At the opening of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, 1 billion viewers watched as a paraplegic young man walked on to the field with the assistance of a futuristic exoskeleton and, against all odds, was able to kick a ball using only his mind. Miguel Nicolelis, the colorful Brazilian co-director of the Duke University Center for Neuroengineering, explains that this kick was the culmination of decades of research – and offers an intriguing glimpse into the ways that science will help us heal ourselves.