Augmented

Follow the dramatic personal journey of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At age 17, Herr’s legs were amputated after a climbing accident. Frustrated by the crude prosthetic limbs he was given, Herr set out to remedy their design, leading him to a career as an inventor of innovative prosthetic devices.

Climbers Hugh Herr and Jeff Batzer recount an experience that led to them needing limb amputations.

"If we think about bionic limbs as more of a therapy, as treatment," a bioethicist told NOVA, "then we can start to take away some of the disparate access to artificial limbs that are very technologically advanced."

Typical amputation processes don't take into account our ability to sense the world around us. Now, a team of researchers and doctors is working to address this problem.