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MILES O'BRIEN: You might say Craig Hutto is part bionic man. In 2005, doctors amputated his leg
above the knee after a shark attacked him along the Florida Gulf Coast.
CRAIG HUTTO: I was 16 years old. And when my brother heard me yell, What was that, and saw
something take me under, he saw the back fin of the shark. I mean, there was just so much tissue damage
and so much flesh gone that it was just irreparable.
MILES O'BRIEN: Two years later, and game for a challenge, Hutto became the first test pilot for a
unique and powerful new prosthetic leg developed by mechanical engineer, Michael Goldfarb, and his team
at Vanderbilt University. The effort was kick started by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
MICHAEL GOLDFARB: We were able to develop an early prototype that demonstrated that you could have
a leg that was light enough, and could deliver biomechanical levels of torque and power.
MILES O'BRIEN: Version 1.0 evolved into a more streamlined 2.0. Computer-controlled with
advanced range of motion in the joints.
MICHAEL GOLDFARB: This is a battery that powers everything. You have a motor here that drives a
knee joint, motor here that drives the ankle joint. This is the whole computer board that essentially
tells the motors what to do with the joints.
BRIAN LAWSON: It has the computing capability onboard to work synergistically with the
user to provide the torque at the right time.
MILES O'BRIEN: It's designed to respond to cues from the wearer.
CRAIG HUTTO: Right before I go to stair ascent, I kind of kick my thigh back just a little
bit. And just that little movement tells it, hey, you're about to walk up the stairs.
MILES O'BRIEN: To reduce the risk of injury, Goldfarb's team has intentionally programmed a slight
delay into the leg's computer. Hutto confirms it takes less effort to walk, compared to the prosthetic he
wears on a daily basis.
CRAIG HUTTO: With my leg it is harder because it's always a step behind me.
MILES O'BRIEN: Goldfarb says after years of work, they have sold their technology to a major
prosthetic manufacturer.
MICHAEL GOLDFARB: We'll know in the next two years if these are going to really gain a lot of
traction in the market.
MILES O'BRIEN: And Hutto, who is now studying to be a nurse, is looking forward to one day
soon walking tall on a bionic leg that he helped make a reality. For Science Nation, I'm Miles O'Brien.