Climbing 103 Floors On a 'Bionic' Leg 117
An anonymous reader writes "4 years ago I read about experimental targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) surgery on Slashdot. 3 years ago I crashed my motorcycle and had my leg amputated — at which time I had TMR done. Today I climbed 103 floors of the Willis Tower in Chicago with a experimental prosthetic using TMR. Thanks, Slashdot."
Good Job (Score:5, Insightful)
Determination, Strength, and Cool Factor.
You rock dude, I tip my hat.
Re:Good Job (Score:4, Funny)
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The tower was named after Chicago's greatest son, Wesley Willis. [alternativetentacles.com]
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What you talkin' bout Willis.... Tower?
He means the tower formery known as Sears.
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I love the "Tower formerly know as Sears!' People just don't understand the Tower, yo! It's a Chicago thing.. It's "the Tower" now for short.
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"The Tower" refuses to acknowledge it's "slave name!" Power to the PEOPLE! Word.
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You mean "Tower to the PEOPLE!"?
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+1 funny
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Anyone who actually grew up in Chicago will always (still) refer to it as the Sears Tower. Just like the White Sox play in Comiskey Park. Macy's never should have renamed Marshall Fields.
It's a Chicago thing.
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Incredible, even Trailers are 'forbidden' outside the US ...
Re:Good Job (Score:5, Funny)
I could walk up those stairs and with a bionic leg it would be even easier.
He never asked for this.
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No, he's saying (obviously) the person never asked to need a bionic leg.
Seriously, do we really need to spell this stuff out?
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He's not saying he's superman, he's saying he has capabilities of a normal human.
Grow the fuck up.
No, (Score:5, Insightful)
Zac Vawter (Score:2)
How ironic that He's "anonymous reader" on /. but Zac Vawter in the article.
Nevermind the lack of a name on the submission, this technology is a cool thing for all future amputees.
Re:None of those stupid keyboard/computer jokes (Score:5, Funny)
Which of his legs was bionically enhanced, his left, right or third?
Also, FWIW, I have both my legs and wouldn't make it up those 103 stairs.
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Which of his legs was bionically enhanced, his left, right or third?
Also, FWIW, I have both my legs and wouldn't make it up those 103 stairs.
Worse - it's 103 floors, not stairs. ;)
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GP has special 1 floor boots, which let him climb a whole floor as a single step. They are scaled down 21 league boots.
Congrats! (Score:4, Insightful)
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Talk about overly patronizing and condescending. He has a fucking bionic limb, he's not a brain-dead cripple. In fact, his leg is superior to our own crude flesh and blood legs.
People like you sicken me. Show some respect.
Yeah, I mean, after a vehicle crash which could have killed him but instead only resulted in doctors sawing off his leg, they just dabbed a little Ben-Gay under his nose to wake him up and said, "Dude, we TOTALLY had to cut your leg off. But fortunately we had this other robotic one lying around". Then he just slid it on over his freshly ground-meat stump like new silk stockings and instantly dashed out the door to catch the 4:49pm express bus home, where life went on just as before, even better in fact. Wh
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Bionic != enhanced
In fact, it shouldn't really be called bionic, it should be called what it is... a prosthesis. These aren't rigged to his brain to do his bidding or anything.
Congratulations! (Score:2)
That must have felt good...
Post 911 (Score:5, Funny)
You were in the stairwell of a major landmark building, with a strange device strapped to your body? You must be a terrorist.
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You were in the stairwell of a major landmark building, with a strange device strapped to your body? You must be a terrorist.
Don't call the number they gave you.
Nerdy question... (Score:5, Interesting)
Congrats!
Out of curiosity if you don't mind the (potentially awkward) question, how does it work/feel when you control a bionic leg? Scanning the wiki article, I sounds like it's basically plugged into the nervous system at where the amputation took place, and you had to retrain the neural system so the bionic limb responds accurately? (Complete with some level of sensory feedback?)
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My guess would be that you would feel the pressure at the point where the artificial limb is attached to the body when you shift your weight to that side.
Also, huge props for not giving up to the OP.
Now, I would be curious to know if medical paid for it, or if he paid out of pocket (or with donors helping out).
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Now, I would be curious to know if medical paid for it, or if he paid out of pocket (or with donors helping out).
Usually when you agree to be a medical guinea pig, the researchers cover related medical costs and incidentals like transport/meals. They may have even paid him a bit ontop of all that.
