In the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Felix Streng, running with an artificial leg, won the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.76 seconds, only a little off the world record held by Usain Bolt, “the fastest man in the world.” How did he do that? First, Streng is a superb athlete. Next, he was running with a high-tech prosthetic leg. The earliest prosthetic we know of is a 3,000-year-old artificial toe found in an Egyptian tomb. Until the late 20th century prosthetics remained simple devices made of wood, leather, and plaster. Today, high-tech prosthetics allow amputees to surf, to dance, even to perform ballet. One of the pioneers of prosthetic research lost both legs in a climbing accident when he was 17. He was unhappy with the artificial legs he was given, so he made his own. He is now a leader in the science of prosthetics. His name is Hugh Herr. You will read all about him in this lesson.