How my Legs Gave me Super Powers

Posted 7 Apr 2009 at 18:35 UTC by steve

In a recent robot roundup we mentioned an IEET essay on the ethics of designer prosthetics becoming a fashion statement. That article mentioned the example of Aimee Mullins, double-amputee and cyborg athlete. A reader pointed us to an interesting talk Aimee Mullins gave on the aesthetics of her prosthetics at the TED conference. She shows off a few of her legs including the life-like legs she uses for modeling, legs that give her an extra 6 inches of height, artistic legs that look like sculptures, polyurethane see-through legs and high-tech legs made of metal and carbon-fiber composites that give her extra speed in athletic competitions. Best line of the talk: Pamela Anderson has more prosthetics than I do and nobody calls her disabled.