EBMSP 2016/1

  Juliano Pinto, a 29-year-old with complete
paralysis of the lower trunk, performed the
symbolic kick-off at the Corinthians Arena in Sao
Paulo, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Using his
5 robotic suit, Mr Pinto kicked the official ball a short
distance along a mat laid down by the touchline.
  His robotic exoskeleton was created by
a team of more than 150 researchers led by
Brazilian neuroscientist Dr Miguel Nicolelis. The
10 neuroscientist, who is based at Duke University
in the US, is a leading figure in the field of
brain-machine interfaces. In breakthrough work
published in 2003, he showed that monkeys could
control the movement of virtual arms on an avatar
15 using just their brain activity.
  Dr Nicolelis had been training eight patients
at his lab in Sao Paulo, all of whom were over 20
years of age, with the oldest about 35. "It's the first
time an exoskeleton has been controlled by brain
20 activity and offered feedback to the patients,"
Dr Nicolelis said. "Doing a demonstration in a
stadium is something very much outside our
routine in robotics. It's never been done before."
  The exoskeleton uses a cap placed on the
25 patient's head to pick up brain signals and relay
them to a computer in the exoskeleton's backpack.
This then decodes the signals and sends them to the
legs. The robotic suit is powered by hydraulics, and
a battery in the backpack allows for approximately
30 two hours of use. "The basic idea is that we are
recording from the brain and then that signal is
being translated into commands for the robot to
start moving," Dr Gordon Cheng, a member of the
team, told the BBC.
35   Dr Cheng led the development of a form of
artificial skin for the exoskeleton. This skin consists
of flexible printed circuit boards, each containing
pressure, temperature and speed sensors.
  It is applied on the soles of the feet and allows
40 the patient to receive tactile stimulation when
walking with the exoskeleton. When the robotic suit
starts to move and touches the ground, signals are
transmitted to an electronic vibration device on the
patient's arm, which stimulates their skin.
45   After lots of practice, the brain starts associating
the movements of the legs with the vibration in the
arm. In theory, the patient should start to develop
the sensation that they have legs and that they are
walking.
50   The suit has been named Bra-Santos Dumont,
which combines the three-letter designation for
Brazil and Alberto Santos Dumont, the aviation
pioneer who was born in the country's southern
state of Minas Gerais.
MARTINS, Alejandra; RINCON, Paul. Paraplegic in robotic suit kicks off World Cup. Disponível em: <www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27812218>. Acesso em: 20 ago. 2015. Adaptado.