Zac Vawter became the first person to ever to complete a task while wearing a prosthetic limb controlled by his mind.
Vawter climbed 103 floors in Chicago’s Willis Tower on Sunday. He lost his leg in a motor cycle accident. The climb was for a charity event called “SkyRise Chicago” hosted by his rehabilitation center, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, according to Yahoo.
The leg responds to electrical impulses from the muscles in his hamstring. The motors, belts, and chains in his leg synchronized with his ankle and knee when he would think about climbing.
“Everything went great,” said Vawter. “The prosthetic leg did its part, and I did my part.”
The limb weighs 10 pounds and had two motors.
According to CNN, it took him 53 minutes and 9 seconds to reach the SkyDeck Chicago.
He had always been a runner and in college he ran in the 800, 3,000, and 5,000 meter races in the cross-country events.
There were nearly 3,000 people who completed the climb and about $1 million dollars was raised for the rehab center.
Senator Mark Kirk also participated in the event, since he has been with the center since his stoke in January. He completed 37 flights of stairs in about an hour.
Kirk said, “However bad it looks, if you or a loved one has suffered a debilitating stroke, you could be climbing the tower one day with us. Don’t give up!”
