Extreme Bionics: The Future of Human Ability - sxsw2018

*This is part of a series of reflective posts consisting of learnings from the various talks I attended at SXSW 2018.

Speakers:

Hugh HerrScientist at the Center For Extreme Bionics/MIT Media LabAimee MullinsActress, model, athlete, and olympian who set world records at the paralympics in 1996.Hans Georg NaedarChairman of Ottobock, a German bionics company which has been manufacturing artificiallimbs and orthopedic devices since World War 2.

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Prosthetics- How Far We’ve Come…

Hugh Herr lost both his legs to frostbite in 1982. Less than a year later, he was rock climbing again thanks to the prosthetic legs that he designed himself.I always thought that prosthetic limbs were lesser than human limbs in terms of strength, endurance and agility, partly because they weren’t directly connected to the brains and so, were harder to control and move. (to be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure of the biology behind it, and probably still am not..)But, the big revelation for me in this talk was that bionics is so advanced now that when a patient with an artificial leg moves their (artificial) ankle, they feel it in the brain….Mind. Blown.

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Legs Amputated Below the Knee? So What? Life’s still normal..No, Better than Normal

So is the case for Aimee Mullins, truly Wonder Woman in real life.She was born with a medical condition that required her to have both her legs amputated below the knee. But that didn’t stop her. She is a prolific actress (if you’ve seen Stranger Things, you’ll recognize her), model, and athlete.Fun fact- because she uses prosthetic legs, she changes them whenever she models. She showed us a picture of herself where she had artificial legs which looked just like regular human legs, and they were gorgeous, so much that her mother remarked ‘you would never have legs like those if they were your biological legs’..to which she responded,

“DNA didn’t show up for me down there so why should I show up for it?”

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A Brief History, the Road Ahead

First you had walking sticks, then came crutches, then walking frames, then wheelchairs and then prosthetic devices. But we had accomplished all of these centuries ago. The next big frontier is bionics.

‘I refuse to use the word disability. Disability denotes incompetence. Inability. Some people have different bodies.’

Herr refers to prosthetics as ‘neurological embodiments’. Neurological, because they are indeed connected to the brain. Embodiment because they are as essential a part of his body as any other.You think amputees being able to run just like the rest of us is cool? Forget that, they’ll be able to run better, says Hugh Herr.

‘In 10-15 years, paralympics will be better than Olympics. Better records. Run times. Jumps. All of that. Because olympics is just a celebration of normal human boring bodies.’

If you’re designing a limb that can communicate with the brain just like ‘normal’ human limbs do, it means that the brain adapts to new muscles which are essentially attached to the body. It also means that if the limb is being designed externally, then why not make it better, stronger, faster than the limbs we’re born with?This is what people like MIT scientist Herr are working on, and it is beyond exciting.According to Herr, we could even have wings!The idea is that if the brain can communicate with and adapt to new muscles being attached to the body, then why not attach new muscles like ones we have never had before...would the brain be able to adapt? It is still a question, of course. But one whose answer I’m dying to find out.Overall, this talk was incredibly informative and inspirational. It reminded me of the time I had watched The Amazing Spider Man as a geeky teenager. Remember Dr Connors?The scientist who wanted to create ‘a world without weakness’. I left with the same sense of awe and fascination which I had experienced when I watched those scenes in the movie. I guess I wanted to become the geeky kid on the right who solved the Decay Rate Algorithm for Dr Connors.To end, here’s one of the many inspiring and powerful quotes by Hugh Herr from the talk:

‘Can we augment humans and give them superpowers’

 This is the stuff which makes me excited about the future of human ability. About being human. About being alive in this world and in this day.

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Link to Hugh Herr’s TED talk.

Link to Aimee Mullins’ TED talk.

If you liked reading this post, do comment below. This will encourage me to write more 🙂

Donkeys vs Dogs- Strategies for Donkeys

      If I were to describe human behavior by comparing it to animals, I would pick donkey and dog. As the famous story goes, when the donkey is shown a carrot, it chases and walks towards it. That applies to many of us as well. Show us a reward and we will get to work. Others of us behave more like dogs. Now, what do dogs do that donkeys don’t? They sniff. All the time. If there is a bone in the room, they will sniff and find it. They don’t need to be shown the bone in front of them for them to go and get it, oh, no. You put the bone in the next room, they will sniff their way to it and get it.

To put things in better perspective, let’s imagine a conversation between a donkey and a dog…

Dog: Hey Donkey, why are you standing still? Why don’t you look around for carrots?

Donkey: I don’t see any carrots.

Dog: Yeah.. but why don’t you go search over there, you might find something? 

Donkey: Yeah, there is a chance that I MIGHT, but what if I don’t? Why waste time and energy when I could just stand here and relax. (relatable, anyone?)

Dog: Dude, what?! How can you be so lazy… Whatever. I’m going to search for a bone.

Donkey: Where though? Do you know where the bone is?

Dog: No, I’m just going to start searching..it usually works..If I search long enough, I usually end up finding something.

Donkey: Wow…that never works for me. Any way, good luck, I’m just going to sit here and relax.

