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Bionics Expert to Discuss Ending Disability
ATEC Lecture Series Resumes Wednesday with MIT Media Lab Professor

Hugh Herr

Hugh Herr, who designed his own bionic legs, is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that increase mobility and offer new hope to people with physical disabilities.

Bionics expert Hugh Herr will speak Wednesday at the next talk in the 2015 Arts and Technology Distinguished Lecture Series.

Herr, an associate professor who heads the biomechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab, is creating bionic limbs that match the function of natural limbs. In 2011, Time magazine called him the “Leader of the Bionic Age” because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of biomechatronics, a technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics.

Hugh Herr is a leader in the field of prosthetic and bionics research. His visit promises to be exciting as he will see the ongoing work coming from UT Dallas faculty and students, and as we learn more about his important work.

Dr. Robert D. Gregg,
assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Locomotor Control Systems Lab at UT Dallas

His talk, presented by Ericsson, is titled “Extreme Bionics: The End of Disability.”

“Hugh Herr is a leader in the field of prosthetic and bionics research. His visit promises to be exciting as he will see the ongoing work coming from UT Dallas faculty and students, and as we learn more about his important work,” said Dr. Robert D. Gregg, who is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Locomotor Control Systems Lab at UT Dallas.

Herr, who is a double amputee, is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that increase mobility and offer new hope to people with physical disabilities. Herr’s research group has developed gait-adaptive knee prostheses for amputees and exoskeletons for patients with drop foot, a condition caused by stroke, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.

Herr also designed his own bionic legs, and the world’s first bionic foot and calf system called the BiOM. His computer-controlled knee was named one of Time’s “Top Ten Inventions” in 2004, and his robotic ankle-foot prosthesis made the same list in 2007.

Herr’s story has been told in the biography Second Ascent, The Story of Hugh Herr and in a 2002 National Geographic film Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr. He has also been featured on CNN and in The Economist, Discover and Nature.

The lecture series, presented by The Dallas Morning News, is held in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, which houses programs that explore topics at the intersection of arts and technology.The final speakers in the series are:

April 28, 7:30 p.m.Presented by the Ann and Jack Graves Charitable Foundation

Tony and Jonna Mendez, former CIA officers

Tickets and Parking

Prices vary between $10 and $20 for seats in the lower level of the Edith O'Donnell ATEC Buildings lecture hall. Tickets for balcony seats are $5.

Staff and faculty members can purchase up to four tickets for each lecture that will be discounted by $5. Emails were sent to staff and faculty with a discount code. The discount only applies to assigned seats in the $10-to-$20 range.

If seats are still available, free standby tickets will be distributed to students with a valid Comet Card beginning one hour before the lecture. First come, first served. One ticket per student. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here using a desktop or laptop computer. For information about parking and valet service, click here.

Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].

Tagged: A&H ECS