He can build them better, faster, sexier
The machinery of the human body is wonderfully complex, especially in its moving parts. That's why recreating it in metal and plastic is commonly thought to be the stuff of science fiction, androids and bionic men.
But professor Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechatronics Group at MIT's Media Lab, has made a career of taking the fiction out of the science.
His team has developed, among other marvels, a prosthetic ``Rheo Knee" that uses artificial intelligence to replicate the workings of a biological human joint.
``We build artificial limbs, robotic limbs that wrap around impaired ones, and we think about technology that augments healthy limbs, making them more efficient," says Herr, a soft-spoken, trim figure, who would look younger than his 41 years were it not for a demeanor that bespeaks an intense self-control.
There's a reason Herr is devoted to the perfection of prosthetics: He lost both of his legs in a mountaineering accident at the age of 17 and is a user of prosthetics.
Herr and his group are developing machines called ``bio-hybrids," surgical implants that make old prosthetics look like dead wood.
``The amputee can think, contract muscles, and directly control the artificial leg. It's a blend between the body and a synthetic device."
With American military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, Herr's inventions are in high demand.
His Biomechatronics Group works closely with the Veterans Administration Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine. ``If you look at innovation in prosthetics, there's a major spike after every war," says Herr.
But public funding isn't the only factor pushing his research. Herr believes that we live in a time where three key disciplines -- tissue engineering, machine-learning, and robotics -- have advanced to the point where biomechatronics is poised for a huge leap forward. Herr thinks that, within his lifetime, amputees will run faster than people with biological legs.
He describes the image of a model walking down a catwalk, her legs replaced by prosthetics molded to look like graceful sculptures. ``I've found that when the prosthetic leg works badly, the amputee wants it to look human. When it works very well, they want it not to look human."
Herr grew up on a farm in Lancaster, Pa. ``I was a strange youth -- into meditation and mysticism," he says. He was also into testing his physical capabilities, which were prodigious. At the age of 15, he could climb 4,000 feet in the span of three or four hours. ``There's something about pushing yourself to your limits that makes people feel more alive. In climbing, it's really acute."
Then he lost his legs to frostbite during a blizzard on Mount Washington, and a rescuer named Albert Dow lost his life trying to save him. When asked about how this affected his choice of career, he says, in a measured voice: ``That was a motivating factor." Herr turned to academics, getting a bachelor's degree at Millerstown University of Pennsylvania before going on to postgraduate work at Harvard and MIT.
``We have to pick and choose in life," he says, regarding his decision to relegate climbing to a hobby instead of an occupation. ``What I'm doing now has more value to the world."
``Even today, some people pity those with disabilities," he says. ``In the future, [the disabled] will be physically more capable. And then, being physically unique will no longer inspire pity. It'll be unique. And even sexy."
FACTSHEET
Hometown: Somerville.
Family: His wife, Trish, and daughters Alexandra, 3, and Sage, 1.
Ambitions: ``I'd like to be more effective at minimizing the time it takes to get between an idea and its creation." Also, to find time to climb once a week.
Secret ambitions: ``At one point, I wanted to be the first person to climb Everest in sneakers and get
Inspiring others: An editor of Climbing magazine wrote a book called ``Second Ascent: The Hugh Herr Story."
Favorite New England climbing spots: In New Hampshire, Mount Washington Valley. Also, Cannon Cliff off of I-93.
Other hobbies: Running around Walden Pond.
And he's also a customer: ``We're finally developing technology that I can use, like the world's first powered ankle." The company that commercialized the Rheo Knee, Ossur (www.ossur.com), also sells legs designed for running (see Walden Pond, above).
