After a broken neck left him quadriplegic, Ian Burkhart was told he would never be able to use his hands. Now he can grasp a bottle and pick up a credit card by using a computer plugged directly into his brain. Special software is able to decode his thoughts and convert them into electrical signals in his hand, bypassing the damaged nerves in his spine. Now Ian has regained an amazing degree of control over his hand, each movement stimulated by his own thoughts.

The research was carried out at The Ohio State University and Battelle Memorial Institute. Chad Bouton was based at Battelle for the duration of the project. He has since moved to the Feinstein Institute.

Read the paper: Restoring cortical control of functional movement in a human with quadriplegia

Read the story: First paralysed person to be 'reanimated' offers neuroscience insights