Mind-controlled exoskeleton kicks off World Cup

A young man whose legs are paralyzed wasthe first person to kick a soccer ball at the World Cup in Brazil today

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During the opening ceremonies of the World Cup, eight paraplegics wearing robotic exoskeletons walked onto the field,by controlling the technology with their brain waves. And one waschosen to make the first ceremonial kick.

The technology was developed by the Walk Again Project, a non-profit, international collaboration of more than 150 scientists and rehabilitation professionals led by Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

It is designed for people who have lost their ability to send signals from their brain to their legsdue to a spinal cord injury. Instead, the patients wear a headpiece that detects brain waves and sends them to the robot suit, allowing the user to control it with his or her mind.

• Learn more about the exoskeleton from CBC Radio's science columnist Torah Kachur

The eight patients taking part inthe World Cup opening ceremonies were selected and trained by Dr. Lumy Sawaki at the University of Kentucky, lead clinician for the project.

"When I see a patient and the exoskeleton, and all the time that it took to be trained and you see their faces, I have no words to describe that," Sawaki said in a statement. "I think all clinicians want to be a doctor to cure the patients. This is not a cure, but it is a big hope for them."

In a video posted by the University of Kentucky,Sawakisaid researchers are working to make the technology more practical for everyday life and to bring down the cost so it will be available to more people in the future.

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