Building our bodies for the future: bionics, ethics and beyond | Hugh Herr & Patrick Kane | TEDxMIT

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As bionic technology continues to advance, we find ourselves asking what is desirable rather than just possible. Listen to Hugh Herr, MIT Professor of Media Arts and co-founder of the Yang Center for Bionics at MIT, in conversation with Patrick Kane, author and public speaker, talk about the future of bionic augmentation, as well as pointing out some of the things that make us human that we must remember to bring with us.
Hugh Herr is creating bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs. Time Magazine coined Dr. Herr the ‘Leader of the Bionic Age’ because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of Biomechatronics - technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics. A double amputee himself, he is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities. He is currently Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, and co-leads the Yang Center for Bionics at MIT.
Herr is the author and co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and patents, chronicling the science and technology behind his many innovations. These innovations include active Leg Exoskeletons, Powered Ankle-Foot Prostheses, and neural interfacing technologies. A powered ankle-foot prosthesis called EmPower, which emulates the action of a biological leg and, for the first time, provides amputees with a natural gait, was named to the list of Top Ten Inventions in the health category by TIME magazine in 2007. Today the EmPower Ankle-Foot Prosthesis has been clinically shown to be the first leg prosthesis in history to reach human normalization, allowing amputees to walk with normal levels of speed and metabolism as if their legs were biological once again.
In 2015, Herr’s MIT research group invented the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface, a novel surgical procedure for limb amputation and neural interfacing that allows persons with limb loss to control their synthetic limbs through thought, as well as to experience natural proprioceptive sensations from the synthetic limb. Herr has received many accolades for his groundbreaking innovations, including the 13th Annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment; the Prince Salman Award for Disability Research; the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Technology, the 14th Innovator of the Year Award, and the 41st Inventor of the Year Award, and the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research. Hugh's story has been told in a National Geographic film, Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr; and episodes and articles featured in CNN, The Economist, Discover and Nature.

Patrick Kane is an author, disability rights advocate and Catalyst Fellow at Wunderman Thompson. Patrick became a triple amputee after contracting sepsis when he was 9 months old, and in 2010 became the then-youngest person in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm. The intersection of technology and disability in his personal life is also reflected in his career, as he frequently speaks on how technology is reshaping our definition of disability, and the importance of placing accessibility at the core of all we do. He has spoken at notable events such as TEDxTeen and WIRED: Next Generation, and was selected to carry the Olympic Torch through Trafalgar Square in 2012. He has also just finished writing a children's book on the history and future of bionics, which is due to be published in March 2023. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx