YORICK, The Bionic Skeleton

Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted: 10/27/2008

Yorick is a plastic male skeleton imbedded with electronic and mechanical devices used to replace worn body parts. Yorick was created by Ed Mueller, an engineer in the Division of Mechanical and Material Sciences at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in Washington, D.C.

Yorik often made appearances at schools, Scout meetings, and hospitals to educate students about bionics and current research on implant design development.

Some of the devices implanted in Yorick are: cranial plate, silicone nose, carbon tooth root, interocular lens, cochlear implant, heart valve, artificial heart, cardiac pacemaker, infusion port, vascular grafts, urinary sphincter prosthesis, artificial patella, bone plate, artificial tendons, bone growth stimulator, and artificial hip, knee, elbow, and finger joints.