I am always surprised about the pace of scientific change. Not that I should be; many technologies that I think are just the work of imaginative science fiction writers are worked on just down the hall from my office. And yet, even after all of these surprises I still can't help but be amazed by the pace of technological announcement.
Take this weekend for example. I was attending the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting here in Boston, MA I saw a gaggle of reporters (I don't think gaggle is the proper word here, but they squawk like geese and turn their heads around so often that I think I will lump them together as geese) attending a session. Now these conferences are usually attending by experts in their fields who, while exciting for the few of us who understand their contributions to science, seldom draw a large crowd. So I stopped and listen to their talk.
This team of doctors and robotics specialists were announcing their bold new plan to implant the next generation of prosthetic limbs: not just limbs that could move and be controlled by humans, which I thought was exciting enough, but ones that could provide feedback to the human and allow them to feel what their robotic hand was grasping. What an amazing leap forward!
These are the types of discoveries that inspire me to move forward in my research here at MIT. Each scientists is passionately dedicated to their chosen field, and can make an incredible difference in the lives of people around the world. I hope these discoveries will also motivate you over the next few months together, understanding that these scientists, like all of the others making a difference in the world today, began their career in a classroom just like yours.
Read More at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57570080-76/man-to-get-first-bionic-hand-that-can-feel/
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