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A Bionic Leg Controlled by the Brain. A new kind of prosthetic limb depends on carbon fibre and computer chips—and the reëngineering of muscles, tendons, and bone.

A new kind of prosthetic limb depends on carbon fibre and computer chips—and the reëngineering of muscles, tendons, and bone.

Carty told me that, early in his career, he was troubled that amputation remained relatively primitive despite major advances in most other surgeries; the procedure not only led to muscle atrophy but also caused chronic pain, blistering, infections, and arthritis. As a young man, Herr spoke to almost no one of the physical pain he experienced; in pictures of his early climbs with prostheses, he appears to be in high spirits, even mischievous, with his prosthetic legs pin-striped in one photo. Herr told me that his innovations are “not about rebuilding me as much as about loving technological augmentation.” He has designed artificial ankles and knees and also bionic shoes that “reduce the metabolic cost” of movement by more than twenty per cent.

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