Re:Nerdy question... (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know about a bionic leg, but I have a bionic lens in my left eye. I had to practice reading to strengthen the focusing muscles I hadn't used in ten years, but the actual workings are just like with a normal 20 year old eye. even though I'm 60..
I would imagine at first the leg would take a little getting used to, but after a while it will probably be natural to him. Except that leg looks pretty heavy.
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LASIK won't do much good with severe myopia, there would be too much to cut. Right now the CrystaLens is the only accomodating lens, with the rest you'll need reading glasses. In 2023 when the patent runs out on the CrystaLens all implanted lenses will be made like that.
The choice of surgeon REALLY matters. I was severely nearsighted all my life, and farsighted as well in my forties. The eye with the implant is better than 20/20 now, stats say something like 98% of patients who get that lens have 20/25 or b
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I don't know about a bionic leg, but I have a bionic lens in my left eye. I had to practice reading to strengthen the focusing muscles I hadn't used in ten years, but the actual workings are just like with a normal 20 year old eye. even though I'm 60..
I would imagine at first the leg would take a little getting used to, but after a while it will probably be natural to him. Except that leg looks pretty heavy.
Offtopic too, but I am also very interested...
I have a friend who claims (or rather his opthamologist claims) that the problem with these lenses is that your eye muscles are not strong enough to focus them properly after age 50 or so. That does not sound like your experience, so I am wondering how you did it?
Thanks to you sir! (Score:4, Interesting)
Great! (Score:1)
Contratulations! :-)
The force IS with you!
so jealous (Score:1)
The man has a bionic leg!
signed: sheldon cooper.
Enhanced robotics training (Score:5, Interesting)
Wondering if the data collected from this cyborg (yes dude you're now a cyborg), could also be useful as training data for independent robotics.
Have you ever thought of open sourcing your leg data :) Could be a huge contribution to OSS robotics. Maybe get other's with prosthetics to contribute as well; arm, hands, feet.
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As awesome as that would be.. I'm betting that the company that made the leg owns the rights to all the data generated from it.
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It may be worse than that. The manufacturer may own the rights to any device or system into which it is installed. This guy is screwed!
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The manufacturer may own the rights to any device or system into which it is installed. This guy is screwed!
How is the man with the world's best prosthetic leg in any way screwed?
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How is the man with the world's best prosthetic leg in any way screwed?
Well... he has a prosthetic leg, for one.
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It's better than being in a wheelchair. He was fucked when he lost his leg, not when he got a cybernetic prosthetic.
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Please get a clue.. Go to www.ric.org before you jump to a stupid and wrong conclusion. The Ric uses parts from all types of manufacturers. You could say they are the first "open source" prosthetics shop.
Re:Enhanced robotics training (Score:5, Funny)
Fortunately for you, there is ongoing work underway on a prosthetic sense of humor.
Re:Enhanced robotics training (Score:4, Insightful)
Wondering if the data collected from this cyborg (yes dude you're now a cyborg)
You'd be surprised how many cyborgs there are. There are a lot of folks with artificial joints, pacemakers, cochlear implants, and all sorts of artificial machinery incorporated into their bodies.
When it's time for you to become a cyborg, not only will resistance be futile, you will be damned glad to be assimilated.
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I have always figured if something happened to me and I loss an arm or hand and I got a bionic hand that is thought controlled, I would so want to get a USB keyboard/mouse hack added to it.
Cyborgs are Cool. (Score:1)
Yet more proof that Cybernetics don't make people less human, they make them More Human.
I, for one, welcome our new Cyborg overlords.
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Yet more proof that Cybernetics don't make people less human, they make them More Human. I, for one, welcome our new Cyborg overlords.
No, it doesn't make one more human, only more functional. I'm not 100% human but I'm more functional than I was before my CrystaLens was implanted.
Your brain makes you human. So I'm human, only with a non-human device implanted. Oh, and we're not your overlords (Cheney was, look how that turned out. I certainly didn't welcome him!)
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Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the maste
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Your brain makes you human.
Retarded kids are sub-human and don't need rights.
In my state, the same laws that make it illegal to fuck 12 year olds make it illegal to fuck retards. Every time wording is encountered about someone being too young, it involves a list of things separated by commas. Under X age, or with more than a 4 year age difference, or with reduced mental facilities. They go through every length to make sure screwing retards is the same as screwing very small, possibly pre-pubescent children.
