The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance
-
0:01 - 0:04Looking deeply inside nature,
-
0:04 - 0:07through the magnifying glass of science,
-
0:07 - 0:11designers extract principles,
processes and materials -
0:11 - 0:14that are forming the very basis
of design methodology. -
0:15 - 0:20From synthetic constructs
that resemble biological materials, -
0:20 - 0:24to computational methods
that emulate neural processes, -
0:24 - 0:26nature is driving design.
-
0:27 - 0:29Design is also driving nature.
-
0:30 - 0:34In realms of genetics, regenerative
medicine and synthetic biology, -
0:34 - 0:37designers are growing novel technologies,
-
0:37 - 0:40not foreseen or anticipated by nature.
-
0:41 - 0:47Bionics explores the interplay
between biology and design. -
0:47 - 0:50As you can see, my legs are bionic.
-
0:51 - 0:57Today, I will tell human stories
of bionic integration; -
0:57 - 1:02how electromechanics attached
to the body, and implanted inside the body -
1:02 - 1:07are beginning to bridge the gap
between disability and ability, -
1:07 - 1:12between human limitation
and human potential. -
1:13 - 1:15Bionics has defined my physicality.
-
1:16 - 1:19In 1982, both of my legs were amputated
-
1:19 - 1:21due to tissue damage from frostbite,
-
1:21 - 1:23incurred during
a mountain-climbing accident. -
1:24 - 1:28At that time, I didn't
view my body as broken. -
1:28 - 1:33I reasoned that a human being
can never be "broken." -
1:34 - 1:36Technology is broken.
-
1:36 - 1:39Technology is inadequate.
-
1:40 - 1:44This simple but powerful idea
was a call to arms, -
1:44 - 1:49to advance technology
for the elimination of my own disability, -
1:49 - 1:51and ultimately, the disability of others.
-
1:52 - 1:55I began by developing specialized limbs
-
1:55 - 1:58that allowed me to return
to the vertical world -
1:58 - 1:59of rock and ice climbing.
-
1:59 - 2:04I quickly realized that the artificial
part of my body is malleable; -
2:04 - 2:08able to take on any form, any function --
-
2:08 - 2:11a blank slate for which to create,
-
2:11 - 2:17perhaps, structures that could extend
beyond biological capability. -
2:17 - 2:19I made my height adjustable.
-
2:19 - 2:21I could be as short as five feet
or as tall as I'd like. -
2:21 - 2:24(Laughter)
-
2:24 - 2:27So when I was feeling bad about myself,
-
2:27 - 2:29insecure, I would jack my height up.
-
2:29 - 2:31(Laughter)
-
2:31 - 2:33But when I was feeling
confident and suave, -
2:33 - 2:37I would knock my height down a notch,
just to give the competition a chance. -
2:37 - 2:39(Laughter)
-
2:39 - 2:41(Applause)
-
2:41 - 2:45Narrow-edged feet allowed me
to climb steep rock fissures, -
2:45 - 2:47where the human foot cannot penetrate,
-
2:47 - 2:51and spiked feet enabled me
to climb vertical ice walls, -
2:51 - 2:54without ever experiencing
muscle leg fatigue. -
2:55 - 2:58Through technological innovation,
-
2:58 - 3:00I returned to my sport,
stronger and better. -
3:00 - 3:03Technology had eliminated my disability,
-
3:03 - 3:05and allowed me a new climbing prowess.
-
3:05 - 3:09As a young man, I imagined a future world
where technology so advanced -
3:09 - 3:11could rid the world of disability,
-
3:11 - 3:13a world in which neural
implants would allow -
3:13 - 3:15the visually impaired to see.
-
3:15 - 3:19A world in which the paralyzed
could walk, via body exoskeletons. -
3:21 - 3:23Sadly, because of
deficiencies in technology, -
3:23 - 3:25disability is rampant in the world.
-
3:25 - 3:27This gentleman is missing three limbs.
-
3:28 - 3:32As a testimony to current technology,
he is out of the wheelchair, -
3:32 - 3:38but we need to do a better job in bionics,
to allow, one day, full rehabilitation -
3:38 - 3:41for a person with this level of injury.
