A Paralyzed Teen Will Kick The First World Cup Ball Thanks To A Robotic Exoskeleton

A Paralyzed Teen Will Kick The First World Cup Ball Thanks To A Robotic Exoskeleton | TechCrunch #site-logo { background: url(http://s1.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/images/logos/green.png) no-repeat !important; }if (!ads.isMobile()) {(function(window,$){window.TechCrunch.loader.on('tc_ads_wrapper_omniture', function(){if ( !window.ads.isAdPageSet ){if ( typeof window.adSetAdURL == 'function' ) {window.adSetAdURL('/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/_uac/adpage.html');window.ads.isAdPageSet = true;}}window.htmlAdWH('93311139', "LB", "LB", 'f', 'adsDiv4f311e2641');});}(this,this.jQuery));}Got a tip? Let us know.MenuSearchNewsChannelsStartupsMobileGadgetsEnterpriseSocialEuropeAsiaCrunchGovTrendingYahooAppleFacebookTwitterGoogleMicrosoftNSATCTVShowsTCTV NewsCrunchWeekFly Or DieFoundationInside JobsTechCrunch GadgetsGillmor GangTC CribsTechCrunch MakersAll ShowsAll VideosEventsTechCrunch EventsDisruptCrunchiesMeetupsInternational City EventsHackathonHardware BattlefieldNews AboutSXSWCESE3All EventsSearch TechCrunchSearch TechCrunchCrunchBaseFollow UsFacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInYoutubeRSSEmailMoreLinkedInYoutubeRSSEmail

3d printing(function (window, undefined) {var document = window.document;if (undefined !== window.registerRecirc) {window.registerRecirc(document.getElementById('tc-tag-item-3d-printing'), 'http://techcrunch.com/tag/3d-printing/recirc-cache/eyebrow/');}}(this));robotsWatch A Myo-Controlled Humanoid Robot Lay The Groundwork For Real-World ‘Real Steel’Brain-Linked Prosthetic Arm Wins FDA Approval As Our Bionic Future LoomsToday In Dystopian War Robots That Will Harvest Us For Our Organs…Browse more...A Paralyzed Teen Will Kick The First World Cup Ball Thanks To A Robotic ExoskeletonPosted yesterday by John Biggs (@johnbiggs)MoreNext StoryA Badass Darth Vader Is Running The Internet Party Of Ukraine

The 2014 World Cup begins next month in Brazil and will feature something truly amazing: the plan is for a paralyzed, non-ambulatory Brazilian teenager to stand up and kick the first ball of the first game using a motorized exoskeleton and special 3D-printed helmet.

Created by an international team of designers and engineers, the video shows Colorado State University’s design for the custom trode helmet that will keep the leads in place and protect the kicker’s head.

First announced in January, the exoskeleton is finally coming together and should be ready for the kick-off. Called the Walk Again Project at Duke University, the kick will be one of the first massively public demonstrations of a human controlling a robot with neural signals.

The Walk Again Project is a nonprofit, international collaboration among the Duke University Center for Neuroengineering, the Technical University of Munich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal in Brazil, The University of California, Davis, The University of Kentucky, and Regis Kopper of The Duke immersive Virtual Environment.

The CSU researchers, led by David Prawel, built the helmet while other teams built the exoskeleton and the neuro interface for the robot. They’re using a 3D printer to extrude a foam structure that is soft and squishy and that will be able to keep the electrodes in place while in motion. The kicker will also train in a VR environment to get used to walking with their new nervous system.

window.TechCrunch.loader.on( 'gravity-beacon', function(){ window.tc_loadGravityScript( 'recirculation' ); } );AdvertisementAdvertisementif (!ads.isMobile()) {(function(window,$){window.TechCrunch.loader.on('tc_ads_wrapper_omniture', function(){if ( !window.ads.isAdPageSet ){if ( typeof window.adSetAdURL == 'function' ) {window.adSetAdURL('/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/_uac/adpage.html');window.ads.isAdPageSet = true;}}window.htmlAdWH('93311232', "RR", "RR", 'f', 'adsDiv22fc440073');});}(this,this.jQuery));}CrunchDailyLatest headlines delivered to you daily