Retards must be rem
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Retards must be removed from the gene pool because they have less functional brains and are thus less human. Making it illegal to screw sub-human retards is the best way to do that, according to my state politicians. I see now. "Protecting them" is a good cover story.
Umm....it's about ability to consent. To the best of our knowledge and ability, people who are protected under such laws lack sufficient faculties to grant consent to the person having sex with them. Ergo, they were raped. It has nothing to do with "purifying" the gene pool, and everything to do with being as humane as possible to people who got a raw deal due to fate/circumstance/birth/whatever.
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Yes, exactly. So while 19 year olds can have premarital sex in college with their entire dorm and come home pregnant, retards are just like the 12 year old gifted girl that made it into college early by passing her GED and escaping middle school: oh she's a hot college freshman, but if you fuck her you go to jail.
You see? This is how we ensure 'humane' treatment and 'protect' these people. Make sure nobody can 'take advantage of them'. If they get pregnant, somebody done broke the law.
Wink wink nud
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As the father of an educationally handicapped adult daughter I find your attitude highly offensive. Most mental handicaps are not hereditary; my youngest daughter has an IQ of 130. The oldest was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, had it not been for that her IQ may have been higher than her sister's.
Take your argument a little farther, we shouldn't let anyone with less than a 150 IQ live. E.g, I live, you die. Compared to me, you're a retard. Compared to Stephen Hawking, I'm a retard.
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Most mental handicaps are not hereditary; my youngest daughter has an IQ of 130. The oldest was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck
You see? The umbilical cord made her less human! Your brain makes you human and hers is less human-brain-like so she is less human-like!
PS I highly doubt you're all that smart. I've met smart people, they're really, really fucking smart. Not folks that are brainy and worked out quantum physics and could handle the math. I'm talking about people who look at things and go, "... what?" and just toss out a solution to half the world's problems. Some people just see things.
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Try telling that to the anti-euthanasia or pro-life crowds. They don't care about the brain: To them, humans are magical because God breathed soul-stuff into them.
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Try telling that to the anti-euthanasia or pro-life crowds.
As a Christian all I can say is, try telling those poor fools anything. I'm not supposed to make decisions about anyone's life but my own (treat others as you would like to be treated).
The "God hates fags" crowd is even worse. Those "Christians" obviously don't read their bibles. Gays' sins are no worse than mine or anyone else's.
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I am hoping that full body prosthesis happens in my lifetime (no organic parts left), just upload me into my shiny new body!
Congratulations! (Score:3)
Missing from Summery (Score:1)
It's important to clarify that this was a neural controlled bionic leg. Coming from the Chicago Suburbs, I was greeted pleasantly by this news this morning, as well as by the news that Senator Kirk was able to complete the same feat after his severe stroke in January.
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Although I am not a political supporter of Senator Mark Kirk, I think it's also worth noting that he successfully climbed 37 floors as pat of this same challenge, following rehab from a stroke in January. Congratulations to the senator as well.
Outstanding, (Score:1)
Looks like it works pretty well.
Can you publish more details?
Is it running with your balance system or if it has supplemental gyros.
What improvements are you planning next.
If you can get control information from the TMR to the leg,
I wonder if a couple of other signal paths are also possible.
1) From the other leg to the new one to help coordinate the gait.
2) From the new leg to you to give you more feedback on what
Well done ! (Score:2)
Like many others, I'd like tosay what a fantastic effort you have put into your own recovery. A great example to us all. Well done Sir !
misleading news headline (Score:3, Funny)
Man with bionic leg climbs Chicago skyscraper
Kudos to you for all you have achieved but I gotta admit the news headline had me thinking you were on the outside of the building like a human fly......next challenge maybe?
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Won't work.. The wind would take you right off.. It isn't called "the windy city" for nothing. Try the David Foster Wallace story (another deceased former Illinoisan) "Mr. Fudgy."
Great job (Score:2)
Misleading news headline (Score:1)
Neural interface? (Score:3)
I'm curious as to how the neural interface works. The CNN article was pretty vague (saying something like "He thinks it and it moves"). I imagine there is a lot more to it than that. Most interfaces I've seen in the past that called themselves a "neural interface" were actually just glorified physical interfaces (controlled by twitching muscles in the upper limb or something like that). Is this thing actually connected to his brain, or at least to his nervous system?