-
3:42 - 3:45At the MIT Media Lab, we've established
the Center for Extreme Bionics. -
3:45 - 3:50The mission of the center
is to put forth fundamental science -
3:50 - 3:52and technological capability
-
3:52 - 3:56that will allow the biomechatronic
and regenerative repair of humans, -
3:56 - 4:01across a broad range
of brain and body disabilities. -
4:02 - 4:05Today, I'm going to tell you
how my legs function, how they work, -
4:05 - 4:09as a case in point for this center.
-
4:09 - 4:11Now, I made sure to shave
my legs last night, -
4:11 - 4:13because I knew I'd be showing them off.
-
4:13 - 4:14(Laughter)
-
4:14 - 4:18Bionics entails the engineering
of extreme interfaces. -
4:18 - 4:20There's three extreme
interfaces in my bionic limbs: -
4:21 - 4:25mechanical, how my limbs
are attached to my biological body; -
4:25 - 4:28dynamic, how they move
like flesh and bone; -
4:28 - 4:31and electrical, how they communicate
with my nervous system. -
4:31 - 4:33I'll begin with mechanical interface.
-
4:34 - 4:37In the area of design,
we still do not understand -
4:37 - 4:40how to attach devices
to the body mechanically. -
4:41 - 4:44It's extraordinary to me
that in this day and age, -
4:44 - 4:47one of the most mature,
oldest technologies -
4:47 - 4:51in the human timeline, the shoe,
still gives us blisters. -
4:51 - 4:53How can this be?
-
4:53 - 4:56We have no idea how to attach
things to our bodies. -
4:56 - 4:59This is the beautifully
lyrical design work -
4:59 - 5:02of Professor Neri Oxman
at the MIT Media Lab, -
5:02 - 5:05showing spatially varying
exoskeletal impedances, -
5:05 - 5:09shown here by color variation
in this 3D-printed model. -
5:10 - 5:14Imagine a future where clothing
is stiff and soft where you need it, -
5:14 - 5:18when you need it, for optimal
support and flexibility, -
5:18 - 5:20without ever causing discomfort.
-
5:20 - 5:24My bionic limbs are attached
to my biological body -
5:24 - 5:28via synthetic skins
with stiffness variations, -
5:28 - 5:31that mirror my underlying
tissue biomechanics. -
5:32 - 5:36To achieve that mirroring, we first
developed a mathematical model -
5:36 - 5:37of my biological limb.
-
5:37 - 5:40To that end, we used
imaging tools such as MRI, -
5:40 - 5:42to look inside my body,
-
5:42 - 5:46to figure out the geometries
and locations of various tissues. -
5:46 - 5:47We also took robotic tools --
-
5:47 - 5:52here's a 14-actuator circle
that goes around the biological limb. -
5:53 - 5:55The actuators come in,
find the surface of the limb, -
5:55 - 5:58measure its unloaded shape,
-
5:58 - 5:59and then they push on the tissues
-
5:59 - 6:03to measure tissue compliances
at each anatomical point. -
6:04 - 6:06We combine these imaging and robotic data
-
6:06 - 6:09to build a mathematical description
of my biological limb, shown on the left. -
6:09 - 6:11You see a bunch of points, or nodes?
-
6:11 - 6:14At each node, there's a color
that represents tissue compliance. -
6:14 - 6:18We then do a mathematical transformation
to the design of the synthetic skin, -
6:18 - 6:20shown on the right.
-
6:20 - 6:22And we've discovered optimality is:
-
6:23 - 6:25where the body is stiff,
the synthetic skin should be soft, -
6:25 - 6:29where the body is soft,
the synthetic skin is stiff, -
6:29 - 6:32and this mirroring occurs
across all tissue compliances. -
6:33 - 6:35With this framework,
we've produced bionic limbs -
6:36 - 6:38that are the most comfortable
limbs I've ever worn. -
6:39 - 6:45Clearly, in the future, our clothing,
our shoes, our braces, our prostheses, -
6:45 - 6:49will no longer be designed
and manufactured using artisan strategies, -
6:49 - 6:52but rather, data-driven
quantitative frameworks. -
6:52 - 6:56In that future, our shoes
will no longer give us blisters. -
6:57 - 7:00We're also embedding
sensing and smart materials -
7:00 - 7:02into the synthetic skins.
-
7:02 - 7:06This is a material developed
by SRI International, California. -
7:06 - 7:09Under electrostatic effect,
it changes stiffness. -
7:09 - 7:13So under zero voltage,
the material is compliant, -
7:13 - 7:14it's floppy like paper.
