A bigger concern is that the event could generate false hope for paralyzed patients and give the public a skewed impression of the field's progress.Īs his team prepares for the 12 June kick, Nicolelis gives Science a hint of the technology under the hood, and defends his decision to arrange such a conspicuous debut for a tool still in the early stages of development. Others have developed crude EEG-based exoskeletons, they note, and it will be impossible to tell from the demo how this system compares. That drew skepticism from Nicolelis's critics-and he has a few-that the system wouldn't really be a scientific advance. Nicolelis first intended the exoskeleton to read signals from implanted electrodes, but decided instead to use a noninvasive, EEG sensor cap. The press has showered him with attention, and the Brazilian government chipped in nearly $15 million in support.īut scientifically, the project is a departure. He has portrayed it as a testament to the scientific progress and potential of his native Brazil, where he founded and directs the International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal. Symbolically, the project is a homecoming for Nicolelis. His lab at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, pioneered brain-computer interfaces, using surgically implanted electrodes to read neural signals that can control robotic arms. The neuroscientist behind the planned event, Miguel Nicolelis, is familiar with the spotlight. During the World Cup next week, there may be 1 minute during the opening ceremony when the boisterous stadium crowd in São Paulo falls silent: when a paraplegic young person wearing a brain-controlled, robotic exoskeleton attempts to rise from a wheelchair, walk several steps, and kick a soccer ball.
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