3D Printed Exoskeleton to allow Paraplegic to Kick off First Ball at World Cup!

[Eddie]

This is amazing news. I get goosebumps just making this thread. Thanks in part to 3D printing, a paraplegic will be kicking off the first ball at this Junes World Cup soccer event. The paraplegic will be wearing a brace that is controlled by their mind. It will allow them to kick the ball, using their thoughts, just like that of a normal soccer player. I personally can't wait to see this. Read more about this at: http://3dprint.com/4221/world-cup-3d-print-exoskeleton/

I can't wait until we see the day when all paralyzed individuals can wear these devices for everyday use.

[Feign]

Wow, this looks like it's going to be amazing... One part that really made me wonder in the story though.

A few opponents to the initiative have expressed concern that such a public display of this technology could lead to the irrational excitement of the 25 million paralyzed individuals on this planet.

I cannot even imagine the world view that would come to this conclusion. I realize that there's definitively no such thing as an objectively wrong opinion, but wow this comes close to it.

[LambdaFF]

I agree with you Feign. But you have to admit this will set expectations very high and to meet the demand of those 25million people is not something for which much is done.

[Feign]

One of the three keys to happiness is having something to hope for. Even if one can't have the ability to walk readily available, the power of having such a thing to hope for cannot be downplayed.

[Larry]

Well, it just happened. Here is a full story and video of the event:
http://3dprint.com/6016/world-cup-exoskeleton/

[JRDM]

Was that supposed to be a kick? I pretty much expected to see airborne given the global stage they were giving the technology, not a tiny roll, which swinging a cane would have done better.

Seeing what looked like a support vehicle doesn't help my impression.

[Roxy]

Was that supposed to be a kick? I pretty much expected to see airborne given the stage they were giving the technology, not a tiny roll, which swinging a cane would have done better.

Seeing what looked like a support vehicle doesn't help my impression.

Yeah... Like this is all good and fine... But they could have even done a 1 time thing where some spring loaded joint does a massive hard core kick. But that is OK.... Things are moving forward...

[JRDM]

Yeah... Like this is all good and fine... But they could have even done a 1 time thing where some spring loaded joint does a massive hard core kick. But that is OK.... Things are moving forward...

Well, seeing the various walking machine research DARPA has funded, among other research projects, I was hoping they'd show off a spin-off of something like those. It just seemed like a very sad showing given the YouTube videos of lots of neat research in balancing & walking machines out there.

[Feign]

I think the problem is that the Walk Again Project isn't one of those DARPA funded projects, and they don't seem very open about their technology. Basically, you see all those great demonstrations, but these guys were working to catch up to them, rather than work with them. Still, this will spark imaginations in other groups, leading to a faster development of other brain-controlled exoskeletons.

I suspect that Walk Again wanted to play it safe. Sure they could have done things to get a better kick, but those all run the risk, however small, of throwing the machine off balance. And the risk of the world seeing their rig lose its balance and fall was likely deemed much too costly to risk for a big kick.