Taste of Bionics

Working in the field of nerve regeneration has a lot in common with being an electrician, says Dr. Jennifer Ernst. She is Head of Innovative Amputation Medicine, Department of Trauma Surgery, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH). A specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Jennifer has special knowledge in modern surgical techniques such as targeted muscle rein nervation (TMR), osseointegration and Agonist-Antagonist-Myoneuronal-Interface (AMI).

In this episode of Taste of Bionics, together with Ranga, she explores the main advantages of such procedures, the current limitations and existing challenges. Where is the development in amputation medicine headed and what will the next milestones be?...

What happens when the boundary between humans and machines starts to dissolve? Dr. Connor Glass is the Founder and CEO of Phantom Neuro, a neurotechnology company building the next generation of human–machine interfaces. With a background in medicine and research at Johns Hopkins, Connor left clinical practice to tackle a deeper challenge: how humans can intuitively and seamlessly control the machines that extend their capabilities.

In this episode of Taste of Bionics, Connor talks to Ranga about developing Phantom X, a minimally invasive muscle-machine interface that enables intuitive control of prosthetic limbs and robotic devices, and how to make high-performance...

How do people react when they see someone running on blades fast – like really, really fast? Johannes Floors is a German Paralympic sprinter and double below-knee amputee who competes using high-performance prosthetic blades. He has won multiple gold medals at World Championships and Paralympic Games, including in Rio, Tokyo, and Paris. He is also a trained orthopaedic technician, works on his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and is part in Ottobock’s Research & Development department, where he contributes to advancing prosthetic technologies.

In this episode of Taste of Bionics, he talks to Ranga about what led to his decision to amputate...

Every guest is our host Ranga’s favourite guest, of course – but this conversation in particular has him on the edge of his seat: Hugh Herr is a professor at the MIT Media Lab, where he leads the Biomechatronics Group and co-directs the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics. But first of all, he is known for transferring the whole field: After losing both legs in a climbing accident in 1982, Hugh turned personal adversity into scientific innovation.

In this episode of Taste of Bionics, he talks to Ranga about developing advanced prosthetic limbs that integrate with the human nervous...