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interfaces, mean we will of position and movement) Leoneans in dire need. overjoyed that this pilot Institute Professor Robert
soon have the capability from bionic limbs. project will give Sierra Langer. They will work
to offer entirely new “The mobile prosthetics Leoneans (especially in closely with three clinical
strategies for individuals A fourth priority will be service fueled by the rural areas) access to collaborators at Harvard
who experience disability. developing a mobile Medical School: Marco
It is an honor to be part delivery system to ensure Ferrone, an orthopedic
of the center’s founding patients in medically surgeon; Matthew Carty, a
team.” underserved communities plastic surgeon; and Nancy
have access to prosthetic Oriol, Faculty Associate
CENTER PRIORITIES limb services. Investigators Dean for Community
will field-test a system Engagement in Medical
In its first four years, that uses a mobile clinic Education.
the K. Lisa Yang Center to conduct the medical
for Bionics will focus on imaging needed to design “Lisa Yang and I share
developing and testing personalized, comfortable a vision for a future in
three bionic technologies: prosthetic limbs and which each and every
to fit the prostheses to person in the world has
digital nervous system, patients where they live. the right to live without
to eliminate movement Investigators plan to a debilitating disability if
disorders caused by initially bring this mobile they so choose,” adds Herr.
spinal cord injuries using delivery system to Sierra “The Yang Center will be
computer-controlled Leone, where thousands a potent catalyst for true
muscle activations to of people suffered innovation and impact in
regulate limb movements amputations during the K. Lisa Yang Center quality limb prostheses and the bionics space, and I
while simultaneously country’s 11-year civil war. for Bionics at MIT is an thus improve their quality am overjoyed to work with
stimulating spinal cord While the population of innovative solution to a of life.” my colleagues at MIT, and
repair; brain-controlled persons with amputation global problem,” says Julius our accomplished clinical
limb exoskeletons, to continues to increase Maada Bio, president of Together, Herr and Boyden partners at Harvard, to
assist weak muscles and each year in Sierra Sierra Leone. “I am proud will launch research at make important steps
enable natural movement Leone, today less than 10 that Sierra Leone will be the bionics center with forward to help realize this
for people affected by percent of persons in need the first site for deploying three other MIT faculty: vision.”
stroke or musculoskeletal benefit from functional this state-of-the-art digital assistant professor of
disorders; and bionic limb prostheses. Through the design and fabrication media arts and sciences _________________________
reconstruction, to restore mobile delivery system, process. As leader of a Canan Dagdeviren, Walter https://news.mit.edu/2021/
natural, brain-controlled a key center objective is government that promotes A. Rosenblith Professor of new-bionics-center-
movements as well as the to scale up production innovative technologies Cognitive Neuroscience established-mit-24-million-
sensation of touch and and access of functional and prioritizes human Nancy Kanwisher, and gift-0923
proprioception (awareness limb prostheses for Sierra capital development, I am David H. Koch (1962)