Paralysed man walks in Second Life
This is so awesome. It is hard to be anti-technology when you read something like this: a man who has been paralyzed for 30 years can finally walk again - in Second Life.
The 41-year-old patient used his imagination to make his character take a walk and chat to another virtual person on the popular Second Life website.
The patient, who has suffered paralysis for more than 30 years, can barely bend his fingers due to a progressive muscle disease so cannot use a mouse or keyboard in the traditional way.
In the experiment, he wore headgear with three electrodes monitoring brain waves related to his hands and legs. Even though he cannot move his legs, he imagined that his character was walking.
In the near future this man may be able to walk again in real life. With the exponential growth of information technology there is a lot of promise to treat problems that were once considered hopeless. Imagine a man in a similar situation 50 years ago - what hope would he have?
Today it is very different. It is only a matter of time (e.g. like maybe 10-20 years) before even the most serious conditions and illnesses will be completely cured and/or treated.
