Hugh Herr

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Hugh Herr
Hugh Herr, 2013-crop.jpg
Herr in 2013
Born
Hugh Miller Herr

(1964-10-25) October 25, 1964 (age 59)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Millersville University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Scientific career
Fields Biophysics
Mechanical engineering
Physics
Institutions Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Website media.mit.edu

Hugh Herr (born October 25, 1964) is an American rock climber, engineer, and biophysicist. When he was young, both of his legs were amputated below the knee during a blizzard in a rock climbing trip. [1] After months of surgeries and rehabilitation, Herr began climbing again, using specialized prostheses he designed for himself, becoming the first person with a major amputation to perform in a sport on par with elite-level, able-bodied persons. [2] [3] [ dubious – discuss ] He holds the patents to the Rheo Knee, [4] an active ankle-foot orthosis, which is the world's first powered ankle-foot prosthesis. [5]

Contents

Early life

The youngest of five siblings of a Mennonite family from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hugh Herr was a prodigy rock climber: by age 8, he had scaled the face of the 11,627-foot (3,544 m) Mount Temple in the Canadian Rockies, and by 17 he was acknowledged to be one of the best climbers in the United States. [1]

In January 1982, after having ascended a difficult technical ice route in Huntington Ravine on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, Herr and fellow climber Jeff Batzer were caught in a blizzard and became disoriented, finally descending into the Great Gulf where they passed three nights in −20 °F (−29 °C) degree temperatures. By the time they were rescued, the climbers had severe frostbite. Both of Herr's legs had to be amputated below the knees; Batzer lost his lower left leg, the toes on his right foot, and the thumb and fingers on his right hand. During the rescue attempt, volunteer Albert Dow was killed by an avalanche. [1]

Following months of surgeries and rehabilitation, Herr was doing what doctors told him was unthinkable: climbing again. Using specialized prostheses that he designed, he created prosthetic feet with high toe stiffness that made it possible to stand on small rock edges the width of a coin, and titanium-spiked feet that assisted him in ascending steep ice walls. He used these prostheses to alter his height to avoid awkward body positions and to grab hand and foot holds previously out of reach. His height could range from five to eight feet (1.5 to 2.4 m). As a result of using the prostheses, Herr climbed at a more advanced level than he had before the accident, making him the first person with a major amputation to perform in a sport on par with elite-level, able-bodied persons. [2] [3]

Career

Hugh Herr climbs the wall at the MIT Media Lab's h2.0 symposium on May 9, 2007, watched by fellow bilateral amputee Aimee Mullins Wall climbing at h2.0 (541889183).jpg
Hugh Herr climbs the wall at the MIT Media Lab's h2.0 symposium on May 9, 2007, watched by fellow bilateral amputee Aimee Mullins

While a postdoctoral fellow at MIT in biomedical devices, Herr began working on advanced leg prostheses and orthoses, devices that emulate the functionality of the human leg. [1] He is now a professor at the MIT Media Lab, where he directs the Biomechatronics research group and co-directs the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics. [6] [7] [8] At the center, he focuses on developing wearable robotic systems that serve to augment human physical capability. Most of what he designs is not for him, but for others to whose difficulties he can relate.[ citation needed ] The devices he designs are advancing an emerging field of engineering science that applies principles of biomechanics and neural control to guide the designs of human rehabilitation and augmentative devices. [9] The goal is to rehabilitate individuals that have undergone limb amputation or have a pathology, and also to augment human physical capability for those with normal intact physiologies.

Herr holds the patents to a computer-controlled artificial knee, [10] commercially available as the Rheo Knee [4] an active ankle-foot orthosis, and the world's first powered ankle-foot prosthesis. [5] The computer-controlled knee, which is outfitted with a microprocessor that continually senses the joint's position and the loads applied to the limb, was named one of the Top Ten Inventions in the health category by Time magazine in 2004. [11] The robotic ankle-foot prosthesis, which mimics the action of a biological leg and, for the first time, provides transtibial amputees with a natural gait, was named to the same Time top-ten list in 2007. [12]

Herr presenting prosthetic legs at TED 2014, where he first demonstrated a running gait under neural command. Hugh Herr, TED 2014.jpg
Herr presenting prosthetic legs at TED 2014, where he first demonstrated a running gait under neural command.