Some people will follow their curiosity and interests without thinking about the ‘carrot’- the end result or what they may get out of it, thus exhibiting dog-like behavior. They will sniff and keep sniffing and eventually find something valuable. You know who I’m talking about. That kid in your class who stayed up till 4 am reading about quantum computing just because she was interested to know more, and ten years later, she’s in Silicon Valley inventing cutting-edge technology. Or that guy with a day job who devoted his entire weekends to making YouTube videos just because he ‘wanted to try it out’, without necessarily having a plan or vision or making any money, and five years later, he’s a Youtube Millionaire. I recently spoke with someone who runs a brilliant podcast — he doesn’t make any money out of it, he doesn’t have a vision or plan of where he wants to take it, no concrete idea of how it will help in his future career. But in addition to having another job to make ends meet, he runs this podcast, and it’s amazing.

...You get the idea. There are people like that. And then there’s me. Or, well, people like me. The donkeys. Unless we see a carrot- a clear, concrete idea of what we will get out of doing something, we will not do it.(I understand that this isn’t always the case, there are some activities that may give you intrinsic pleasure and you may do them without seeing a ‘carrot’. For example, if you like to play the guitar, you’ll play everyday, for fun. But you probably won’t quit your job, start a band, invest in professional equipment and record an album.. unless you see it going somewhere, will you?)If you’re a donkey like me, do not worry. It’s not over for us. There are several successful people who are donkeys. We just need some different strategies to get to work.

1. Write Down Your Goals

Write down your goals. Pen and paper, please. And be as specific as possible. For example, don’t just write ‘lose weight’. If you want to read everyday about a particular subject, set that as a goal. And don’t just write that you will spend half an hour everyday reading about that topic. Write down the exact number of pages/chapters/articles/books you will read everyday.

2. Look At Your Goals Everyday

Stick your goals on a wall in your room where you are forced to look at them everyday. This helps keep the motivation up.

3. Track Your Progress

At least once a week, record your progress. Now this is super-important.

You need to believe that you’re getting closer and closer to your carrot with every step you take.

I like to do it on the papers I have stuck on my wall: For example, record your weight every week. Or, if your goal is to read a certain number of books by a certain date, record the number of pages you read. Also write down what you learnt from that, and how it will help you attain your bigger goals.

4. Reward Yourself

Promise yourself a reward for attaining your goals, and be sure to reward yourself when you do. We donkeys need to have our carrots and eat them too. (See what I did there? :))

P.s.- I’m not saying it’s binary for everyone- some of us are sometimes more like dogs, other times more like donkeys.

The four steps mentioned above would help anyone and everyone, regardless of whether you’re more like a donkey or a dog. But donkeys definitely need it more.

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If you liked reading this post, do comment below. This will encourage me to write more 🙂

The Bliss of Solitude

*This post was originally published on uydmedia on November 6, 2015...

“All of humanity’s problems, stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

~ Blaise Pascal.

In today’s hyperconnected world, most of us tend to dread the thought of being alone with ourselves. We find it so hard to let go of technology and other people. In the past, people used to spend time with themselves at least in the mornings- now, we have someone to talk to even in the toilet. No, this is not a rant about how technology is taking over our lives, there are plenty of those already. What I instead want to draw your attention to, dear reader, is solitude.

First, let’s define what we mean by solitude. Sitting alone in a room checking your phone is not solitude, even if you’re reading the news. Solitude is different from being alone. Being alone is when you are with no one else. Solitude is when you are with yourself. It’s a subtle difference, but very important to understand.

But most of us never experience this kind of solitude, we are always talking and listening to people. There are so many voices which we are forced to hear. More often than not, these voices impact our decisions. ‘This guy said this job is amazing, therefore I must pursue it.’ ‘He said this professor’s class is an easy A, so it must be.’ ‘Someone else said it’s hard- what should I do?’ ‘All my friends are dating- why am I single?’ These are all thoughts which go through people’s minds. But notice one thing. They are all results of other people’s thoughts. Furthermore, people also keep providing us with unsolicited remarks of what they think of us- Someone who needs your help that day may tell you that you’re really smart. The next person may say you’re a nutcase. A salesman says you look pretty, your gym trainer says you’re really fat. This keeps happening on a daily basis. Our minds keep accumulating these often contradictory statements. That is why we find ourselves unsure of who we truly are. If there is so much noise outside from so many voices, how will we hear our inner voice?

Even the decisions we make often tend to be the results of other people’s thinking and not our own. The image we have of ourselves tends to get shaped by what other people say about us. And this keeps changing, because people are fickle, and their remarks keep changing. It’s like looking at different kinds of mirrors – none of which show you who you really are. Our true self gets enshrouded in the accumulation of all the external noise, our inner voice gets buried deep within. We must break away from all of that, even if for a little while, in order to get to know who we are. In the silence that comes with solitude, we will be able to look within and hear our inner voice. That, dear reader, is why solitude is important.

