Ismael Cala
Emmy Award-Winning Journalist | Former CNN en Español Host | Bestselling Author of 18 Books | Founder, Ismael Cala Foundation | Global Expert on Leadership & Mindfulness
Hugh Herr
"Leader of the Bionic Age" — Time Magazine | MIT Professor & Co-Director, K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics | Pioneer of Brain-Controlled Prosthetics | Princess of Asturias Award Laureate
Called the "Leader of the Bionic Age" by Time, MIT's Hugh Herr lost both legs at 17 and turned personal tragedy into a scientific revolution — inventing brain-controlled prosthetics that restore sensation and movement as part of the body itself. His talks fuse one of the most extraordinary personal stories on any stage with a concrete, near-term vision of human augmentation that permanently changes how audiences think about technology and human potential.
Want to book Hugh Herr as a speaker for your event? Please provide the info below and we’ll get in touch within 24h:
Hugh Herr biography
Hugh Herr is redefining what the human body can be. A professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, co-director of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at MIT, and head of MIT’s Biomechatronics research group, Herr is the world’s leading scientist in the field where human physiology meets electromechanics — building prosthetic limbs that don’t just replicate lost function but restore sensation, nervous-system control, and full embodiment. Time magazine dubbed him the “Leader of the Bionic Age,” and his work has since more than justified the title: over 200 peer-reviewed publications and patents chronicle a body of innovation that has fundamentally advanced how medicine, engineering, and neuroscience intersect.
Science speaker Hugh Herr’s story begins with personal catastrophe. At 17, he was one of the most gifted young rock climbers in the United States. In January 1982, a winter ascent of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington went wrong: caught in a blizzard for three days, Herr suffered severe frostbite and had both legs amputated below the knee. Rather than accepting the limitations of the prosthetics available to him, he began designing custom limbs that allowed him to climb again — often more effectively than before. That act of refusal became a lifelong scientific mission. He went on to earn a master’s degree from MIT and a doctorate in biophysics from Harvard, before returning to MIT to build the laboratory that would pioneer an entirely new scientific field.
Merging the Brain with the Machine
Herr’s most transformative breakthrough is the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) — a surgical procedure invented by his group that reconnects muscle pairs during amputation, preserving the nervous system’s ability to communicate with a prosthetic limb in real time. People who receive AMI surgery can control their prosthetic with thought and feel natural sensations from it, experiencing the limb as genuinely part of their body rather than a tool attached to it. In 2024, his team published landmark research in Science demonstrating that AMI patients walk faster and navigate obstacles more naturally than those with conventional prosthetics. His group has since extended the approach to above-the-knee amputees, developing a tissue-integrated bionic knee anchored to both bone and the nervous system — covered by the Boston Globe, The Economist, the Washington Post, and Smithsonian Magazine. Herr’s accolades include the Heinz Award for Technology, the Prince Salman Award for Disability Research, the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, and the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research.
As a speaker, Hugh Herr delivers one of the most viscerally powerful experiences available on any stage today. He combines a deeply personal story of loss and reinvention with a vision of human augmentation so concrete and near-term that it transforms the way audiences think about technology, disability, resilience, and what it means to be human. His TED talks have reached tens of millions of viewers worldwide. Whether he is speaking to technology leaders, healthcare executives, innovation teams, or general audiences, Herr leaves the room with a permanently altered sense of what is possible — and what is coming.
Hugh Herr Speaking Videos
Hugh Herr - New bionics let us run, climb and dance
Hugh Herr - How we'll become cyborgs and extend human potential
Hugh Herr Keynote Topics
Hugh Herr's signature keynote — the talk that has reached tens of millions through TED and made him one of the most sought-after science communicators in the world. Drawing on his own life story and the cutting-edge research of his MIT lab, he takes audiences from the moment he lost his legs at 17 to the present frontier of brain-controlled prosthetics, neural interfaces, and the science of restoring full embodiment after limb loss. This is not a talk about overcoming disability — it is a talk about redesigning the human body, and what that means for every field that technology touches.
