Can we use our brains to directly control machines? Miguel Nicolelis suggests yes, showing how a clever monkey in the US learned to control a robot arm in Japan purely with its thoughts. The research has big implications for quadraplegic people -- and in fact, it powered the exoskeleton that kicked off the 2014 World Cup.
You may remember neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis — he built the brain-controlled exoskeleton that allowed a paralyzed man to kick the first ball of the 2014 World Cup. What’s he working on now? Building ways for two minds (rats and monkeys, for now) to send messages brain to brain. Watch to the end for an experiment that, as he says, will go to ...
Eythor Bender is the CEO of Berkeley Bionics, which augments humans with wearable, powered and artificially intelligent devices called exoskeletons or "wearable robots."
Eythor Bender of Berkeley Bionics brings onstage two amazing exoskeletons, HULC and eLEGS -- robotic add-ons that could one day allow a human to carry 200 pounds without tiring, or allow a wheelchair user to stand and walk. It's a powerful onstage demo, with implications for human potential of all kinds.
The members of the TED community have been very busy over the past two weeks. Below, news briefs on what a few have been up to. We’ll start with a few funny bits, and work our way down from there.
Talks, courtesy of SNL. We were highly amused to see that Saturday Night Live considered a sketch called “DEF TED Talks Jam” last weekend. Check i...
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 neuroscientist M...
By Kate Torgovnick May and Thu-Huong Ha
In the past 30 years, 300 million people in China have left rural areas and moved to cities. Which means that a lot of thinking about the future of cities is happening here. At the TEDCity 2.0 Salon -- an event held in Chengdu, China, on November 12, in partnership with the Michelin Corporate Founda...
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 the...
At MIT, Hugh Herr builds prosthetic knees, legs and ankles that fuse biomechanics with microprocessors to restore (and perhaps enhance) normal gait, balance and speed.
About this event: Technology, technology, and more technology. But what about humans? Where do we stand in an age of rapid technological advance? We wanted to focus on the people behind these changes. Not only those at the frontier of technology, especially robotics, but also those who indulge themselves in areas such as art. In our event, we uncover where we are...
Event details: Seoul, Seoul Teugbyeolsi, South Korea · June 25, 2016
The other day, while sitting on my couch, I saw a flicker of black on a wall across the apartment. The sight was enough to send a surge of adrenaline rushing through my body. A longtime New Yorker, I knew what it was: a roach.
Normally, I would have tried to find a can of Raid. If that failed, I would have located a sturdy shoe and attempted ...
Edward Tenner, historian of technology and culture, shares the intrigue of unintended consequences: "I didn't always love unintended consequences, but I have learned to appreciate them."
Eythor Bender brings out Amanda Boxtel, a wheelchair user wearing an astonishing new exoskeleton. She is walking.
Eli Pariser reveals some fri...
Technology isn't just a nice-to-have. Across the world, it's helping to extend rights, open up lines of communication and create new opportunities. In this session, we explore how technology can transform a variety of lives.
The speakers who’ll appear in this session:
The founder of the Center for Digital Inclusion, Rodrigo Baggio helps ...
Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechatronics Group at The MIT Media Lab, strolls onto the TED2014 stage in a pair of long, black shorts. Normally, what he's wearing wouldn't be of note—except that he's chosen his ensemble today to show us something. Below the hem of his shorts, we see that he has two prosthetic legs. His lab not only creates b...
“This intellectual forum started in 1984, bringing together people from three different industries, hence its 3-letter name.” This was the Final Jeopardy! prompt on January 1, 2014 -- on the very first episode of the new year. The answer, of course: What is TED.
Taryn Simon (watch her two TED Talks) has a new exhibit, “Birds of the West Indie...
Day 2 of TEDGlobal brought a slew of fascinating talks. Below, a few of today's highlights...
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim makes us wonder what a "monkey apple" tastes like. Early this morning, biodiversity scientist revealed some of the amazing plants with unusual medicinal properties that grow in the Mascarene Islands. She dropped a pretty incre...
The TED community has been very busy over the past few weeks. Below, some newsy highlights.
Crime forecasting in Rio. Before the 2016 Olympic Games, worries ran high that crime in Rio might affect the mega-event; one reported attack at the Games (which actually might not have happened) grabbed headlines around the world during the Games. ...
TEDsters have been busy, as always, during the last two weeks. Below, just a few of the members of our global community with news to share.
Innovations poised to make a difference. Our friends over at Mashable created an excellent roundup of “14 innovations that improved the world in 2014.” It includes several innovations shared in TED Talk...
About this event: You are cordially invited to the next TEDxTheHague salon! Our February edition — themed Back to Normal — is curated by TEDxTheHague.
What happens when you get back to normal? What is normal anyway? Is it the way you could walk before the accident? Is it when life kicks in and you slowly forget your dreams, day by day? Or is it taking that fi...
Event details: The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands · February 13, 2015
By Liz Jacobs and Kate Torgovnick
Are we on the brink of a resource crisis? All signs point to yes. As the human population grows, the planet is buckling under the pressure of our needs. In this inaugural All-Stars session, 11 classic TED speakers return to the stage to share their deep concern for preserving the magic of Planet Earth ......
We wouldn’t have chocolate without flies, and seven other reasons to respect and protect these bugs that bug us, from entomologist Bryan Lessard.
When most people think of flies, they think of buzzing, irritation, pests, annoyance. But when I think about flies -- and I do constantly, as a researcher who studies them -- these are some of the thi...
TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro from October 5 through 10. With a speaker program that ranges from a nomadic filmmaker to a Buddhist monk, from a technologist changing the way we detect cancer to a chef who’s preserving the culinary heritage of Brazil, the conference promises to flip our thinking many times over. We spoke to curato...
Socio-environmental artist Colleen Flanigan creates large, undulating metal forms and installs them in damaged coral ecosystems to help regenerate marine life -- living sea sculptures that inspire awe and protection for our underwater world.
What is the coral crisis about?
We are at a critical stage in coral endangerment. Some predict that...
What a week. We've heard so much, from dystopian warnings to bold visions for change. Our brains are full. Almost. In this session we pull back to the human stories that underpin everything we are, everything we want. From new ways to set goals and move business forward, to unabashed visions for joy and community, it's time to explore what m...
TEDGlobal 2014 is themed “South!,” and it will be the first official TED conference held in South America. Focusing on themes emerging around the world, this conference will take a bold look at the ideas flowing from the Global South, discussing innovation as well as social and political issues, art as well as education, resources as well as tec...
More than 100 speakers -- activists, scientists, adventurers, change-makers and more -- took the stage to give the talk of their lives this week in Vancouver at TED2018. One blog post could never hope to hold all of the extraordinary wisdom they shared. Here’s a (shamelessly inexhaustive) list of the themes and highlights we heard throughout the...
How can robots learn to stabilize on rough terrain, walk upside down, do gymnastic maneuvers in air and run into walls without harming themselves? Robert Full takes a look at the incredible body of the cockroach to show what it can teach robotics engineers.