Exclusive Q&A: World cup kickoff looms for demo of brain-controlled machine | Science

by Hallie Siegel

12 June 2014

share this:

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. The neuroscientist behind the planned event, Miguel Nicolelis, is familiar with the spotlight. 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.

As 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.

Robot Talk Episode 34 – Interview with Sabine Hauert

In this week's episode of the Robot Talk podcast, host Claire Asher chatted to Dr Sabine Hauert from the University of Bristol all about swarm robotics, nanorobots, and environmental monitoring.

28 January 2023, by EPSRC UK-RAS Network

Special drone collects environmental DNA from trees

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal research institute WSL have developed a flying device that can land on tree branches to take samples. This opens up a new dimension for scientists previously reserved for biodiversity researchers.

27 January 2023, by ETH Zurich

The robots of CES 2023

Robots were on the main expo floor at CES this year, and these weren’t just cool robots for marketing purposes. I’ve been tracking robots at CES for more than 10 years, watching the transition from robot toys to real robots.

25 January 2023, by Silicon Valley Robotics

Robotics research: How Asia, Europe and America invest – Global Report 2023

IFR releases “World Robotics R&D Programs”.

22 January 2023, by International Federation of Robotics (IFR)

Robot Talk Episode 33 – Interview with Dan Stoyanov

In this week's episode of the Robot Talk podcast, host Claire Asher chatted to Professor Dan Stoyanov from University College London all about robotic vision, surgical robotics, and artificial intelligence.

20 January 2023, by EPSRC UK-RAS Network

When a professor meets a farmer

There's a clear need for technology in farming but its problems are systemic, finds a critical design professor when she visits a flower bulb farmer. Watch this new episode of FRAIM in the Field.

19 January 2023, by Joost van de Loo