Tag: MIT Media Lab

The Future is Now: Part 2 of 5

The Future is Now: Part 2 of 5

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:52 — 36.7MB)

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Limb Loss Awareness Month

  1. MIT: John McCollough

 

John is a student at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts working towards his Masters and PhD in Medical Engineering.

I met him a year and half ago when he reached out to see if I was interested in coming to MIT for a Gait Study that he was assisting a student working toward his PhD. Of course I said Yes!

 

This is what it looks like when you agree to a gait study!

 

 

Now as time has flown by I have gone back to check on John’s progress in the field of Biomechatronics, stayed connected with those in the lab and couldn’t wait to have him on the podcast.

 

 

Once in the media Lab building you can see prototypes, unique sculptures, and their purpose and mission.

 

However, a quick disclaimer, some of the work being done in the MIT Media Lab, like other universities, is private and not up for discussion as they are still in the works of their projects in a very competitive field, but the topics we discuss today are amazing, eye-opening and incredibly groundbreaking and I can not wait for you all to hear what’s on the cusp of becoming products and procedures available to the amputee community!

John working on the project I took part in last year.

Let’s jump right into our conversation on the work being done with 3D printing, Oesteointegration, AMI procedure, and how students and university create, trademark, and market their designs and how long this process can take.

Once again, I am blown away at the desires of these young men and women to create a better world for our amputee community.

The future is looking so good and positive for us and I truly want these students to be seen for their hardwork and dedication to a community they are feeling led to assist. We are extremely blessed with what the future holds and I believe that the next 5, 10, 20 years we will see the struggles of amputees today become minimal if not obsolete, making our lives stronger, healthier, and physically complete.

Join me this week as John and I discuss all things on the drawing board and please don’t forget to Like, Share, and Subscribe so you don’t miss any of these university students’ conversations about the future of prosthetics.

 

John McCollough MIT Masters student Mechanical Engineering

John, thank you for spending time we me on the podcast and sharing so eloquently the field of study you are in, breaking down the process so we could understand the stages of a study, and for sharing the work that could be shared. I look forward to having you on again as you complete your Masters and PhD.

Thanks for joining us  and I hope you have a beautiful week ahead!

And as always, until next time,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

Cutting Edge Comfort

Cutting Edge Comfort

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:23 — 26.7MB)

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Bionic Skins: Working Towards the Perfect Fit

We all want to feel our best, and live a life without pain, but at times it seems so out of reach for us amputees.

Donning a prosthesis that is suppose to emulate a real leg gets the job done but, trust me, it is far from comfortable and often it becomes such a painful devise that amputees choose not to wear it for too long, even taking days off from wearing it, leaving them feeling incomplete and frustrated.

Today I wanted to share with you an extraordinary company, created by Dr. Hugh Herr-bilateral below knee amputee, MIT professor and co-leader of the Yang Center for Bionics at MIT,  Bionic Skins is changing the comfort game for the better.

Lauren and Eric head up the Bionic Skins headquarters in Bedford, Mass. and graciously came on my podcast to share what Bionic Skins is, how it works, and the hopes and aspirations Hugh and his team have for building a better and more comfortable prosthesis for the amputee community.

Eric is the “numbers guy”, checking stats, running the biometrics of the patients and making sure the measurements taken are accurate…
among other hats he wears for the company.

 

 

Lauren is the prosthetist; working with the patients, creating the sockets,
and making sure the fit is everything it should be for comfort and durability.

 

As we sit down and talk you can see how bright the future is for amputees. The technology is getting better and the understanding of what is needed for improving the quality of life for amputees is increasing. More research is being done, and talking with amputees helps bridge the gap of what we currently have, what we struggles with,  and what is still needed to live actively and without restrictions.

Bionic Skins is doing just that.  They are currently work with patients, and taking new patients, that are below knee amputees all the while continuing to research, build studies, and improve on the technology that they are producing in house and through MIT’s Media Lab.

