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Climbing 103 Floors On a 'Bionic' Leg

Posted by timothy on from the holy-moley! dept.

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."

35 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Good Job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Determination, Strength, and Cool Factor.

    You rock dude, I tip my hat.

    1. Re:Good Job by jhoegl · · Score: 3, Funny

      What you talkin' bout Willis.... Tower?

    2. Re:Good Job by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 2

      The tower was named after Chicago's greatest son, Wesley Willis.

    3. Re:Good Job by partyguerrilla · · Score: 5, Funny

      I could walk up those stairs and with a bionic leg it would be even easier.

      He never asked for this.

    4. Re:Good Job by jbengt · · Score: 2

      Actually, it was named for Willis Group Holdings, a leaseholder who got the naming rights in 2009.

    5. Re:Good Job by phrackwulf · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!
    6. Re:Good Job by deroby · · Score: 2

      Incredible, even Trailers are 'forbidden' outside the US ...

      --
      If there is one thing to be learned on slashdot, it has to be sarcasm.
    7. Re:Good Job by arkane1234 · · Score: 2

      He's not saying he's superman, he's saying he has capabilities of a normal human.
      Grow the fuck up.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
  2. No, by tfocker4 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thank you anonymous reader. No one could rightfully call you an anonymous coward.

  3. Congrats! by csumpi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Your courage and determination is inspiring. Wish you the best.

    1. Re:Congrats! by arkane1234 · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
  4. Congratulations! by patmandu · · Score: 2

    That must have felt good...

  5. Post 911 by Anne_Nonymous · · 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.

  6. Re:None of those stupid keyboard/computer jokes by mwvdlee · · 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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  7. Nerdy question... by Kergan · · Score: 4, 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?)

    1. Re:Nerdy question... by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 2

      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).

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    2. Re:Nerdy question... by mcgrew · · Score: 3, 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.

      --
      Free Martian Whores!
    3. Re:Nerdy question... by TubeSteak · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    4. Re:Nerdy question... by demonlapin · · Score: 2

      Slightly off topic, but how good is the current generation of lenses? I'm really, really eager for this to work. I'm 37 and a severe myopic (-11 in contacts, -13.5 in glasses, in case you're wondering). Screw LASIK, I'm planning to get lens implants that correct me to 20/20 and give me youthful vision forever, probably whenever my inability to focus close starts to be really annoying. Right now I can get as close as about six inches, so it really hasn't started to affect my day to day life... but within fifteen years I'm definitely going to be in the market for these.

  8. Thanks to you sir! by jenningsthecat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's wonderful to read such a positive and inspiring story. Bravo!

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  9. Enhanced robotics training by foniksonik · · 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.

    --
    A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    1. Re:Enhanced robotics training by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    2. Re:Enhanced robotics training by mcgrew · · Score: 3, 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.

      --
      Free Martian Whores!
    3. Re:Enhanced robotics training by phrackwulf · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!
    4. Re:Enhanced robotics training by NEDHead · · Score: 4, Funny

      Fortunately for you, there is ongoing work underway on a prosthetic sense of humor.

  10. Congratulations! by johncalvinyoung · · Score: 3

    Saw an article about your planned attempt yesterday, happy to see it went well. Congratulations on a serious dose of grit and perseverance. Sorry to hear that it's not yet marketable--any clue how long? Not an amputee myself, but immense respect and sympathy for you guys...

  11. misleading news headline by Anonymous Coward · · 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?

  12. Great job by Pedestrianwolf · · Score: 2

    This is the best news I've read in a while. Congrats dude. I'm guessing we all know where you now stand in the future eugenics vs cybernetics debate.

  13. Neural interface? by crazyjj · · Score: 2

    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?

    --
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    1. Re:Neural interface? by MozeeToby · · Score: 3, 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.

    2. Re:Neural interface? by phrackwulf · · Score: 2

      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.

      --
      What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!
  14. A shoe question? by Anonymous Coward · · 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?

  15. Re:Missing from Summery by tverbeek · · Score: 2

    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.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  16. Zac Vawter by davidwr · · 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.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  17. Todd Kuiken MD. is a Genius. by phrackwulf · · Score: 3, 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.

     

    --
    What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!