-
7:14 - 7:17Then the button's pushed,
a voltage is applied, -
7:17 - 7:19and it becomes stiff as a board.
-
7:19 - 7:21(Tapping sounds)
-
7:22 - 7:24We embed this material
into the synthetic skin -
7:24 - 7:27that attaches my bionic limb
to my biological body. -
7:28 - 7:30When I walk here, it's no voltage.
-
7:30 - 7:32My interface is soft and compliant.
-
7:32 - 7:35The button's pushed,
voltage is applied, and it stiffens, -
7:35 - 7:38offering me a greater maneuverability
over the bionic limb. -
7:39 - 7:41We're also building exoskeletons.
-
7:41 - 7:44This exoskeleton becomes stiff and soft
-
7:44 - 7:47in just the right areas
of the running cycle, -
7:47 - 7:51to protect the biological joints
from high impacts and degradation. -
7:51 - 7:54In the future, we'll all
be wearing exoskeletons -
7:54 - 7:56in common activities, such as running.
-
7:57 - 7:58Next, dynamic interface.
-
7:58 - 8:01How do my bionic limbs
move like flesh and bone? -
8:02 - 8:06At my MIT lab, we study how humans
with normal physiologies -
8:06 - 8:07stand, walk and run.
-
8:07 - 8:09What are the muscles doing,
-
8:09 - 8:11and how are they controlled
by the spinal cord? -
8:12 - 8:14This basic science
motivates what we build. -
8:14 - 8:17We're building bionic ankles,
knees and hips. -
8:17 - 8:19We're building body parts
from the ground up. -
8:20 - 8:23The bionic limbs that I'm wearing
are called BiOMs. -
8:23 - 8:27They've been fitted
to nearly 1,000 patients, -
8:27 - 8:30400 of which have been
wounded U.S. soldiers. -
8:30 - 8:31How does it work?
-
8:31 - 8:33At heel strike, under computer control,
-
8:33 - 8:35the system controls stiffness,
-
8:35 - 8:38to attenuate the shock
of the limb hitting the ground. -
8:38 - 8:42Then at mid-stance, the bionic limb
outputs high torques and powers -
8:42 - 8:45to lift the person
into the walking stride, -
8:45 - 8:48comparable to how muscles
work in the calf region. -
8:49 - 8:53This bionic propulsion is very important
clinically to patients. -
8:53 - 8:56So on the left, you see
the bionic device worn by a lady, -
8:56 - 8:59on the right, a passive device
worn by the same lady, -
8:59 - 9:02that fails to emulate
normal muscle function, -
9:02 - 9:05enabling her to do something
everyone should be able to do: -
9:05 - 9:07go up and down their steps at home.
-
9:08 - 9:11Bionics also allows
for extraordinary athletic feats. -
9:11 - 9:14Here's a gentleman running
up a rocky pathway. -
9:16 - 9:19This is Steve Martin --
not the comedian -- -
9:19 - 9:22who lost his legs in a bomb blast
in Afghanistan. -
9:22 - 9:27We're also building exoskeletal
structures using these same principles, -
9:27 - 9:29that wrap around the biological limb.
-
9:30 - 9:36This gentleman does not have
any leg condition, any disability. -
9:36 - 9:38He has a normal physiology,
-
9:38 - 9:42so these exoskeletons are applying
muscle-like torques and powers, -
9:42 - 9:46so that his own muscles need not
apply those torques and powers. -
9:47 - 9:52This is the first exoskeleton in history
that actually augments human walking. -
9:53 - 9:55It significantly reduces metabolic cost.
-
9:56 - 9:58It's so profound in its augmentation,
-
9:58 - 10:02that when a normal, healthy person
wears the device for 40 minutes -
10:02 - 10:03and then takes it off,
-
10:03 - 10:07their own biological legs feel
ridiculously heavy and awkward. -
10:08 - 10:11We're beginning the age in which
machines attached to our bodies -
10:11 - 10:14will make us stronger
and faster and more efficient. -
10:16 - 10:17Moving on to electrical interface:
-
10:17 - 10:21How do my bionic limbs communicate
with my nervous system? -
10:21 - 10:22Across my residual limb are electrodes
-
10:23 - 10:25that measure the electrical
pulse of my muscles. -
10:25 - 10:27That's communicated to the bionic limb,
-
10:27 - 10:30so when I think about moving
my phantom limb, -
10:30 - 10:33the robot tracks those movement desires.
