future aid for many patients impacted by spinal cord injuries or traumatic cerebral events like strokes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/"},"headline":"New Technology Helps Brain Signals Move Paralyzed Hand","datePublished":"2014-06-26T01:37:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:38:03.404Z","description":"An innovative device sends brain signals directly to muscles, skipping over the spinal cord of the injured patient","url":"https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/","keywords":["Neuroscience","Technology","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/neuroscience/","name":"Neuroscience"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2925160/new-technology-helps-brain-signals-move-paralyzed-hand/","name":"New Technology Helps Brain Signals Move Paralyzed Hand"}}]}] ```