Bionics Center Researchers
The K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics is led by Hugh Herr, a professor of media arts and sciences at MIT’s Media Lab, and Ed Boyden, the Y. Eva Tan Professor of Neurotechnology at MIT and an investigator at MIT’s McGovern Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A double amputee himself, Herr is a pioneer in the development of bionic limbs to improve mobility for those with physical disabilities.
Boyden, who is a renowned creator of tools to analyze and control the brain, plays a key role in merging bionics technologies with the nervous system.
Together, Herr and Boyden conduct research at the bionics center with three other MIT faculty: Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Canan Dagdeviren, Walter A. Rosenblith Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Nancy Kanwisher, and David H. Koch (1962) Institute Professor Robert Langer. They work closely with three clinical collaborators at Harvard Medical School: orthopedic surgeon Marco Ferrone, plastic surgeon Matthew Carty, and Nancy Oriol, Faculty Associate Dean for Community Engagement in Medical Education.
To support ongoing efforts to move toward a future without disability, the center also provides four endowed fellowships for MIT graduate students working in bionics or other research areas focused on improving the lives of individuals who experience disability.
Center Co-Leaders
Ed Boyden is the Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT and a renowned creator of tools to analyze and control the brain.
Hugh Herr is an MIT Media Lab professor and a pioneer in the development of bionic limbs to improve mobility for those with physical disabilities.
Center Faculty
Robert Langer is pioneering the creation of nanowire scaffold interfaces that promote spinal cord regeneration.
Deblina Sarkar is developing nanoelectronic devices for wireless interfacing with the nervous system.
Amos Winter works on high-performance, low-cost prosthetic limbs that can meet the requirements of users in low-income countries and provide high-value, customized solutions for users in wealthy countries.
K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics Graduate Fellows
Junqing Qiao
Graduate Fellow, Herr Lab
Junqing Qiao is developing a real-time muscle-tendon stiffness sensor for the exoskeleton application.
Duncan Lee
Graduate Fellow, Herr Lab
Duncan Lee studies how understanding the biomechanics of people with lower limb amputation can inform better design of prosthetic ankle-foot devices, enabling improved mobility and quality of life outcomes.