Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

David Moinina Sengeh: The sore problem of prosthetic limbs

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour Friction.

Decades ago, a civil war in Sierra Leone left thousands as amputees. Researcher and current Education Minister David Moinina Sengeh set out to help them with a more comfortable socket for prostheses.

About David Moinina Sengeh

David Moinina Sengeh is a biomechatronics engineer and the current Minister of Education and Chief Innovation Officer in his home country of Sierra Leone.

He pioneered a new system for creating prosthetic sockets, which fit a prosthetic leg onto a patient's residual limb. Using multiple technologies, Sengeh created sockets that are far more comfortable than traditional ones, and can be produced cheaply and quickly.

In 2014, he was named one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in Technology. He was previously a research assistant at the MIT Media Lab and a research scientist at IBM. He is the author of Radical Inclusion: Seven Steps Toward Creating a More Just Society.

Sengeh earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his master's and doctorate degrees from MIT.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and edited by James Delahoussaye and Rachel Faulkner. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Matthew Cloutier is a producer for TED Radio Hour. While at the show, he has focused on stories about science and the natural world, ranging from operating Mars rovers to exploring Antarctica's hidden life. He has also pitched these kinds of episodes, including "Through The Looking Glass" and "Migration."
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Rachel Faulkner is a producer and editor for TED Radio Hour.