Hugh Herr
Hugh Herr | |
---|---|
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,
Early life
The youngest of five siblings of a
In January 1982, after having ascended a difficult technical ice route in Huntington Ravine on
Following months of
Career
While a postdoctoral fellow at MIT in biomedical devices, Herr began working on advanced leg
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]
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
- Sports Hall of Fame (1989)
- United States College Academic Team (1990)
- Young American Award (1990)
- Science magazine Next Wave: Best of 2003
- Time magazine Top Ten Inventions 2004[11]
- With the Providence VA Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine and Brown University, a $7.2 million grant from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to create "biohybrid" limbs to restore natural function to amputees. (2004)
- Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Leadership Award (2005)[16]
- The 13th Annual Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment (2007)[17]
- Time magazine Top Ten Inventions 2007[12]
- Action Maverick Award (2008)[18]
- Spirit of Da Vinci Award (2008)[19]
- R&D Magazine's 2014 Innovator of the Year[20]
- Smithsonian magazine's American Ingenuity Award (2014) in the Technology Category
- Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research (2016)[21]
Rock climbs
- 1983 Vandals, Gunks, FA with Lynn Hill and Russ Clune, first 5.13 on the East Coast.[22]
- 1984 Stage Fright (5.12c X), Cathedral Ledge, North Conway, NH. First Ascent.[23]
- 1986 Ride of the Valkyries (5.12a), Careno Crag, Leavenworth, WA – First Ascent.[24]
- 1986 City Park (5.13c), Index Town Walls, WA – 2nd ascent.[25]
Further reading
- Osius, Alison, Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr, 1991.
- Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr, National Geographic, 2002.
- Reinventing Bionics: Augmented, Nova PBS, 2022.[26]
References
- ^ a b c d Adelson, Eric (March 2009). "Best Foot Forward". Boston. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8117-1794-6.
- ^ a b National Geographic Channel. "Ascent - The Story of Hugh Herr". YouTube. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ a b Zamiska, Nicholas (July 6, 2004). "Bionic Knee 'Learns' How to Walk". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ a b Singer, Emily; Graham-Rowe, Duncan (May 11, 2007). "Biomedicine The World's First Powered Ankle". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ Todd Balf (September 6, 2017). "The Biomechatronic Man". Outside. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ "How MIT Media Lab is advancing human physicality, cognition, and emotional experience through bionic augmentation". TechRepublic. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics". Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Helgessen, Sally (October 3, 2016). "Hugh Herr Wants to Build a More Perfect Human". Strategy+Business. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ Carswell, Lindsay (February 12, 2005). "New Robotic Knee". Science Central. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ a b "Smooth Operator - The Best Inventions Of 2004". Time. September 19, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ a b "Joint Venture - The Best Inventions Of 2007". Time. November 1, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Sauser, Brittany (May 21, 2008). "Amputee Gets a Shot at the Olympics". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ward, Logan (September 28, 2005). "2005 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "Hugh Herr". The Heinz Awards. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "Action Maverick". STREB. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Hock, Lindsay (August 12, 2014). "R&D Magazine Announces Scientist and Innovator of the Year Award Winners". R&D Magazine. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research 2016 - Hugh Herr". The Princess of Asturias Foundation. 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ Clune, Russ (Spring 2009). "Vandals, Shawangunks". Patagonia – Field Report. Patagonia, Inc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-56044-811-2.
- ^ Smoot, Jeff (2000). "A Walk in the Park". ClimbingWashington.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2001. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
- ^ 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]
- ^ "Augmented: Nova PBS episode featuring Hugh Herr". mit.edu. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.