Over 250,000 people in the U.S. alone live with spinal cord injuries. To help patients regain sensation and strength in their hands and arms, Onward Medical’s ARC-EX therapy uses electrical stimulation—applied externally with electrodes—to effectively boost the brain’s signals. A study in Nature showed that nine out of 10 patients using ARC-EX recovered some strength or functionality; it also found that the treatment can be effective for patients who had injuries decades earlier. “For most people with a spinal cord injury, there’s some [brain signal] conduction making it through the block, but not enough for movement,” says Dave Marver, CEO of Onward. “This device serves as an amplifier.”