Science And Fiction

Today I’m gonna talk about the new emerging field of biomechatronics, what’s commonly

referred to as bionics. Bionics seeks to replace or augment, by employing electronics and

electro-mechanical devices, human function where these devices are attached to the body or

actually implanted inside the body.

But before I tell you about the science of bionics, I’d like to tell you a bit about my life story,

because my personal trajectory motivates the work that I do at MIT, even today. In 1982, I was in a tragic mountain climbing accident; I’d set up to climb Mount Washington with my

climbing partner at the time, when we got struck by a blizzard and were out there for nearly

four days. I suffered severe frost bite and my doctor struggled for months to save my biological

limbs but on March 24th 1982, both of my legs were amputated. So I stand before you

supported entirely by artificial structures, carbon composite, titanium and silicon.

Now after my accident, I dreamed of climbing again but how, how might this be possible? The

answer of course was technology.

I quickly realized that the prostheses at the time were passive structures that were designed for

the horizontal world or the flat surface. It was clear to me what I needed to do was to go into

the shop and carve out metal and wood structures. Through that process I was actually able to

climb at a more advanced level with artificial limbs than I had achieved before my accident

with normal biological limbs.

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