Bionics specialist Hugh Herr honored with Spain’s Asturias prize

U.S. mechanical engineer and biophysicist Hugh Herr was proclaimed here Wednesday as the winner of the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research.

Herr, an avid mountaineer who lost both his legs below the knee at the age of 17 after suffering severe frostbite during a climb, has devoted his efforts to developing sophisticated prostheses to enable people with similar injuries to retain as much mobility as possible.

The 51yearold head of the Biomechatronic Group at the MIT Media Lab continues to climb mountains thanks to a pair of prosthetic legs he designed for himself.

“Herr’s pioneering research in biomechatronics, combining artificial intelligence, neurophysiology and robotics, has resulted in a new class of ‘smart’ bionic prostheses that can be controlled by the brain,” the award jury said in a statement.

His story has inspired a book, “Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr” (1991) and a film, “Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr,” made in 2002.

Herr’s “contributions are accelerating manmachine integration, which will allow improving the quality of life of millions of people,” the award jury in Oviedo said.

Established in 1981 as the Prince of Asturias prizes and presented in eight categories, the awards are regarded as the IberoAmerican world’s equivalent of the Nobels.

Along with 50,000 euros (about $56,000) and a statuette based on a sculpture by Joan Miro, each winner receives a diploma and an insignia bearing the Princess of Asturias Foundation’s coat of arms.

The honors were originally conferred on behalf of Spain’s thenCrown Prince Felipe.

With his elevation in 2014 following the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos, the prizes now bear the title Princess of Asturias, referring to Leonor, oldest child of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and the new heir to the throne.