The Growing Possibility of a Real 6 Million Dollar Man

Prosthetics have made dramatic improvements, even as they raise some strange possibilities

The realm of science fiction is within grasp of a new generation of prosthetic limbs that raise new possibilities for amputees. Juice Flair/Shutterstock

Steve Austin was a U.S. astronaut who was gravely injured when his spacecraft crashed back to earth. He was rebuilt, almost from the ground up by government-approved experimental surgeries, giving him powerful prosthetics.

The “Six Million Dollar Man” first aired in 1973, starring Lee Majors, and it ran for five seasons. I remember that show, and I was amazed, as were millions of others, with what he could do with his prosthetic limbs and eyes.