MIT Media Lab – Be-YOU-tiful Adaptive Warrior

Cutting Edge Comfort

By bawarrior | November 20, 2024

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

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

By bawarrior | December 6, 2023

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,