The Lows of High Tech
99% Invisible27 Heinä 2021

The Lows of High Tech

Britt Young is a geographer and tech writer based in the Bay Area. She also has what's called a "congenital upper limb deficiency." In other words, she was born without the part of her arm just below her left elbow. She's used different sorts of prosthetic devices her whole life, and in 2018, she celebrated the arrival of a brand new, multi-articulating prosthetic hand. This prosthetic hand has a sleek carbon fiber casing, with specific pre-programmed grips that she can control just by flexing the muscles in her residual limb. She can use a precision pinch to pick a hairpin off of the table, or a Hulk-style power fist to squeeze objects. This kind of assistive technology has been life-changing for a lot of people who have limb differences. But for Britt, in particular, it hasn't been life-changing at all. In fact, her cutting-edge bionic arm has been a pretty major disappointment. "It's just not what you imagine. It's not like I'm like everyone else now, it's something different."

The Lows of High Tech

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.

Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(782)

Cougar Town

Cougar Town

Wildlife and urban development don’t usually go well together. Roads in particular fracture the habitats of wide-ranging animals. It restricts their movements and makes it harder for them to find food...

29 Marras 202229min

Super Citizens

Super Citizens

Los Angeles' El Peatonito is part of a subset of real life superheroes who are more focused on things like picking up trash and taking on civic issues than catching criminals in alleys.These super cit...

22 Marras 202226min

Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

When people ask me what my favorite episode of 99% Invisible is, I have a hard time answering. Not because they’re all my precious little babies or some such nonsense, but mostly it’s because I just c...

16 Marras 202245min

Train Set: Track Two

Train Set: Track Two

Funiculars are great, which is why the main image from our previous train episode featured one -- except we didn't actually talk about that one during the show. It's a cable car from Wellington, and a...

9 Marras 202232min

Articles of Interest: American Ivy

Articles of Interest: American Ivy

Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear. Host and producer Avery Trufelman investigates our collectively held beliefs about fashion and explores topics like the intellectual property law beh...

2 Marras 202237min

The Safety Bicycle

The Safety Bicycle

The basic mechanics of the bike are pretty simple --- it’s basically a triangle with wheels and a chain drive to propel it forward. No batteries or engines. It seems obvious in hindsight.... And that’...

25 Loka 202233min

Walk of Fame

Walk of Fame

Even if you haven't made the pilgrimage to Southern California, you can probably already picture what the Walk of Fame looks like. It's a 1.3 mile walkway lined with terrazzo and brass squares. Each s...

18 Loka 202247min

Vuvuzela

Vuvuzela

The vuvuzela is a two foot long injection-molded plastic horn. It only plays one note: a B flat. And it gradually became a regular feature of South African soccer. But prior to the 2010 World Cup, the...

11 Loka 202232min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
psykopodiaa-podcast
herrasmieshakkerit
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rahapuhetta
rss-rahamania
rss-lahtijat
rss-seuraava-potilas
leadcast
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
rss-40-ajatusta-aanesta
rss-porssipuhetta
rss-levosta-kasin-yrittajyys
rss-sisalto-kuntoon
rss-vaikuttavan-opettajan-vierella
rss-ma
rss-bisneksen-pehmea-puoli
rss-draivi