Next Step
　　Herr had never been much interested in school. His goal was to be the best mountain climber in the world. He had no interest in even going to college.
　　Inspired by his accident,/Herr decided to attend college,/where he enrolled in math and science courses. He even earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering/at MIT in 1993,/followed by a Ph.D. at Harvard in biophysics. Since then,/Herr has produced a string of breakthrough products,/starting with a computer-controlled artificial knee in 2003. In 2004,/he created the biomechatronics group at MIT,/a now 40-person R&D lab/drawing on the fields of biology,/mechanics,/and electronics/to restore function to those who have lost it.
　　In 2007,/the team produced powered bionic limbs/that allow an amputee/to walk with speed and effort/comparable to people with biological legs. The ankle system is manufactured/by a private company Herr started.
　　In 2016,/Herr advanced another of his lab’s goals:/to improve human performance/“beyond what nature intends”/by creating an innovative device/that saves energy when you are walking. The implications are vast/for people who want to get to places faster,/or people who want to conserve energy on a long walk.
　　In the near future,/Herr and his colleagues at the MIT center/are committed to treating paralysis/caused by damage to the spinal cord. Herr’s goal is to develop a synthetic spinal cord/that aids the original.
　　Herr sees a future/where technology not only helps eliminate disability/but also increases human potential. He believes his research will extend far beyond limb replacement/and will fundamentally redefine what it means to be human.