-
10:34 - 10:38This diagram shows fundamentally
how the bionic limb is controlled. -
10:39 - 10:41So we model the missing biological limb,
-
10:41 - 10:44and we've discovered
what reflexes occurred, -
10:44 - 10:47how the reflexes of the spinal cord
are controlling the muscles. -
10:47 - 10:52And that capability is embedded
in the chips of the bionic limb. -
10:53 - 10:57What we've done, then, is we modulate
the sensitivity of the reflex, -
10:57 - 11:00the modeled spinal reflex,
with the neural signal, -
11:00 - 11:04so when I relax my muscles
in my residual limb, -
11:04 - 11:06I get very little torque and power,
-
11:06 - 11:09but the more I fire my muscles,
the more torque I get, -
11:09 - 11:11and I can even run.
-
11:12 - 11:17And that was the first demonstration
of a running gait under neural command. -
11:17 - 11:18Feels great.
-
11:18 - 11:23(Applause)
-
11:24 - 11:26We want to go a step further.
-
11:26 - 11:29We want to actually close the loop
-
11:29 - 11:32between the human
and the bionic external limb. -
11:32 - 11:34We're doing experiments
-
11:34 - 11:36where we're growing nerves,
transected nerves, -
11:36 - 11:38through channels, or micro-channel arrays.
-
11:38 - 11:40On the other side of the channel,
-
11:40 - 11:42the nerve then attaches to cells,
-
11:42 - 11:44skin cells and muscle cells.
-
11:45 - 11:49In the motor channels, we can sense
how the person wishes to move. -
11:49 - 11:53That can be sent out wirelessly
to the bionic limb, -
11:53 - 11:55then [sensory information]
on the bionic limb -
11:55 - 11:59can be converted to stimulations
in adjacent channels, -
11:59 - 12:00sensory channels.
-
12:00 - 12:04So when this is fully developed
and for human use, -
12:04 - 12:07persons like myself will not only have
-
12:07 - 12:10synthetic limbs that move
like flesh and bone, -
12:10 - 12:13but actually feel like flesh and bone.
-
12:14 - 12:16This video shows Lisa Mallette,
-
12:16 - 12:19shortly after being fitted
with two bionic limbs. -
12:19 - 12:23Indeed, bionics is making
a profound difference in people's lives. -
12:23 - 12:25(Video) Lisa Mallette: Oh my God.
-
12:28 - 12:31LM: Oh my God, I can't believe it!
-
12:31 - 12:32(Video) (Laughter)
-
12:32 - 12:35LM: It's just like I've got a real leg!
-
12:37 - 12:39Woman: Now, don't start running.
-
12:39 - 12:42Man: Now turn around,
and do the same thing walking up, -
12:42 - 12:45but get on your heel to toe, like you
would normally just walk on level ground. -
12:45 - 12:47Try to walk right up the hill.
-
12:49 - 12:52LM: Oh my God.
-
12:52 - 12:53Man: Is it pushing you up?
-
12:53 - 12:58LM: Yes! I'm not even --
I can't even describe it. -
12:58 - 13:00Man: It's pushing you right up.
-
13:01 - 13:03Hugh Herr: Next week,
I'm visiting the Center -- -
13:03 - 13:04Thank you. Thank you.
-
13:04 - 13:08(Applause)
-
13:08 - 13:09Thank you.
-
13:09 - 13:13Next week I'm visiting the Center
for Medicare and Medicaid Services, -
13:13 - 13:16and I'm going to try to convince CMS
-
13:16 - 13:18to grant appropriate
code language and pricing, -
13:18 - 13:22so this technology can be made available
to the patients that need it. -
13:22 - 13:23(Applause)
-
13:23 - 13:24Thank you.
-
13:24 - 13:28(Applause)
-
13:28 - 13:32It's not well appreciated,
but over half of the world's population -
13:32 - 13:37suffers from some form of cognitive,
emotional, sensory or motor condition, -
13:37 - 13:41and because of poor technology,
too often, conditions result in disability -
13:41 - 13:43and a poorer quality of life.
