The annual World Cup will be kicking off in Brazil on June 12th, and we can bet on the world cheering during the opening match. Before the competition actually begins, the crowds are going to be full of hope. The body of a paralyzed teenager will take on an amazing, miraculous experience. The paraplegic, wearing a mind-controlled exoskeleton bodysuit, will stand up from his or her wheelchair, and make the official kickoff of the tournament. That’s right, the entire world will be able to witness the moment this person get outs of the chair, walks over to midfield, and physically kicks a soccer ball. Thanks to Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a Duke University scientist, physician, and neuroengineer leading the field of Brain Machine Interface (BMI) research, wheelchairs may be a thing of the past.
The exoskeleton derives from years of dedication from a team of engineers and scientists from the international non-profit Walk Again project. Gordon Cheng, from the Technical University in Munich, coordinated the robotics work, while French researchers crafted the exoskeleton. Nicolelis and his team studied brain waves and how they can be used to control external machines, essentially applying those signals for controlling robotic limbs. The technology used for the robotic exoskeleton is complex, however surprisingly lightweight. Built from alloys and powered by hydraulics, once the person steps into the suit, the machine does the work the human leg muscles no longer can. The operator is given a cap to wear, and fitted with electrodes. As the electrodes pick up the person’s brain waves, they are passed to a computer worn in a backpack. They are decoded and drive the hydraulics on the suit, causing very human movements. Plates that are placed under the wearer’s feet pick up each footfall, signaling a vibrating device located in the forearm of the person’s shirt. Essentially, the device is able to trick the brain into thinking the sensation came from the foot.
So far, Nicolelis is training nine paraplegic men and women, ages 20 to 40, all to use the exoskeleton prosthetic in a neurorobotics rehab lab in Sao Paulo. The opening ceremonies will be the first human demonstration. Today, a Facebook page launched for the project and the days leading up to the amazing revelation at the World Cup. A website dedicated to the robotic suit is expected to be up later this week. The kick will be seen around the world as not only a life changer for the teenager who is wearing the suit, but a glimpse of the next era of human-machine technology and how it will be applied to individual lives.