Bionic Limbs Blur the Lines of Disability

The Takeaway | Mar 7, 2014

Everyone has something they'd like to change about their bodies. At the same time, science and medicine keep breaking new ground in improving how human bodies function.

A new, award-winning documentary, "Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement," looks at the way in which new technology can improve the lives of those with disabilities. The Takeaway's own John Hockenberry took part in the film, as a long-time advocate of the disability rights movement.

And as you learn in the film, these disabilities can often become super strengths. Take Hugh Herr, director of MIT's Biomechatronics Lab and avid mountain climber, for example. He says he now climbs at a more advanced level with prosthetic limbs than he did before his legs were amputated.

Regan Brashear, producer and director of "Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement," sits down with The Takeaway to discuss her film and how these technological developments allow us to push our bodies beyond their limits.

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