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ReStep Spinal Cord Injury Electrical Stimulation Rehab Device Wins European CE Certification: Letting Paralyzed Patients Walk Again

ReStep, a spinal-cord-injury rehabilitation device spun out of EPFL, has received EU CE certification. The device combines epidural electrical stimulation with an AI gait-prediction algorithm to help spinal-cord-injury patients regain autonomous walking. In clinical trials, 19 of 23 paraplegic patients achieved assisted walking.

ReStep Spinal Cord Injury Electrical Stimulation Rehab Device Wins European CE Certification: Letting Paralyzed Patients Walk Again

ReStep, a spinal-cord-injury rehabilitation device spun out of EPFL, has received EU CE certification. The system combines an epidural electrical stimulator, an exoskeleton frame, and an AI gait-prediction algorithm, and is designed to help patients with T4-to-T12 spinal cord injuries regain walking ability.

The clinical trial ran at five rehabilitation centers in Switzerland, France, and Germany and enrolled 23 patients who had been completely paralyzed for more than a year. After six months of training, 19 patients achieved assisted autonomous walking, with an average gait speed of 0.42 meters per second. The four patients who did not achieve walking also reported significant improvements in muscle tone and reductions in neuropathic pain.

ReStep's AI gait-prediction algorithm was developed by Auke Ijspeert's team in EPFL's Neuro-X Lab. The algorithm analyzes a patient's residual electromyographic signals and lower-limb motion intent, predicts the next step the patient wants to take, and delivers stimulation signals to the epidural electrodes with millisecond latency. This closed-loop design is what distinguishes ReStep from conventional electrical stimulation devices.

Initial commercial users include three top-tier rehabilitation centers in Switzerland and Germany. Priced at roughly 84,000 euros, the company Onward Medical, spun out of EPFL, plans to expand to other European countries within 2026.