-
13:43 - 13:48Basic levels of physiological function
should be a part of our human rights. -
13:48 - 13:52Every person should have the right
to live life without disability -
13:52 - 13:54if they so choose --
-
13:54 - 13:57the right to live life
without severe depression; -
13:57 - 14:00the right to see a loved one,
in the case of seeing-impaired; -
14:00 - 14:02or the right to walk or to dance,
-
14:02 - 14:05in the case of limb paralysis
or limb amputation. -
14:06 - 14:09As a society, we can
achieve these human rights, -
14:09 - 14:15if we accept the proposition
that humans are not disabled. -
14:16 - 14:18A person can never be broken.
-
14:18 - 14:21Our built environment, our technologies,
-
14:21 - 14:23are broken and disabled.
-
14:23 - 14:26We the people need not
accept our limitations, -
14:26 - 14:30but can transcend disability
through technological innovation. -
14:31 - 14:35Indeed, through fundamental advances
in bionics in this century, -
14:35 - 14:39we will set the technological foundation
for an enhanced human experience, -
14:39 - 14:41and we will end disability.
-
14:41 - 14:45I'd like to finish up
with one more story, a beautiful story. -
14:46 - 14:48The story of Adrianne Haslet-Davis.
-
14:48 - 14:52Adrianne lost her left leg
in the Boston terrorist attack. -
14:53 - 14:57I met Adrianne when this photo was taken,
at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. -
14:57 - 14:59Adrianne is a dancer, a ballroom dancer.
-
14:59 - 15:02Adrianne breathes and lives dance.
-
15:02 - 15:05It is her expression. It is her art form.
-
15:05 - 15:09Naturally, when she lost her limb
in the Boston terrorist attack, -
15:09 - 15:11she wanted to return to the dance floor.
-
15:12 - 15:14After meeting her
and driving home in my car, -
15:14 - 15:18I thought, I'm an MIT professor.
I have resources. -
15:18 - 15:19Let's build her a bionic limb,
-
15:19 - 15:22to enable her to go back
to her life of dance. -
15:23 - 15:27I brought in MIT scientists
with expertise in prosthetics, -
15:27 - 15:29robotics, machine learning
and biomechanics, -
15:29 - 15:33and over a 200-day research period,
we studied dance. -
15:33 - 15:37We brought in dancers
with biological limbs, -
15:37 - 15:40and we studied how they move,
-
15:40 - 15:43what forces they apply on the dance floor,
-
15:43 - 15:45and we took those data,
-
15:45 - 15:48and we put forth
fundamental principles of dance, -
15:49 - 15:50reflexive dance capability,
-
15:50 - 15:53and we embedded that intelligence
into the bionic limb. -
15:54 - 15:58Bionics is not only about making
people stronger and faster. -
15:58 - 16:03Our expression, our humanity
can be embedded into electromechanics. -
16:04 - 16:09It was 3.5 seconds between the bomb blasts
in the Boston terrorist attack. -
16:10 - 16:15In 3.5 seconds, the criminals and cowards
took Adrianne off the dance floor. -
16:16 - 16:18In 200 days, we put her back.
-
16:18 - 16:23We will not be intimidated, brought down,
diminished, conquered or stopped -
16:23 - 16:25by acts of violence.
-
16:25 - 16:32(Applause)
-
16:33 - 16:37Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me
to introduce Adrianne Haslet-Davis, -
16:37 - 16:40her first performance since the attack.
-
16:40 - 16:43She's dancing with Christian Lightner.
-
16:43 - 16:49(Applause)
-
16:54 - 17:00(Music: "Ring My Bell"
performed by Enrique Iglesias) -
17:39 - 17:46(Applause)
-
18:10 - 18:13Ladies and gentlemen,
members of the research team: -
18:13 - 18:15Elliott Rouse
-
18:15 - 18:17and Nathan Villagaray-Carski.
-
18:18 - 18:20Elliott and Nathan.
-
18:20 - 18:27(Applause)
- Title:
- The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance
- Speaker:
- Hugh Herr
- Description:
-
Hugh Herr is building the next generation of bionic limbs, robotic prosthetics inspired by nature's own designs. Herr lost both legs in a climbing accident 30 years ago; now, as the head of the MIT Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group, he shows his incredible technology in a talk that's both technical and deeply personal — with the help of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost her left leg in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and performs again for the first time on the TED stage.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 19:00
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 6/22/2015.