But to be in solitude is difficult. We will have to know ourselves in our nudity. We have to ask uncomfortable questions. We have to dig deep into ourselves. That is why we often start doing something when we find ourselves alone. We shy away from asking who we really are. We don’t want to go down the unexplored road. We want to keep believing in this version of ourselves which has been created by the labels of society. It has become our identity- and we do not want to strip it down. But we must. For only then will we uncover our soul. Only then will we see the real person inside us. Only then will we hear our own voices and not of the demons that have been fabricated by our minds as a result of what others have told us.

Ruth Krauss, the famous American writer, wrote “Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen.” To be in solitude, disconnect from everything and everyone, sit down, and listen. Listen to the internal noise- thoughts of the past, the future, things you had to get done, emails to be responded to, and all else. Listen to these thoughts and let them pass like clouds over a mountain. Eventually, you will find your peace, and you will be able to see the real color of the stream that flows within, and hear the voices of your soul.

By: Manan Hora

*Title inspired by William Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’

Choices

Life is queer at times. Sometimes, even though you know your goals, you end up making the wrong choices. And it may take a long time for you to realize that. For a long time, you might be disillusioned into thinking that your choice is leading you to your goal. But then, after a long time in the darkness, it suddenly hits you. That you've been lost all along. That you had made the wrong choice. Then suddenly everything seems dark. You wish you could alter that choice you made. You wish you could go back in time and make your decision all over again. But life isn't like that.

So what do you do then? initially, you feel lost for a while. But then what? Are you going to fill your days with regret, sorrow, and self pity ? Or will you try to change things? But how, you may ask. What if its not possible. What about all those external expectations from friends family and society? Will you see this as life hitting a brick at you or will you see this epiphany as an opportunity to make amends? You'll probably hear from a lot of people, "it'll all work out okay in the end. Just work hard" or if you're like me, you might cuddle into your bed, get your iPod out and get goosebumps hearing Steve jobs tell you to do what you love and discard everything else. Well, you may feel inspired for a while. But then what? You still won't know what to do? It's not that easy to suddenly change to doing things just the way you want. It just doesn't happen that easily and practice. You need direction. You need planning. Often times, because of the irreversibility of the choice you made, you may have to compromise on something. You may have to sacrifice certain things that are important to you, but less important than your real goal. I'm not going to tell you that follow your heart and everything is going to be okay. I'm no one to say that. I don't know for sure  if it will be okay. I just hope that it might be. Because that's all I have. And you need something to hold on to, something that leads you, that drives, that shows you direction. Something that enables you to feel alive for another day, that helps you go through another day. It's just this vague hope that guides you through the dark caves, the hope that soon, you will emerge out of the darkness and find light, find direction, a road-map that you had been missing all along that will lead you to your goals.

The end of a Magical Childhood

Alohomora!

 The door to the magical world of Harry Potter opened up for me when I was 8. I was tired of reading Secret Seven so my Dad got me a copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. I read through, and was immediately haunted by the magic of "the boy who lived". The craze for Harry Potter augmented, largely due to my wish to be like Harry. As a little boy, I used to craft up the world of magic in my own surroundings and be the boy I wished to be, live in the dream world of Hogwarts for a while.

 I remember daydreaming during Math class that I was practicing levitation, playing quidditch or even taking down 3 headed dogs. There are many crazy things I have done as a result of this obsession. Once, when I had gone to a railway station, I actually took the luggage and ran with the trolley and bumped into the wall, hoping there would be magical world out there, which would take me to Hogwarts. I  even remember how I used to take a broom and act as if I were flying on it. 

Though I knew I was a “muggle”,  I found many of the themes were analogous to my own life- dealing with strict teachers, friendships, relationships…

As I grew up a little, I began to draw inspiration from the books. Lily’s sacrifice for her son, Snape’s unconditional love, Harry’s courage, his faith, his perseverance and skill; these were things that touched me deeply and have stayed with me till now. So it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Harry potter, to some extent, has been responsible for shaping my personality in a decisive way. My wish to be like Harry made me inculcate his qualities into my own life. I didn’t just copy him by pretending to fly on brooms. I also tried to play his character in my own life. As children, we are very easily influenced by things, good or bad. As I look back, I can honestly say that Harry Potter has been the best influence of my childhood.

The world of Harry potter has captivated, enthralled and mesmerized my senses, like millions of others who’ve grown up with the boy wizard. There may not be that kind of magic in reality, but it has created a magic of its own across the length and breadth of the earth. With kids queuing from 5 in the morning just to get the books.  But now, it is “the end”. The end of a magical childhood. The end of a crazy obsession. The end of a daydream world. I feel really sad when I think about it. People try to comfort me by saying things like, “it’s not the end of the world”. It may not be the end of our world (I’ve heard that’s gonna happen in 2012) but it is the end of a world of spells and enchantments, of brooms and thestrals, of ghosts and elves, of wizards and witches, of death eaters and aurors, of silver-haired professors, of Harry, Ron and Hermoine. Harry potter isn’t just a series of books or movies; it’s an immortal tale of magic, good over evil, friendship, war and love. The chosen one may have died from the books and the movies but the boy who lived will live forever, in the hearts of the millions of Potter fans across the world. As he does in mine.  
-By Manan Hora, die hard Harry Potter fan