Oscar Pistorious

Herr was a member of a team of seven experts in biomechanics and physiology from six universities that conducted research on the mechanics of Oscar Pistorius' running blades. The South African bilateral amputee track athlete was banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from running in able-bodied events, as previous research had shown the blades gave him a competitive advantage. [13] A portion of these results were presented to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland in May 2008, by Herr and colleague Rodger Kram which resulted in reversing the ban. This allowed Pistorius to become the first disabled sprint runner to qualify against able-bodied athletes for an Olympic event. [14] The full findings of the team's experiments were published in the June 18, 2009 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. [15]

Grants and awards

Rock climbs

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amputation</span> Medical procedure that removes a part of the body

Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventive surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, judicial amputation is currently used to punish people who commit crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment. When done by a person, the person executing the amputation is an amputator. The oldest evidence of this practice comes from a skeleton found buried in Liang Tebo cave, East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo dating back to at least 31,000 years ago, where it was done when the amputee was a young child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosthesis</span> Artificial device that replaces a missing body part

In medicine, a prosthesis, or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth. Prostheses are intended to restore the normal functions of the missing body part. Amputee rehabilitation is primarily coordinated by a physiatrist as part of an inter-disciplinary team consisting of physiatrists, prosthetists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Prostheses can be created by hand or with computer-aided design (CAD), a software interface that helps creators design and analyze the creation with computer-generated 2-D and 3-D graphics as well as analysis and optimization tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peg leg</span> Leg prosthesis

A peg leg is a prosthesis, or artificial limb, fitted to the remaining stump of a human leg, especially a wooden one fitted at the knee. Its use dates to antiquity.

Norman Croucher is a British mountain climber, a double amputee with two prosthetic legs below the knee.

Bio-mechatronics is an applied interdisciplinary science that aims to integrate biology and mechatronics. It also encompasses the fields of robotics and neuroscience. Biomechatronic devices cover a wide range of applications, from developing prosthetic limbs to engineering solutions concerning respiration, vision, and the cardiovascular system.

Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA, formerly Otto Bock, is a company based in Duderstadt Germany, that operates in the field of orthopedic technology. It is considered the world market leader in the field of prosthetics and one of the leading suppliers in orthotics, wheelchairs and exoskeletons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaipur foot</span> Prosthetic limb

The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. Although inferior in many ways to the composite carbon fibre variants, its variable applicability and cost efficiency make it an acceptable choice for prosthesis. Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P. K. Sethi designed and developed it in 1968.

Therdchai Jivacate is a Thai orthopedic surgeon and inventor known for his humanitarian activities in providing free prosthetic limbs to impoverished amputees, and for his development of techniques allowing low-cost, high-quality prostheses to be made from local materials. The activities of the Prostheses Foundation, which he founded in 1992 under royal sponsorship from the Princess Mother Srinagarindra, have expanded beyond the borders of Thailand to Malaysia, Laos, and Burma. Jivacate has established Thailand's first and only educational institution of occupational therapy at Chiang Mai University. He has also created an educational programme for children suffering from chronic diseases at Maharaj Hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima. In 2008, he was given the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktoria Modesta</span> British musical artist

Viktorija Moskaļova, better known as Viktoria Modesta, is a Latvian-born British singer-songwriter, performance artist, creative director, and model. Modesta's leg was injured during her birth. She had it voluntarily amputated in 2007. She was signed to IMG Models as a model, and as a musician she is also known as a "Bionic Pop Artist". Her music video "Prototype" received a Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She also performed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony and was a guest star at the Crazy Horse in Paris in 2019.

T43 is a disability sport classification for disability athletics, applying to athletes with "Double below knee amputation or similar disability." It includes ISOD classified athletes from the A4 and A9 classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T44 (classification)</span> Classification for disability athletics

T44 is a disability sport classification for disability athletics, applying to "Single below knee amputation or an athlete who can walk with moderately reduced function in one or both legs." It includes ISOD A4 and A9 classes.

Para triathlon is a variant of the triathlon for athletes with a physical disability. The sport is governed by World Triathlon, and was first held as a Paralympic event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Paratriathlon classification is the classification system for athletes participating in paratriathlon. It is governed by the World Triathlon The sport has been included in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flex-Foot Cheetah</span>

The Flex-Foot Cheetah is a prosthetic human foot replacement developed by biomedical engineer Van Phillips, who had lost a leg below the knee at age 21; the deficiencies of existing prostheses led him to invent this new prosthesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amputee football</span> Association football for disabled players

Amputee football is a disabled sport played with seven players on each team. Outfield players have lower extremity amputations, and goalkeepers have an upper extremity amputation. Outfield players use loftstrand (forearm) crutches, and play without their prosthesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanics of Oscar Pistorius's running blades</span> Blades used by South African Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius

The mechanics of the running blades used by South African former Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius depend on special carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer prosthetics. Pistorius has double below-the-knee amputations and competed in both non-disabled and T44 amputee athletics events. Pistorius's eligibility to run in international non-disabled events is sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Robotic prosthesis control is a method for controlling a prosthesis in such a way that the controlled robotic prosthesis restores a biologically accurate gait to a person with a loss of limb. This is a special branch of control that has an emphasis on the interaction between humans and robotics.