 

Check out their website HERE

You can also follow them on social Media platforms like Instagram and Facebook @bionicskins to stay up to date on their research and studies in which you may qualify to take part.

Also, you can listen to my interview with Hugh Herr, himself, from this past April, on my podcast HERE

Hugh and I discuss Bionic Skins toward the end of my interview where he discusses his design and how it was created.

 

Thank you again, Lauren and Eric, for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us about the incredible work you’re doing  to improve our lives. You are amazing people! Keep doing what you’re doing and I look forward to checking in with you again in the near future!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed, and found promise for a brighter future, listening to today’s podcast. Please remember to like, share and SUBSCRIBE to my podcast and my YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode!

Have an amazing week and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

Dr Hugh Herr-Founder of Bionic Skins and “Yours Truly’ all set up for a gait study I did last year at MIT.

 

The Age of Prosthetics

The Age of Prosthetics

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:33 — 33.6MB)

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Change Is in the Air

 

 

I had the distinct honor of being a part of a gait study at MIT in their Media Lab in Boston. It was the final project of a PhD student’s program and it was amazing!

To see what the future of prosthetics is heading toward and being able to test something that is still a ways out from being on the commercial market was such a blast and a lot of work. Testing the product through different scenarios and also using my own leg to show my baseline capabilities for comparison was so interesting and enlightening.

I would never have picture myself, in a million years, being able to be a part of this, nor did I ever picture myself without a leg.. oh the places I have been, the people I have met and the experiences I have enjoyed, all because of my decision to amputate almost 5 years ago.

 

MIT Media Lab lobby

 

Getting geared up for my baseline study with my own leg

 

Gathering data

 

Making adjustments

 

Such an honor to meet the man who created his own prosthetics after losing his own legs, Dr Hugh Herr.

 

Would I do it all again? Yes!

 

First off, I am not a person that looks back and says, “if only I had…” or ” I would have done this differently”. Instead I focus at what’s happening now and what’s in front of me. This makes me a happier person.

Second, I wouldn’t trade all the problems I have had (phantom pains/sensations, fitting issues, rashes and burns from sockets) because everything I have been blessed to experience has also been met with amazing people, experiences and seeing and doing new things.

I am a better person, a more well-rounded person, for having this life altering surgery.  I am happy that my life changed direction.

I have been able to test my will power, my integrity, my character much more by going through something so big. I have been tested and been able to rise up and become a stronger individual, both physically and emotionally.

I wished I could share with you so much more about my time at MIT, but until this student’s study is published it needs to be hush hush. Someday next year I will talk about it in more detail, but until then, I suggest that if you ever get a chance to take part in a study, one that helps make progress in our prosthetics, take it. Not only are you helping the future, you will also get to learn more about yourself.

 

 

As the past couple of weeks I have pushed you all to get active during this busy time of year. Taking care of yourself is so important for your mental and physical well-being but we tend to put it off for other things. Don’t wait! Join me on my Fierce and On Fire challenge.

It’s a virtual challenge by RunMotivators and if you’d like to join you can register and receive a medal for accomplishing this virtual challenge.

The goal? 100 miles, your way.

What does that mean?

You decide how you accomplish 100 miles. I set the goal timeline for December 31st but you can always set your own timeline since this started 3 weeks ago for me.

How can you reach 100 miles?

Whatever is comfortable and easiest for you and your circumstances. If you are wheelchair bound them maybe do some upper body workouts.

15 minutes=1 mile

You can swim, walk, hike, ski, surf, run, bike…the sky is the limit and you decide what challenges you, where you are at.

The idea is to get moving for YOU!

Making yourself a priority during this time of year, when we tend to ditch the things we do for ourselves to doing things for others.

Are you in??

Join me TODAY and get a jumpstart on your own health and fitness goals.

 

I hope you have a blessed week ahead and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

 

 

 

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