Backstage before my TEDx Talk on the triple bottom line, in Sonoma County, California, I was a nervous wreck, rehearsing repeatedly and feeling anxious about getting my message across coherently. Thankfully, Henry Evans was there with me rehearsing his talk too. Henry really put me at ease, cracking jokes and reminding me that I had things under control. He coaxed me over a screen, physically more than 100 miles away in Los Altos, California, but he really had his arms around me.
Henry, who is quadriplegic and mute, suffered a stroke-like attack in 2002 and has been bedridden ever since, only able to move his eyes and head. He's able to communicate with a head-tracking device that types what he's thinking and a speaking device which then reads what's written. And even over a screen with limited physical range of motion, Henry is highly emotive, someone whose warmth radiates off of them.
Despite his physical limitations, Henry is changing the world, working tirelessly on various robotics technologies with researchers like Georgia Tech's Charlie Kemp, who level the playing field for people with disabilities through the project Robots for Humanity. He's also hoping to enact policy changes that would allow disabled people to work thanks to telepresence, which he outlined in his Sonoma County TEDx Talk, setting new goals for the Americans with Disabilities Act. A truly exceptional person who's full of life and curiosity, Henry loves to joke around, learn and travel.
In fact, Henry has traveled all over the world, including Qusar, Azerbaijan; Sydney, Australia; Bora Bora in French Polynesia and to all of his favorite museums across the United States. He'd eventually like to go to space. I have no doubt that if anyone's going to do it, it's going to be Henry! He does all of this with several technologies: drones, virtual reality headsets, and most notably, with a technology called BeamPro, which marries high-end video, audio and the freedom of motion to move about a space.
On the day of the TEDx Talk, there came a point when I forgot he wasn't physically next to me, as we joked about taking shots of whiskey (his favorite drink) and made jokes. I'll never forget how he made me feel that day and what an inspiration he serves for everyone in the tech world. Through robotics and other assistive technologies, quadriplegics have the potential to work, travel and live life just like anyone else does.
Henry's story and BeamPro is just one example of how technology can truly change and save lives. And there are many other technologies that are giving severely disabled people another shot at life, such as the car Dennis Hong is building for the blind and this robotic arm, which marks an amazing reinvention of prosthetics. It can even save the lives of our kids, UNICEF created a fitness band that can prevent severe acute malnutrition, which affects some 50 million annually, or the Dell Rugged devices that first-responder organizations like Team Rubicon use.
The list goes on and on, but the point is that when we think about technology this holiday season, we need to be thinking beyond our next tablet, smartphone and laptop purchase. Let's think about mind-blowing technologies that are really saving and improving life for people who need it most.
What are some truly amazing technologies that are changing the world in your perspective? Sound off in the comments.