To handle the avalanche of data from these sensors, we are also moving ahead on making a new generation of custom-designed neurochips. Implanted in a patient's skull along with the microelectrodes, they will extract the raw motor commands needed to manipulate a whole-body exoskeleton.
Of course, the signals detected from the brain will then need to be broadcast to the prosthetic limbs. Recently Tim Hanson, a newly graduated Ph.D. student at Duke, built a 128-channel wireless recording system equipped with sensors and chips that can be encased in the cranium and that is capable of broadcasting recorded brain waves to a remote receiver. The first version of these neurochips is currently being tested successfully in monkeys. Indeed, we have recently witnessed the first monkey to operate a brain-machine interface around the clock using wireless transmission of brain signals. We filed in July with the Brazilian government for permission to use this technology in humans.
For our future soccer ball kicker, the data from the recording systems will be relayed wirelessly to a small computer processing unit contained in a backpack. Multiple digital processors will run various software algorithms that translate motor signals into digital commands that are able to control moving parts, or actuators, distributed across the joints of the robotic suit, hardware elements that adjust the positioning of the exoskeleton's artificial limbs.
Force of Brainpower
The commands will permit the exoskeleton wearer to take one step and then another, slow down or speed up, bend over or climb a set of stairs. Some low-level adjustments to the positioning of the prosthetic hardware will be handled directly by the exoskeleton's electromechanical circuits without any neural input. The space suit–like garment will remain flexible but still furnish structural support to its wearer, a surrogate for the human spinal cord. By taking full advantage of this interplay between brain-derived control signals and the electronic reflexes supplied by the actuators, we hope that our brain-machine interface will literally carry the World Cup kicker along by force of willpower.
The kicker will not only move but also feel the ground underneath. The exoskeleton will replicate a sense of touch and balance by incorporating microscopic sensors that both detect the amount of force from a particular movement and convey the information from the suit back to the brain. The kicker should be able to feel that a toe has come in contact with the ball.
Our decade-long experience with brain-machine interfaces suggests that as soon as the kicker starts interacting with this exoskeleton, the brain will start incorporating this robotic body as a true extension of his or her own body image. From training, the accumulated experience obtained from this continuous feeling of contact with the ground and the position of the robotic legs should enable movement with fluid steps over a soccer pitch or down any sidewalk. All phases of this project require continuous and rigorous testing in animal experiments before we begin in humans. In addition, all procedures must pass muster with regulatory agencies in Brazil, the U.S. and Europe to ensure proper scientific and ethical review. Even with all the uncertainties involved and the short time required for the completion of its first public demonstration, the simple idea of reaching for such a major milestone has galvanized Brazilian society's interest in science in ways rarely seen before.
Remote Control
The opening kickoff of the World Cup—or a similar event, say, the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, if we miss the first deadline for any reason—will be more than just a one-time stunt. A hint of what may be possible with this technology can be gleaned from a two-part experiment already completed with monkeys. As a prelude, back in 2007, our research team at Duke trained rhesus monkeys to walk upright on a treadmill as the electrical activity of more than 200 cortical neurons was recorded simultaneously. Meanwhile Gordon Cheng, then at ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Kyoto, built an extremely fast Internet protocol that allowed us to send this stream of neuronal data directly to Kyoto, where it fed the electronic controllers of CB1, a humanoid robot. In the first half of this across-the-globe experiment, Cheng and my group at Duke showed that the same software algorithms developed previously for translating thoughts into control of robotic arms could also convert patterns of neural activity involved in bipedal locomotion to make two mechanical legs walk.
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11 Comments
Add CommentMr. Nicolelis is someone who prides Brazilians. Unfortunately, most of the technology which he helps to develop isn't Brazilian owned. In the future, we'll have to pay high royalties to use it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSeems a small price to pay to regain mobility.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI sure would like to volunteer. C-7 incomplete SCI since 1/08. David Morgan, 424 North Tenth Street, Albemarle, NC 28001 davidmorgan@ctc.net
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA fantastic new technology with exciting exciting prospects for the disabled true enough.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo ... "2014" ? oh no ... "perhaps by the next decade" ? .... or as the headline says ".....soon" ?
All sounds a bit confused if you ask me.
The science is exciting, but this article is over the top. As with the much-ballyhooed DEKKA arm that appears frequently on TV, whatever is demonstrated at the World Cup (and I hope the developers meet their deadline) will not be available to the average amputee or brain-injured individual for at least a decade afterward. It turns out that the engineering is as difficult as the science. It's one thing to produce a prototype; it's another thing entirely to produce a supply of devices that are practical in daily life. I wish the scientists all the best, but I urge caution in making predictions. The many men and women who need this science get their hopes up only to find out that the whiz bang stuff is probably not going to be available to them in any meaningful timeframe.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article admits: "We are on our way, perhaps by the next decade, to technology that links the brain with mechanical, electronic or virtual machines.". Let's give those scientists and engineers credit for what they've achieved and wish them luck. DARPA is funding research in this area to help the amputees from Afganinstan gain mobility.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would like to preface this by saying that I'm in full support of restoring the quality of life of the disabled. However, I am wary of some of these visions surrounding brain-machine interfaces. We have enough trouble protecting precious banking information that's stored on our computers today, so what would be keeping a skilled hacker from accessing my thoughts, dreams, and memories in the future? We're heading into an age that will be filled to the brim with ethical debates surrounding technological progress.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisScientific progress is necessary for human survival, but sometimes we need to stop, take a breath, and look around us.
"I hope we never fully understand the human brain because somebody will just abuse it." (to that effect) - Theodore Dalrymple.
Technology is moving so fast that anything can happen. Throughtout history, men have been under pressure by the circumstances.And when such scenarios come along the way, we usually come with gib stuff. The cold war has proven this. We never know what event will happen and give emergence to higher technologies. We can even go above the expectations. I believe it's just a matter of time, though no one knows exactly when.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTechnology is moving so fast that anything can happen. Throughtout history, men have been under pressure by the circumstances.And when such scenarios come along the way, we usually come with big stuff. The cold war has proven this. We never know what event will happen and give emergence to higher technologies. We can even go above the expectations. I believe it's just a matter of time, though no one knows exactly when.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDARPA funds lots of exciting research into science and technology to aid wounded soldiers, including the DEKKA arm and the work described in this article. I give them and the researchers they fund all the credit in the world -- my son is one of the soldiers waiting eagerly for their work to be deployed and has participated in DARPA funded trials. My problem with this overly optimistic report stems from watching him and other "wounded warriors" gradually and painfully come to grips with the reality that, despite wildly optimistic reports and claims and misleading Today Show appearances, the new technologies will not be available in any timeframe relevant to their recovery and reintegration into civilian life. I would contrast this over-the-top report with the more responsible caution shown by the scientists who recently unveiled their findings re: "junk" DNA.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm the one. I look like the picture At top! I'm in top physical condition and have been a complete C6 quadriplegic for only a year and a half. I am determined like no one else and will fight till my last breath. I have real passion for the beautiful game; before my accident was on two soccer teams and won state in cross-country. I will make the world proud. Contact-801-864-1124 or 801-450-2803 kendra.jean17@gmail.com
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