TED Talks: Hugh Herr shows that the bionic man already exists

Works of fiction have often created stories about a future in which humans and machines are linked. But the idea of ​​technology integrating into our bodies is much closer than you might think. Hugh Herr had an accident climbing a mountain, spent three days lost wandering in sub-zero temperatures and ended up having both legs amputated below the knee, but thanks to mechanical legs that he himself helped to develop, can walk again and have a life without physical limitations.

Herr is the director of MIT Biomechanics Group and CEO of BioM, a company specializing in high-tech mechanical legs that already has 800 customers in the United States (half of them veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). In this lecture by TED Talks (check it out in the video below), he explains how he is building the next generation of bionic limbs and robotic prosthetics inspired by the mechanics of nature itself.

With the inspiring idea that “the human being cannot be broken” (“The human being cannot be broken“), the American biophysicist builds prosthetic knees, legs and hips using a technology that fuses biomechanics with electronic microprocessors. Herr says the use of prosthetics to expand human capabilities will be common in the future. (sweetfixbaker.com) For this reason, some of the technologies developed by BioM are intended for people no problem of locomotion. An example is an exoskeleton for runners, which could absorb the full impact of the exercise.

In addition to telling the inspiring life story of Hugh Herr and present the technical concepts developed in the Leg Lab ( "Legs Lab") of MIT, the lecture still reserves exciting moments of how this technology can make a difference in people's lives. Visibly moved throughout his speech, Herr saves the most sublime moment of his presentation for last. Be sure to check it out.