99% Invisible The Lows of High Tech
Jul 27, 2021
Todd Rose, Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education program at Harvard, delves into the concept of averages and their impact on design and technology. He highlights Britt Young's experience with high-tech prosthetics, revealing the emotional complexities and challenges users face. The discussion critiques how societal pressures and military innovations shape our understanding of assistive technologies. Rose advocates for inclusivity in design, emphasizing the need to rethink what 'average' means to accommodate diverse needs and foster a more equitable future.
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Britt's Arm Party
- Britt Young, a geographer and tech writer, threw a party to celebrate her new bionic hand.
- The party had arm-themed cocktails, games, and even a cake cutting with the new hand.
Prosthetics and Military
- Prosthetic advancements are tied to military history, with major leaps after the Civil War and WWII.
- Government funding and industry growth spurred innovation, but creating a functional artificial hand remained a challenge.
Britt's Early Myoelectric Experience
- Britt Young received a myoelectric hand in the early 1990s, becoming one of the youngest users.
- It could only pinch, offering limited functionality and eventually leading her to switch to passive prosthetics.
