Hugh Herr, who designed his own bionic legs, is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that increase mobility and offer new hope to people with physical disabilities.
Bionics expert Hugh Herr will speak Wednesday at the next talk in the 2015 Arts and Technology Distinguished Lecture Series.
Herr, an associate professor who heads the biomechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab, is creating bionic limbs that match the function of natural limbs. In 2011, Time magazine called him the “Leader of the Bionic Age” because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of biomechatronics, a technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics.
“Hugh Herr is a leader in the field of prosthetic and bionics research. His visit promises to be exciting as he will see the ongoing work coming from UT Dallas faculty and students, and as we learn more about his important work.”
Dr. Robert D. Gregg,
assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Locomotor Control Systems Lab at UT Dallas
His talk, presented by Ericsson, is titled “Extreme Bionics: The End of Disability.”
“Hugh Herr is a leader in the field of prosthetic and bionics research. His visit promises to be exciting as he will see the ongoing work coming from UT Dallas faculty and students, and as we learn more about his important work,” said Dr. Robert D. Gregg, who is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Locomotor Control Systems Lab at UT Dallas.
Herr, who is a double amputee, is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that increase mobility and offer new hope to people with physical disabilities. Herr’s research group has developed gait-adaptive knee prostheses for amputees and exoskeletons for patients with drop foot, a condition caused by stroke, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.
Herr also designed his own bionic legs, and the world’s first bionic foot and calf system called the BiOM. His computer-controlled knee was named one of Time’s “Top Ten Inventions” in 2004, and his robotic ankle-foot prosthesis made the same list in 2007.
Herr’s story has been told in the biography Second Ascent, The Story of Hugh Herr and in a 2002 National Geographic film Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr. He has also been featured on CNN and in The Economist, Discover and Nature.