While an undergraduate, he obtained his first patent, for a prosthetic sock that leveraged a system of inflatable bladders and microprocessors to help the wearer walk better and more comfortably. He invented ceaselessly, always tinkering, building, improving. The patents piled up: for artificial joints, computer-powered ankles, biomimetic joint actuators. The prosthetics industry had seemed trapped in another century, and Herr wanted to haul it into the digital age.
The next level was power. In , Herr founded a bionics company called iWalk the name was later changed to BiOM , and set about bringing to life the advanced technology that had always fascinated him. Research and development in prosthetics had not been particularly well funded or attractive to engineers and scientists, but things were rapidly changing. And they were maturing to a level where we could actually build bionics as envisioned by Hollywood and science-fiction writers.
Herr trained his focus on the ankle, a dauntingly complex part of human anatomy, and one traditionally underserved by prosthetics technology. By late , testing was underway on the PowerFoot BiOM, the first lower-leg system to use robotics to replace muscle and tendon function. Using onboard microprocessors and a three-cell ion lithium battery, the device actually propelled the user forward with each step, in the manner of organic muscle.
For propulsion, the BiOM relied on a custom-built carbon-fiber spring—each time the user stepped down on the device, the spring was loaded with potential energy. On the up-step, that energy was supplemented with a small battery-powered motor. But Herr and his team knew that all steps are not created equal: Scrambling up a steep slope requires a very different gait—and very different parts of the body—from walking across a tennis court. So they developed a proprietary algorithm that measured the angle and speed of the initial heel strike of the BiOM, and controlled, via the microprocessors, the speed and angle of descent on the next step.
A top-flight carbon-fiber prosthetic returned only 90 percent. Tens of millions of dollars in venture capital poured in. Ditto for emails and letters from amputees desperately eager to serve as BiOM guinea pigs. That barrage has not stopped. He travels to lecture and to consult on other bionics projects. Hugh joins them on hikes when he can but spends a large part of his waking life in the lab.
Before I left MIT, I asked Herr if he was comfortable with the roles he had assumed as an outspoken advocate for bionics and a very visible bionic man himself. He paused. God, yes. This past March, Herr flew to Vancouver to deliver an address at the TED Conference, the annual summit of science and tech cognoscenti.
Then the lights dimmed and went up again, and Herr introduced a professional ballroom dancer named Adrianne Haslet-Davis. In , Haslet-Davis had lost part of her left leg when terrorists detonated a pair of bombs at the Boston Marathon; now, as the crowd sat rapt, she and her dancing partner, Christian Lightner, performed a delicate rumba. The bronze sheeting resembled the shin armor of soldiers, possibly suggesting that armorers rather than medical personnel built it.
A hollow section at the ankle was probably designed for a separate foot, which was never discovered. Fast forward years to what can only be described as the steampunk era of prosthetics. In France and Switzerland, from the late fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries, a variety of custom-designed limbs were built. Made of combinations of wood, metal, leather, and other materials, some of these designs were truly fantastic. Controlled by cables, gears, cranks, and springs, these limbs could be rotated and bent.
There were prosthetic fingers made to grip objects. The limbs were not completely practical, as they had to be operated by a different hand, but they had their uses. For example, a hand could be cranked shut around a pen or fork. Flexing, spring-loaded legs were also available.
These fantastic objects were ahead of their time: cable control was a precursor to the standard post-World War II design. Following those early designs, prosthetic limbs improved by leaps and bounds. Martinez made a huge impact on the history of prosthetics when he developed a lower-limb prosthesis that, instead of trying to replicate the motion of a natural limb, focused on improving gait and reducing friction. By relieving pressure and making walking more comfortable, Martinez an amputee himself improved the lives of many future patients.
Today is an exciting moment in the history of prosthetics. Modern materials like carbon fiber are making prosthetics both lighter and stronger. Advancements like 3D printing and biometrics have enhanced the lives of amputees and will continue to do so. Consider the Barlett Tendon Knee , and the work of Dr. Todd Kuiken and think of their relevance not only to the lives of modern patients, but in the history of prosthetics. Like the Egyptian Noblewoman who needed her toe not only for walking, but to be whole as an Egyptian, modern prosthetics move beyond the demands of basic function and deliver a more complete sense of wholeness to amputees who refuse to be held back from enjoying the same passions, mobility and activities as abled body.
By creating personalized and attractive covers, UNYQ is able to help shift the perception of a prosthesis as a reflection of tragedy to an expression of personality. UNYQ is not alone. Notably, in , a prosthetic arm was developed that could be controlled by the opposite shoulder with connecting straps — somewhat similar to how brakes are controlled on a bike. The program was created in response to the influx of World War II veteran amputees and for the purpose of advancing scientific progress in artificial limb development.
Since this time, advances in areas such as materials, computer design methods and surgical techniques have helped prosthetic limbs to become increasingly lifelike and functional. Army got the ball rolling on what would become the American Prosthetics and Orthotics Association.
This led to many of the modern materials used in prosthetics such as plastic, aluminum, and other composite materials. Also noteworthy was the invention of the suction sock for above-knee prosthetics at UC Berkeley in In , Mexican American inventor Ysidro M. Martinez invented a below-knee prosthetic to help improve gait problems associated with prosthetics of the time. His design had a high center of mass and was lightweight to reduce friction and pressure and allow for acceleration and deceleration.
Thanks to the passion of prosthetic pioneers, today we are closer than ever to replicating the full function of a biological limb. Blade prostheses allow amputee athletes to sprint. Microprocessor knees allow a prosthetic to adapt its flexion and extension for different environments. With the advancement of neuroprosthetics and fully-realized brain-controlled devices, we have never been closer to the dream of fully replacing a missing limb.
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