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It is a technology straight out of a science fiction film.

French researchers have revealed a 'cyborg' implant which can be attached to the spine to help the paralysed walk again.

The thin ribbon, with embedded with electrodes, which lies along the spinal cord and delivers electrical impulses and drugs, while being supple enough to move like real tissue - and researchers say it could even be attached to the brain.

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The thin ribbon embedded with electrodes lies along the spinal cord and delivers electrical impulses and drugs directly to the spine

Paralysed rats who were fitted with the implant were able to walk on their own again after just a few weeks of training.

Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne are hoping to move to clinical trials in humans soon.  

The small device closely imitates the mechanical properties of living tissue, and can simultaneously deliver electric impulses and pharmacological substances.

Researchers believe that a device could last 10 years in humans before needing to be replaced. 

Professors Stéphanie Lacour and Grégoire Courtine say their e-Dura implant can be applied directly to the spinal cord without causing damage and inflammation.

'Our e-Dura implant can remain for a long period of time on the spinal cord or the cortex, precisely because it has the same mechanical properties as the dura mater itself,' said Lacour.

'This opens up new therapeutic possibilities for patients suffering from neurological trauma or disorders, particularly individuals who have become paralyzed following spinal cord injury.' 

The researchers tested the device prototype by applying their rehabilitation protocol -- which combines electrical and chemical stimulation - to paralyzed rats. 

Not only did the implant prove its biocompatibility, but it also did its job perfectly, allowing the rats to regain the ability to walk on their own again after a few weeks of training.

Paralysed rats who were fitted with the implant were able to walk on their own again after just a few weeks of training.

The implant can also be used to monitor electrical impulses from the brain in real time. 

When they did this, the scientists were able to extract with precision the animal's motor intention before it was translated into movement.

'It's the first neuronal surface implant designed from the start for long-term application. In order to build it, we had to combine expertise from a considerable number of areas,' said Courtine.

'These include materials science, electronics, neuroscience, medicine, and algorithm programming. I don't think there are many places in the world where one finds the level of interdisciplinary cooperation that exists in our Center for Neuroprosthetics.'

For the time being, the e-Dura implant has been primarily tested in cases of spinal cord injury in paralyzed rats.

But the potential for applying these surface implants is huge, the team say - for example in epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and pain management.

The small device closely imitates the mechanical properties of living tissue, and can simultaneously deliver electric impulses and pharmacological substances.

The implant developed at EPFL is placed beneath the dura mater, directly onto the spinal cord. 

Its elasticity and its potential for deformation are almost identical to the living tissue surrounding it.

This reduces friction and inflammation to a minimum. 

When implanted into rats, the e-Dura prototype caused neither damage nor rejection, even after two months. 

More rigid traditional implants would have caused significant nerve tissue damage during this period of time.

Developing the e-Dura implant was quite a feat of engineering, the team say.

When implanted into rats, the e-Dura prototype caused neither damage nor rejection, even after two months.

As flexible and stretchable as living tissue, it nonetheless includes electronic elements that stimulate the spinal cord at the point of injury.

 The silicon substrate is covered with cracked gold electric conducting tracks that can be pulled and stretched. 

The electrodes are made of an innovative composite of silicon and platinum microbeads. 

They can be deformed in any direction, while still ensuring optimal electrical conductivity. 

Finally, a fluidic microchannel enables the delivery of pharmacological substances - neurotransmitters in this case - that will reanimate the nerve cells beneath the injured tissue.