Hugh Herr interviewed as part of the IEEE Soft Robotics podcast discusses how much his personal experience with bilateral amputation assists his critical ability to perceive issues with device interaction more quickly than other engineers. He also mentions several ways in which his biomechatronics group at MIT is more successful tackling the tough problems of natural-feeling device interaction through diverse of influences and ideas. Thinking about how these products will become available to public and how the system can change to support different surgery methods that streamline prosthetic interaction.
Herr discusses the benefits that his protheses have brought him in augmenting human capability – his passion for rock climbing and creating adapted limbs that help him excel on the rock face. Herr also relates that he has lived knowledge of the interface with his limbs that engineers and others just don’t have and so he sees more quickly where a device might fail or succeed at meeting a goal. It’s encouraging to think about augmenting ability and creating new enjoyable constructs that may create new experiences for PWDs and perhaps people who are just interested in enhancing their ability.
