Farthest distance walked by a person with paraplegia
Who
Michel Roccati, Grégoire Courtine , Jocelyne Bloch
What
500 metre(s)
Where
Switzerland (Lausanne)
When
2022

The farthest distance walked by a person with total sensorimotor paralysis to their lower body is 500 m (1,640 ft), achieved by Michel Roccati (ITA) as part of his physical therapy in early 2022. Roccati, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident, was able to walk thanks to a spinal cord implant developed by neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine (FRA) and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch (CHE).


Courtine and Bloch's implant technology uses electrical stimulation to reactivate spinal neurons, sending commands to the muscles in the legs and trunk. The signals sent by the implant are guided by artificial intelligence software that the user can activate with remote control.