A 29-year-old paraplegic man successfully made the first kick at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo. Juliano Pinto wore a full body robotic suit to help him kick the ball.
Juliano Pinto helped make the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil unforgettable. The 29-year-old paraplegic man successfully made the first kick at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo..
Pinto wore a full body robotic suit to help him kick the ball. The brain controlled exoskeleton was created by the Walk Again Project, an international collaborative effort involving 150 researchers led by Brazilian neuroscientist Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, now based at Duke University.
The first step in controlling the suit is easy. The wearer simply has to think about moving. From there, the process gets a little complicated.
Nicolelis details it best saying the human thoughts are “detected by sensors and sent to a computer which interprets this information and sends info to the exoskeleton. It allows the patient to control movements on the lower limbs, that’s the first innovation.”
The final aspect is for the exoskeleton to demonstrate the movement. Hydraulic drivers on the suit moved Pinto’s legs which allowed him to feel the vibrations of walking.
In laymen’s terms, that means he felt the sensations of real movement rather than feeling as though he was being carried by a robot.
Those who witnessed Pinto’s kick firsthand, got to see what life can hopefully be like for paraplegics in the future.