Subscribe to CrunchDailyEnter Email AddressRelated VideosPlay VideoDexter Industries in Hardware Alley | TC Disrupt NY 20142:01Play VideoFormlabs CEO Sees Boston as a Hardware HubPlay VideoSense 3D Scanner | Fly or DieMore Related Videosif (!ads.isMobile() && ads.showArticleRightRightAdOnView()) {(function(window,$){window.TechCrunch.loader.on('tc_ads_wrapper_omniture', function(){if ( !window.ads.isAdPageSet ){if ( typeof window.adSetAdURL == 'function' ) {window.adSetAdURL('/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/_uac/adpage.html');window.ads.isAdPageSet = true;}}window.adSetInView('D');window.htmlAdWH('93422861', "RR", "RR", 'f', 'adsDiv890dc65aed');});}(this,this.jQuery));}3d printing (function (window, undefined) {var document = window.document;if (undefined !== window.registerRecirc) {window.registerRecirc(document.getElementById('tc-accordion-item-3d-printing-tag'), 'http://techcrunch.com/tag/3d-printing/recirc-cache/accordion/');}}(this));robotsOur Next Step To Giant Fighting RobotsPosted May 15, 2014Mind-Powered Bionic Arm Gets FDA OKPosted May 12, 2014Today In Dystopian War Robots That WillPosted May 2, 2014Google's Self-Driving Cars Get SmarterPosted Apr 28, 2014Today In Dystopian War Robots That WillPosted Apr 25, 2014More robots articlesPopular Postsif( !ads.isMobile() ){ window.TechCrunch.loader.on( 'gravity-beacon', function(){ window.tc_loadGravityScript( 'recirculation-accordion' ); } ); }Up NextA Badass Darth Vader Is Running The Internet Party Of UkrainePosted yesterday CrunchBoard Job Listings Operations Engineer Taulia Sr. Backend Engineer Direct Commerce API engineer - Data Analytics PubMatic Customer Success Engineer @ Pantheon Pantheon Product Managers Meetup More from CrunchBoardAdvertisementTechCrunchNewsTCTVEventsCrunchBaseAboutStaffContact UsAdvertise With UsSend Us A TipInternationalChinaEuropeJapanFollow TechCrunchFacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInYoutubePinterestTumblrInstagramStumbleUponFeedTechCrunch AppsiOSAndroidWindows 8Subscribe to CrunchDailyLatest headlines delivered to you daily

Subscribe to Subscribe to CrunchDailyEnter Email Address© 2013-2014 AOL Inc. All rights reserved.Aol TechPrivacy PolicyAbout Our AdsAnti Harassment PolicyTerms of ServicePowered by WordPress.com VIPFonts by if (ads.isMobile()) {(function(window,$){window.TechCrunch.loader.on('tc_ads_wrapper_omniture', function(){if ( !window.ads.isAdPageSet ){if ( typeof window.adSetAdURL == 'function' ) {window.adSetAdURL('/wp-content/themes/vip/techcrunch-2013/_uac/adpage.html');window.ads.isAdPageSet = true;}}window.htmlAdWH('348-14-15-bda', ads.width(), ads.height(), 'f', 'adsDiv1dd0b1f4b9');});}(this,this.jQuery));}if (!ads.isMobile()) {(function(window,$){jQuery('body').append('');}(this,this.jQuery));}//initialize and attach hovercards to all gravatarsjQuery( document ).ready( function( $ ) {if ( typeof Gravatar.init !== "function" ) {return;}Gravatar.profile_cb = function( hash, id ) {WPGroHo.syncProfileData( hash, id );};Gravatar.my_hash = WPGroHo.my_hash;Gravatar.init( 'body', '#wp-admin-bar-my-account' );});if ( 'object' === typeof wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info ) {wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.init();var mobileStatsQueryString = "";if( false !== wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedPlatformName )mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'mobile_platforms' + '=' + wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedPlatformName;if( false !== wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedUserAgentName )mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'mobile_devices' + '=' + wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedUserAgentName;if( wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.isIPad() )mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'ipad_views' + '=' + 'views';if( "" != mobileStatsQueryString ) {new Image().src = document.location.protocol + '//stats.wordpress.com/g.gif?v=wpcom-no-pv' + mobileStatsQueryString + '&baba=' + Math.random();}}(function (window, $, undefined) {var document = window.document;function loadChartbeat() {window._sf_endpt = (new Date()).getTime();var e = document.createElement('script'),url = ("https:" === document.location.protocol) ? "https://s3.amazonaws.com/" : "http://";url += "static.chartbeat.com/js/chartbeat.js";e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript');e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript');e.async = true;e.setAttribute('src', url);document.body.appendChild(e);}$(loadChartbeat);}(this, this.jQuery));

View the original article here