As the science develops, it’s not only disabled athletes who will reap the benefits of such devices. Herr foresees the potential “wearable robot” leading to a new sport called “power running” and helping people be active in various ways.
“Imagine this storyboard,” Herr said. “I’m 70 years old and my grandchild is 18. We say ‘let’s go jogging together’ but the 18-year-old routinely runs 10 miles a day and I can’t do that. So I strap on the robot and we have a great time together.”Type or paste a note
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“Sport becomes a concern because then we wonder what they are doing,” said Shawn Klein, an associate professor of sports ethics at Rockford College. “In the case of Oscar, the authoritative question is ‘Does what he’s doing on those blades count as running?’ Looking into the future, does pitching with some sort of device in one’s arm that allows him to throw more innings count as pitching? I think there ought to be a presumption of liberty until it can be conclusively shown that some device or gene doping pose a danger to the athletes or undermine the nature of the game itself.”