Re:Neural interface? (Score:4, Interesting)
The idea here is that you take all the nerves that would go to the amputated limb, and reroute them to some other muscle group. Then you hook your sensors up to the new muscle group and move the limb based on how that muscle twitches. But, since the nerves have been rewired, you don't have to think about twitching your thigh to move your calf, you just try to move your calf and the prosthetic responds intuitively.
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The great thing about it is that there is no direct neural interface with electrodes in the muscle. Because anything foreign in the body tends to be corroded over time by the immune system. Dr. Kuiken gave a presentation on his technique at last years CHF festival in Chicago. The idea is for the nerves to fire and to be detected by sensors placed on the skin on order to move. I expect the good doc to perfect a "Hechatonchires" full body prothesis any decade now. Appleseed, here we come.
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Dr Kuiken has also done a lot of work with targetted sensory reinervation - neat, neat stuff.
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The what tower? (Score:2)
Who's Willis?
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And what is he talkin' 'bout?
A shoe question? (Score:3, Interesting)
Great job man! I was there this weekend too and saw you at the top. I had a question actually about the shoe you use on your other leg. It had a huge sole (looked a lot like a Hoka brand trail shoe). Is that what you wear normally or did you specifically wear that for the stair climb?
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You know this how?
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As someone who has a friend who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and now has a prosthesis, and another friend with a nonfunctional arm from the same cause, I find your comment highly offensive.
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Idiots can't help being idiots. Nobody's perfect.
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Yes but that's not the point. The point is that, while some people do lose limbs to legit motorcycle accidents and other legit crap (including crap like momentary non-routine distraction), a lot of people are just morons that only survive on the grace of being too stupid to get their head into position to be taken off. Regardless, people who know folks who get injured will empathize and find offense at the concept of anyone getting injured in a similar way because they're a moron--regardless of whether or
What did you expect? (Score:2)
Insurance is a share in a risk pool. Yes, you pay for stupid self-destruction sometimes. If you don't like that, you should find someone who won't insure morons, and sign up with them.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in presuming you would qualify for such.
If you think of this in comparison to other medical treatments, while it may not be an outpatient procedure, you can probably expect to be healed relatively quickly. Contrast this with cancer or some other long-term illness. Sure, the robotics might
Thanks, Slashdot. (Score:1)
No, sir, thank you.
I have a daughter and try all the time to convey the idea that the world does not exist for us to grab the opportunities; on the contrary, we live in a continuum, being helped and helping (and the latter is the hard part to get, it seems).
Now you go, amidst a tragedy, and choose to help them make the lives of others better. I want to see my daughter explain the logic of someone screwed making the world a better place.
Perhaps one does not need legs to walk, just higher ideals.
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Todd Kuiken MD. is a Genius. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd say you have Dr. Kuiken and the bionic research group at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to Thank. Dr. Kuiken is the best. Period. You can read all about him and his team at www.ric.org. Try not to slashdot em. They are doing some of the most exciting bionic and prosthetic reseach. My ambition is to work for Dr. Kuiken some day.
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He's like the Steve Wozniak of prosthetics.. He's going head to head with Dean Kamen and Deka Labs to build the first humeral prosthetic arm designed specifically to fit a woman.
Terrific story, congratulations!!! (Score:2)
"Stuff that matters" has never been more true! I applaud your nerve in innovating with this prosthetic device, as well as your accomplishment!
And I have to ask: when you were climbing, did your leg make the ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta sound like Steve Austin's did in the 6 Million Dollar Man show? :-)
53 minutes.. (Score:2)
5 + 3 = 8. Beauitful underlying symmetry. Somebody better call Astrid Farnsworth at FRINGE Division. We have a potential anomaly at the Tower! Immediate evac and search.
Congratulations (Score:1)
Well done! (Score:2)
I once walked down from about the half way point and my legs were sore for three days. Making it to the top is an accomplishment that no one can ever take away.
Downstairs (Score:2)
Bonus, it will work when you are elderly! (Score:2)
Due to back and shoulder problems my right arm may be near useless when I'm about seventy....BUT....technology may make "amputate and replace with appropriate rewiring" a DESIRABLE option by then.
Some injured G.I.s already opt to have their damaged limbs removed then move on (literally) using prosthetics.