A3 is an amputee sport classification used by the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) for people with acquired or congenital amputations. A3 classified sportspeople have both legs amputated below knee. Their amputations impact their sport performance, including having balance issues, increased energy costs, higher rates of oxygen consumption, and issues with their gait. Sports people in this class are eligible to participate in include athletics, swimming, sitting volleyball, archery, weightlifting, badminton, lawn bowls, sitzball and wheelchair basketball.

A4 is an amputee sport classification used by the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD).for people with acquired or congenital amputations. People in this class have one leg amputated below the knee. Their amputations impact their sport performance, including having balance issues, increased energy costs, higher rates of oxygen consumption, and issues with their gait. Sports people in this class are eligible to participate in include athletics, swimming, sitting volleyball, archery, weightlifting, wheelchair basketball, amputee basketball, amputee football, lawn bowls, and sitzball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gait deviations</span> Medical condition

Gait deviations are nominally referred to as any variation of standard human gait, typically manifesting as a coping mechanism in response to an anatomical impairment. Lower-limb amputees are unable to maintain the characteristic walking patterns of an able-bodied individual due to the removal of some portion of the impaired leg. Without the anatomical structure and neuromechanical control of the removed leg segment, amputees must use alternative compensatory strategies to walk efficiently. Prosthetic limbs provide support to the user and more advanced models attempt to mimic the function of the missing anatomy, including biomechanically controlled ankle and knee joints. However, amputees still display quantifiable differences in many measures of ambulation when compared to able-bodied individuals. Several common observations are whole-body movements, slower and wider steps, shorter strides, and increased sway.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Adelson, Eric (March 2009). "Best Foot Forward". Boston . Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Osius, Alison (1991). Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr . Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN   978-0-8117-1794-6.
  3. 1 2 National Geographic Channel. "Ascent - The Story of Hugh Herr". YouTube. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Zamiska, Nicholas (July 6, 2004). "Bionic Knee 'Learns' How to Walk". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Singer, Emily; Graham-Rowe, Duncan (May 11, 2007). "Biomedicine The World's First Powered Ankle". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  6. ↑ Todd Balf (September 6, 2017). "The Biomechatronic Man". Outside . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ "How MIT Media Lab is advancing human physicality, cognition, and emotional experience through bionic augmentation". TechRepublic. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics" . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ Helgessen, Sally (October 3, 2016). "Hugh Herr Wants to Build a More Perfect Human". Strategy+Business. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  10. ↑ Carswell, Lindsay (February 12, 2005). "New Robotic Knee". Science Central. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Smooth Operator - The Best Inventions Of 2004". Time . September 19, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Joint Venture - The Best Inventions Of 2007". Time. November 1, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Study Revives Olympic Prospects for Amputee Sprinter". MIT Media Lab. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  14. ↑ Sauser, Brittany (May 21, 2008). "Amputee Gets a Shot at the Olympics". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  15. ↑ G. Weyand, Peter; W. Bundle, Peter; P. McGowan, Craig; Grabowski, Alena; Brown, Beth; Kram, Rodger; Herr, Hugh (June 18, 2009). "The fastest runner on artificial legs: different limbs, similar function?" (PDF). Journal of Applied Physiology. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Hugh Herr". The Heinz Awards. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Action Maverick". STREB. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Spirit Of Da Vinci Award Goes To MIT Bio-Mechantron Professor - Amputee Designing The Next Generation Of Prostheses". Medical News Today. September 12, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  19. ↑ Hock, Lindsay (August 12, 2014). "R&D Magazine Announces Scientist and Innovator of the Year Award Winners". R&D Magazine. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research 2016 - Hugh Herr". The Princess of Asturias Foundation. 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  21. ↑ Clune, Russ (Spring 2009). "Vandals, Shawangunks". Patagonia – Field Report. Patagonia, Inc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  22. ↑ Green, Stewart (2001). Rock Climbing New England. Guilford CT: Falcon Books. p. 100. ISBN   978-1-56044-811-2.
  23. ↑ Smoot, Jeff (2000). "A Walk in the Park". ClimbingWashington.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2001. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  24. ↑ Martin, Jason (April 14, 2005). "Only strong climbers need apply themselves to the daunting granite of Index". Seattle PI. Seattle PI.com. Retrieved December 24, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ "Augmented: Nova PBS episode featuring Hugh Herr". mit.edu. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
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