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
Canan Dagdeviren is developing implants for mechanical and electrical sensing of tissue dynamics and artificial proprioceptive interfaces to measure muscle movement.
Nancy Kanwisher is using brain imaging to evaluate the impact of bi-directional neural interfacing on central-brain remodeling and prosthetic embodiment.
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.
Other Sponsored Researchers
Nick Barry
Graduate Fellow, Boyden Lab
Nick Barry is developing a platform for ultra-high-throughput library-on-library screening of designed proteins with potential applications in antibody maturation, immunogenicity prediction, enzyme engineering, viral escape prediction, and proteomics.
Tsung-Han Robin Hsieh
Graduate Fellow, Herr Lab
Tsung-Han Robin Hsieh is developing a neurally-controlled ankle-foot prosthesis that mimics natural biomechanics, offering enhanced mobility and comfort to people with amputation.