World Cup 2014 kicked off in a big way, with the first kick from a paraplegic teenager in a space-age bodysuit. Incredibly, the exoskeleton was controlled by the mind of the user.
Sao Paulo, Brazil was the site of the kickoff to the world's largest sporting event. The games take place over a month, and attract tens of millions of viewers on television and online.
Juliano Pinto, a 29-year-old Brazilian without the use of his arms or legs, was fitted with a cap, equipped with electrodes. These received brain waves that were then transmitted to a processor located in his backpack. This data was then converted to mechanical actions of the suit.
"Miguels Nicolelis and the Walk Again Project have built an exo-skeleton that will allow paraplegics to walk again," Duke University researchers wrote in the description on a video announcing the invention.
The robotic suit employs sensors in limbs that vibrate when they sense contact with the ground, providing a sense of touch. Heat is also transmitted by the sensors, for a natural feel from the artificial limbs.
Walk Again, the project spearheading the research that made this machine possible, said development of the suit will be detailed in an upcoming journal article. They call the suit Bra-Santos Dumont, a hybrid of Brazil and Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Brazilian and French pilot pioneered navigation technology by flying around the Eiffel Tower aboard a dirigible aircraft. Born in Brazil in 1873, he lived most of his life in Paris, before returning home to his homeland, where he died in 1932.
More than 150 scientists from 25 countries participated in the development of the new invention. Seven other patients also took part in clinical trials of the bionic suit.
Juliano Pinto wore his home team's uniform as he made the first kick, using just the power of his mind. The other subjects in the study, and a referee, were also there to have their picture taken for the occasion.
"It was up to Juliano to wear the exoskeleton, but all of them made that shot. It was a big score by these people and by our science," Nicolelis told reporters.
Exoskeletons have been used for a long time, but many offer limited mobility and offer little to no motorized functions. Lockheed Martin, the aerospace giant, is currently developing an exoskeleton designed to create a super-solder - the HULC.
