About this episode

The episode features an interview with Dave Marver, CEO of Onward Medical, discussing advancements in technology that help paralyzed individuals regain movement and improve their quality of life.

Three years ago, I’d caught some videos online of paralyzed people walking again. This struck me as miraculous. It also confused me. If paralyzed people were moving again, why weren’t more people talking about this incredible occurrence? The company helping people move again is called Onward Medical , and it’s based in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 2023, I booked a flight to Europe and went to visit Onward and met its CEO Dave Marver, who is this week’s guest. During my trip, I did, in fact, witness amazing things. An Italian man named Michel was walking again with the help of a spinal implant device made by Onward. He could stand and walk and exercise daily. And a young Belgian woman named Julie used an Onward device to regulate her blood pressure. Before receiving the Onward technology, Julie had contemplated suicide because it took her hours each day to get out of bed – the result of blood pressure fluctuations that caused her to pass out. After receiving the device, she reenrolled in her PhD program. Her whole life had been turned around. Onward has developed products that deliver electrical stimulation to the spinal cord. Some of these products work outside of the body and some…

People in this episode

Host: Ashlee Vance

Guest: Dave Marver

Topics covered

• paralysis
• medical technology
• spinal implants
• brain-computer interface
• rehabilitation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Onward Medical

Places: Lausanne, Switzerland

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