A deep-dive keynote for technology, healthcare, and innovation audiences. Herr introduces his concept of NeuroEmbodied Design — a methodology for creating synthetic body parts that integrate seamlessly with the human nervous system — and walks through the science behind the AMI procedure, tissue-integrated prosthetics, optogenetic muscle control, and magnetomicrometry. This session shows how the convergence of neuroscience, robotics, AI, and materials science is approaching an inflection point where reconstructed limbs will match — and ultimately exceed — biological ones in function and sensation.
A keynote for leadership, innovation, and general audiences that uses Herr's extraordinary personal journey as the lens through which to explore how constraints drive breakthrough thinking. From designing custom climbing prosthetics as a teenager to publishing landmark papers in Science, Herr shows how radical innovation almost always begins with a refusal to accept the limitations that others take for granted. This talk challenges audiences to reframe the problems in their own organizations — asking not what is impossible, but what would need to be true for it to become possible.
As bionic technology advances rapidly in wealthy research institutions, a critical question emerges: who gets access? In this keynote, Herr addresses the work his lab is doing to bring prosthetic innovation to underserved communities — including mobile 3D-printing prosthetics programs in Sierra Leone — and opens a broader conversation about the ethical, societal, and policy frameworks needed to ensure that the bionic age benefits humanity equitably. Essential for audiences in global health, corporate social responsibility, policy, and the ethics of emerging technology.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Hugh Herr
Why Hugh Herr?
Booking Hugh Herr is a choice to give your audience an experience they will never forget. There are very few speakers in the world who combine a world-class scientific career with a personal story of this magnitude — and fewer still who can make the near-term future of human augmentation feel both inevitable and profoundly moving. Herr doesn't just speak about innovation: he embodies it, literally, with every step he takes on stage on the bionic limbs his own laboratory designed. For events focused on technology, healthcare, the future of work, resilience, disability inclusion, or the boundaries of human potential, no speaker commands the room with greater authority or leaves a deeper impression. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss availability and booking.
How did Hugh Herr lose his legs?
In January 1982, at the age of 17, Hugh Herr and a climbing partner became stranded during a winter ascent of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. After three days trapped in a blizzard, both climbers suffered severe frostbite. Herr's injuries required the amputation of both legs below the knee. Rather than retreating from climbing, he responded by designing his own custom prosthetic limbs — some built specifically for different types of terrain — and returned to competitive climbing, often outperforming able-bodied peers on technical routes. That drive to engineer his way beyond limitation became the foundation of his entire scientific career.
What is the AMI procedure and why is it a breakthrough?
The Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) is a surgical technique developed by Hugh Herr's group at MIT that changes how amputations are performed. In a conventional amputation, the muscle pairs that normally work together to move a joint are severed and disconnected. The AMI procedure reconnects these muscle pairs within the residual limb, preserving their ability to communicate dynamically with one another — and with an external prosthesis. This means the wearer's nervous system can send and receive real-time signals to and from the prosthetic limb, enabling direct neural control and genuine proprioceptive sensation. Clinical studies have shown AMI patients walk faster, navigate obstacles more naturally, and report that the prosthesis feels like a genuine part of their body — a fundamental leap beyond conventional prosthetics.
What topics does science and innovation speaker Hugh Herr cover?
As a keynote speaker, Hugh Herr addresses the science and future of human augmentation and bionics; brain-machine interfaces and the merging of neuroscience with robotics; innovation through personal adversity and the power of reframing disability as a design problem; the ethical and societal implications of human enhancement technology; and what the convergence of AI, materials science, and neuroscience means for the future of medicine and the human body. His talks resonate strongly with audiences in technology, healthcare, life sciences, innovation strategy, and any sector grappling with the transformative potential — and responsibilities — of emerging biotechnology. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help tailor his engagement to your event's specific goals.
How to book Hugh Herr as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Hugh Herr as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Hugh Herr's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Hugh Herr or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Hugh Herr speaking fee?
Hugh Herr speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Hugh Herr to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Hugh Herr.
How can I contact Hugh Herr?
We only work with Hugh Herr on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Hugh Herr and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Hugh Herr speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Hugh Herr for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Hugh Herr for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Hugh Herr is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Hugh Herr for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
