Nicolelis, Defying the Impossible

Ten years after the kick of a paraplegic that inaugurated the World Cup in Brazil, and 25 years after the first brain-machine interface in rats – two events that would change the course of neuroscience – Miguel Nicolelis is preparing his most ambitious move: Treat One Billion, a network of laboratories in various capitals around the world aimed at addressing neural and physical-motor disabilities afflicting tens of millions of people across the globe. Nicolelis, Defying the Impossible is the documentary film that will narrate the journey of one of the greatest Brazilian scientists of all time, engaged in cutting-edge research – such as the creation of robotic limbs controlled by brain signals – as well as the social application of science, exemplified by the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, conceived by him. Amidst brain symphonies produced by billions of neurons, captured by the scientist in unprecedented detail and scope, Nicolelis, Defying the Impossible is a voyage through the human brain, which remains the greatest mystery and the foremost frontier humanity must traverse.