Miguel Nicolelis explores the limits of the brain-machine interface.

Why you should listen

At the Nicolelis Laboratory at Duke University, Miguel Nicolelis is best known for pioneering studies in neuronal population coding, Brain Machine Interfaces (BMI) and neuroprosthetics in human patients and non-human primates.His lab's work was seen, famously though a bit too briefly, when a brain-controlled exoskeleton from his lab helped Juliano Pinto, a paraplegic man, kick the first ball at the 2014 World Cup.

But his lab is thinking even bigger. They've developed an integrative approach to studying neurological disorders, including Parkinsons disease and epilepsy. The approach, they hope, will allow the integration of molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral data in the same animal, producing a more complete understanding of the nature of the neurophysiological alterations associated with these disorders. He's the author of the books Beyond Boundaries and The Relativistic Brain.

Miguel was honored as one of Foreign Policy's 2015 Global Thinkers.

Miguel Nicolelis’ TED talks

More news and ideas from Miguel Nicolelis

Live from TEDGlobal

Protests livestreamed, the web unplugged and robotic exoskeletons engaged: A recap of session 6 of TEDGlobal 2014

October 8, 2014

In this session, six very different speakers share how they see technology empowering people and communities worldwide. Below, recaps of these fascinating talks. At the age of twenty-three, Rodrigo Baggio was already a successful entrepreneur when he decided: He needed a change that would make him more fulfilled, not just richer. Even then, in 1995, Baggio saw […]

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Live from TEDGlobal

The story of an impossible kick: Miguel Nicolelis live at TEDGlobal 2014

October 8, 2014

This summer, the country that perfected soccer proved it’s just as formidable a foe off the pitch as it is on. On the first day of the 2014 World Cup, 29-year-old Juliano Pinto, paralyzed from his chest to his toes, did the seemingly impossible: He gave the opening kick just by thinking. Eighteen months earlier, Brazilian […]

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