Bionics in Reach

On Removable Limbs, Fairness & Upgrades

One of the most vivid pictures from my childhood is the disturbing ink drawing of Princess Langwidere from Ozma of Oz, who had a wardrobe of thirty heads, which she changed daily. In real life, Aimee Mullins can also change an appendage, two to be exact. A model, actress, and Paralympic athlete who became a double-leg amputee when she was just a year old, Mullins now owns a dozen pairs of prosthetic legs in a variety of designs, enabling her to choose her height, ranging from 5'8"to 6'1".

Prosthetic legs illustrate how therapeutic technologies have the potential to enhance or augment the human body. Thanks to technology, the old wooden leg has been replaced with a...