
Is This the Future of Robotic Legs? - bane
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/future-robotic-legs-180953040/?all&no-ist
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robg
Hugh takes his abilities personally. That's what makes him great. He's not
building for a disability. He's building for extraordinary abilities. Started
with rock climbing with protheses then to something as subtle as how an old
walking prosthesis would drop the foot on lift. He's an inspiration. Taking a
horrible accident and making many lives better and for many generations.

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robertfw
Watching Adrianne dance brought tears to my eyes. I play wheelchair basketball
and know many amputees who deal with fairly primitive prosthetics; I can only
hope that further development and funding makes this technology available to
everyone.

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bane
Yeah, me too. I remember the feelings I had right after the bombing and seeing
some interviews with her. I was really struck by the feeling that "she'll
never dance again" and how sad that made me.

Watching this felt like a little piece of joy just lit the world up again.

~~~
readerrrr
Here is the TED talk, I recommend watching it.

Hugh Herr: The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDsNZJTWw0w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDsNZJTWw0w)

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danbruc
I had no idea how far we have already developed artificial limbs; pretty
amazing and really worth watching the TED talk.

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Mangalor
I haven't seen a talk as good as that since the original iphone was debuted.
Thank you for this.

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EwanG
Ahem... so my SO had a below the knee amputation a couple years ago. And the
reality is that most insurance plans will NOT pay for an electrically powered
leg of any sort. We fought hard this year to get her one with a "full motion"
mechanical ankle. My point is that the technology is great, but if only the
builders can afford it...

One other issue with these, as you can imagine, is battery life. We talked
about paying out of pocket for the upgrade, but were told that the best
batteries only last about 4 hours. You think your battery going dead and
leaving you unable to make a phone call is bad?

~~~
malandrew
Only the builders can afford it _today_. There was a time when only the
government and big business had computers, now we all have computers in our
pockets that dwarf those computers by orders of magnitude.

Yes, it's unfortunate that not everyone can have one of these, but instead of
lamenting the builders, you should be supporting them, because it's through
the work of many builders working many hours that the technology progresses
and becomes cheaper.

Not only does technological progress create better limbs, but it also drives
down the limbs that were previously state of the art. A $50k prosthetic leg
that a person desires today and that will make them happier might only cost
$5k in 5 years because a far better leg (which may only affordable to the
builders) is available meaning that manufacturers of the leg that previously
cost $50k needs to drop their prices in order to maintain competitive.

Also, if battery life is such an issue, I would imagine that you carry around
spare batteries. My garmin cycle computer only lasts about 4-5 hours if I'm
lucky with all sensors on and my phone is usually dead at hour 8, so on 13.5
hour and longer rides I carry around a 12000mAh USB battery pack so I'm not
left without GPS or the ability to contact people if necessary when way out in
the middle of nowhere. If you know the limitations of technology you use, then
you plan for it.

Yes, there are always better things out there and inconveniences, but things
are getting better all the time. There is no need to be dismissive when
someone like this guy is building truly amazing technology that is bettering
the lives of 1000 people today and will probably better the lives of 100k
people in a few years time.

That being said, I understand the frustration with trying to fight insurance
companies for something that will better the life of someone you care about.
Two years ago, I spent many many many hours fighting my mom's insurance
company to get her a microsphere radio-embolism treatment for liver cancer
that would have given her a much better quality of life than she has today and
possibly alive for years to come. I wish insurance companies paid for more
than they do, but it's also impossible for insurance companies to pay for
everyone to have the best possible solution to their malady.

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Intermernet
Hugh has been an inspiration to climbers (including myself) for years. He'd
disappeared from my personal radar for a few years, and it's great to see that
he's still doing amazing things.

He seems to personify determination. I still think the joint first ascents of
"Vandals" in the Shawangunks [1] (which included Hugh) are one of the
milestones of recent climbing history.

[1]:
[http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=40837](http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=40837)

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ivanca
I just gave a youtube video a standing ovation. This is indeed one of the best
things ever, and I hope parents introduce him to their kids as one of the oh-
so-scarce true modern real-life heroes.

I also would like to ask, if any HNers know, if one would like to study
bionics development, where should one go? Is there any university/career that
focus on this?

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dkarapetyan
This man's life story is really inspirational. We need more of this and less
of snapchat and the like.

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ansible
I got to see Hugh give a talk (and demo) in person, probably at a Freescale
conference a while back. He's a great speaker and an inspiration. They are
really pushing the envelope. Great stuff.

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minikomi
Oh wow. Lost it at the woman being fitted with the new type legs in the TED
talk.. unbridled joy.

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grizzles
It seems like the 'present' of robotic legs to me.

