(WJW) – A paralyzed man from Switzerland is able to walk again due to innovative technology.

According to scientists with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, 40-year-old Gert-Jan was paralyzed after a bicycle accident but can walk again with a brain-computer interface that enables thought-controlled walking.

A group of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons from Swiss and French institutions said they were able to re-establish communication between Gert-Jan’s brain and his spinal cord by using a wireless digital bridge.

According to the scientists, a wireless interface “transforms thought into action,” which is what allows Gert-Jan to stand, walk and climb stairs once again.

Gert-Jan went through a procedure that implanted a device in the region of his brain responsible for controlling leg movements. The device then decodes electrical signals generated by the brain when he thinks about walking, according to Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Lausanne Hospital and EPFL.

According to EPFL, the digital bridge has enabled Gert-Jan to recover neurological functions that he had lost since his accident.

Gert-Jan is the only patient the digital bridge has been tested on at this time, according to EPFL.

In the journal Nature, Gert-Jan said he has rediscovered the joy of sharing a beer with friends at a standing bar.

“This simple pleasure represents a significant change in my life,” he said.

The Grenoble Alpes University Hospital also contributed to the research.