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'A tech revolution for disabled people'By Burke Snyder for CNN  Burke Snyder: "My life has been greatly improved due to technology." READ MORE STORIES
LIFE-CHANGING TECH
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBurke "Burko" Snyder had his left foot amputated when he was three years old. Now 46, he has used artificial legs and wheelchairs for most of his life, and has seen huge technological advancements in both. Here is his story: My life has been greatly improved due to technology. I was born with a birth defect whereby my left femur, or thighbone, did not form properly. By the time I was three years old, it was three inches shorter than my right leg, and doctors said that, when I became fully grown, it would be half the size of what it was meant to be. Because of this it could not be corrected with a lift on the bottom of my shoe, so my foot was amputated. The first artificial leg I had was literally a wooden leg. Those who make the legs, would literally get a chunk of wood and carve it out and add hinges. I would walk on these legs until they broke or until I grew out of them. They were constantly breaking because I was a very active child. Back in the 1960s, prosthetics was in its infancy compared to what it is today. I played football, I wrestled without my leg and I did cross-country skiing. There was lots of other surgery after the first operation, and with each operation, it usually meant I would need a new leg. Eventually, they removed my knee because it only ended up inside the artificial leg anyway and wasn't doing anything. As the development of the limbs came along and the materials used became more exotic, the artificial "knees" went from being hinges on the outside of the leg to being incorporated inside to make them more lifelike. It also gave more control over movement of the knee. Previously, if my artificial knee bent there was nothing to stop me falling to the ground. Then along came hydraulic and pneumatic knee control units whereby the components were controlled using oil and air respectively. These allowed for a more natural movement, like a normal gait. The legs have also become stronger and lighter over time. My first legs weighed about 25lb -- my current model weighs 7lb. And instead of having everything being handmade, I can now get things by the part. It means that when I have maintenance done, I don't have to be without my whole leg -- I can get "loaner" parts. Computer technology is increasingly playing a role in changing the art of prosthetics. Previously, they would take a plaster cast mould of my stump to get the exact size and shape. Now a computer scans it three dimensionally and puts together the measurements from that. It's very accurate. Nearly two years ago, I was mowing the lawn and my artificial knee buckled so I had to get a new leg. I've only had my "c-leg" -- or computerized leg -- for six months or so, but it is much more advanced than any I've ever had. With most artificial legs, the person has to keep their leg straight when they walk, which means they walk with a limp. My c-leg bends five to 10 degrees, so I have a more normal gait. I can also walk up and down slopes with a normal stride. Before, I would have to side step up or down any kind of ramp or hill. The way in which the socket is made to fit my stump is much better than before, due to computer software and imaging. I can now play ice hockey, which I couldn't do before. I can push off and the leg actually holds my weight. The technology doesn't come cheap, though. While the old style legs cost $20,000 to $25,000, the new c-legs cost much more, between $55,000 and $60,000. There's a tiny computer inside the knee socket. Hopefully though this leg will last for the rest of my life. If something wears out, just that part will get replaced and I will survive with loaner parts. I've spent lots of time in wheelchairs for different reasons -- I play basketball in my wheelchair. I've hurt my good leg many times. Chairs have gone through the same metamorphism. The chair I have at home weighs just 7lb, so it has been a tech revolution for the disabled. My 16-year-old nephew has recently become a paraplegic so I am watching him go through a lot of what I went through as a youngster, learning to walk again. But things have changed. The doctors have told him they will not rule out him waking again in his lifetime. With such advances in medical technology, you just don't know what will be possible in the future. 
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