David Sengeh: The sore problem of prosthetic limbs

翻译人员: Zhiting Chen 校对人员: Geoff Chen

I was born and raised in Sierra Leone,

我在塞拉利昂出生长大，

a small and very beautiful country

这是一个小而美丽的国家

in West Africa,

位于非洲的西部，

a country rich both in physical resources

这里有丰富的物产资源

and creative talent.

和富有创造力的人才。

However, Sierra Leone is infamous

然而，令塞拉利昂声名狼藉的

for a decade-long rebel war in the '90s

是 90 年代那场 长达 10 年的叛乱战争，

when entire villages were burnt down.

在那次战乱中， 很多村庄遭受到灭顶之灾。

An estimated 8,000 men, women and children

大约有 8000 个男人、女人和孩子

had their arms and legs amputated during this time.

在战乱中受伤，他们的手或腿被截肢。

As my family and I ran for safety

我和家人为避难而逃离了那里

when I was about 12 from one of those attacks,

当时我12岁左右，

I resolved that I would do everything I could

我下定决心，要尽我所能

to ensure that my own children

来确保我的孩子们

would not go through the same experiences we had.

不会再历经过去的经验。

They would, in fact, be part of a Sierra Leone

事实上，他们将是塞拉利昂的一员

where war and amputation

在这个国家， 战争和残害他人

were no longer a strategy for gaining power.

不再是夺取权力的策略。

As I watched people who I knew, loved ones,

当我看到我认识、关心的人们，

recover from this devastation,

从战争的废墟中恢复生气，

one thing that deeply troubled me

有一件事令我非常烦恼

was that many of the amputees in the country

那就是，国内很多被截肢者，

would not use their prostheses.

无法使用他们的假肢。

The reason, I would come to find out,

我了解到这其中的原因是，

was that their prosthetic sockets

他们的假肢接受腔

were painful because they did not fit well.

因无法与残肢适配， 而感到疼痛。

The prosthetic socket is the part

假肢接受腔是一个插孔

in which the amputee inserts their residual limb,

被截肢者将他们的残肢插入其中

and which connects to the prosthetic ankle.

假肢接受腔就和 踝关节假体连接在一起。

Even in the developed world,

即使在发达国家，

it takes a period of three weeks to often years

患者也常需要等待 三周到数年的时间

for a patient to get a comfortable socket, if ever.

才能获得一个 舒适的假肢接受腔。

Prosthetists still use conventional processes

修复学家们仍使用传统的制造方法

like molding and casting

比如用模子塑性和铸造

to create single-material prosthetic sockets.

来制作出单一材料的假肢接受腔。

Such sockets often leave intolerable amounts

这样的接受腔时常 会给病人的残肢带来

of pressure on the limbs of the patient,

难以承受的压力，

leaving them with pressure sores and blisters.

令他们感到痛苦和起水泡。

It does not matter

这和你的假体踝关节的有力程度

how powerful your prosthetic ankle is.

没有关系。

If your prosthetic socket is uncomfortable,

如果你的假肢接受腔不舒适，

you will not use your leg,

你就不会使用你的腿，

and that is just simply unacceptable in our age.

这在我们这个时代是难以接受的。

So one day, when I met professor Hugh Herr

某天，我和休·海恩教授见面，

about two and a half years ago,

那是在大约两年半前，

and he asked me if I knew how to solve this problem,

他问我是否知道 如何解决这个问题，

I said, "No, not yet,

我说，“不，还没找到解决办法呢，

but I would love to figure it out."

但我非常想解决它。”

And so, for my Ph.D. at the MIT Media Lab,

因此，我的博士研究期间， 在麻省理工学院的媒体实验室，

I designed custom prosthetic sockets

我设计了客制化的假肢接受腔

quickly and cheaply

制作过程快并且便宜

that are more comfortable

比起传统的假肢

than conventional prostheses.

更加舒适。

I used magnetic resonance imaging

我使用了磁共振成像

to capture the actual shape of the patient's anatomy,

来捕捉病人肢体解剖图 所表现的准确形状

then use finite element modeling to better predict

再用有限元建模来更好地预测出

the internal stresses and strains

正常状态下

on the normal forces,

肌体内部所受到的压力和张力，

and then create a prosthetic socket for manufacture.

据此创造出假肢接受腔送去制作。

We use a 3D printer to create

我们采用 3D 打印来制作

a multi-material prosthetic socket

一个多种材料复合的假肢接受腔

which relieves pressure where needed

它根据病人的解剖图设计

on the anatomy of the patient.

会减缓肌体所受到的压力。

In short, we're using data

简单来说，我们使用数据

to make novel sockets quickly and cheaply.

来制作新型的接受腔， 过程快速并且价格低廉。

In a recent trial we just wrapped up

最近我们在媒体实验室

at the Media Lab,

验收试验结果，

one of our patients, a U.S. veteran

我们的患者，一位美国老兵

who has been an amputee for about 20 years

他接受截肢手术已经 20 年了

and worn dozens of legs,

他装过数十种假腿，

said of one of our printed parts,

对我们打印出来的作品评论道

"It's so soft, it's like walking on pillows,

“这太柔软了，就像在枕头上行走，

and it's effing sexy."

而且它很性感。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Disability in our age

残疾，在这个时代

should not prevent anyone

不能阻挡任何人

from living meaningful lives.

过有意义的生活。

My hope and desire is that the tools and processes

我的追求和理想是， 我们研究组所开发的

we develop in our research group

工具和加工方法

can be used to bring highly functional prostheses

可以为那些有需求的人们

to those who need them.

带来高功能性的假肢。

For me, a place to begin healing the souls

对我来说，想要开始抚平 那些被战争和疾病伤害的人们

of those affected by war and disease

心灵的创伤

is by creating comfortable and affordable interfaces

就是要先为他们的身体

for their bodies.

创造出舒适并且价格低廉的接口。

Whether it's in Sierra Leone or in Boston,

无论是在塞拉利昂，还是在波士顿，

I hope this not only restores

我希望，这不仅仅是恢复

but indeed transforms their sense of human potential.

而是真正地激发他们的潜能。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢

(Applause)

（鼓掌）