In a two-part series, PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O'Brien — whose left arm was amputated in 2014 after an unlikely accident while he was on a reporting assignment in Japan — discussed the status of prosthetics development and the challenges in developing a fully functional human limb. Judge Eliene Augenbraun, senior video producer for Scientific American, said O'Brien's reporting was a "refreshingly skeptical look" at what it will take to make advanced prosthetics widely available. She found O'Brien "completely lacking in self-pity" during his reporting, and added: "I was very moved when his rather dry affect cracked and he smiled at controlling the prosthetic hand." O'Brien noted the unusual circumstances that led to his winning work. "Most of the time you have to go out looking for a story, but every now and then one lands right in your lap," he said. "And so it went for me after the amputation of my left arm. To say it made me look at prosthetic and robotic technology in a new light would be an understatement. It's a great honor to be recognized for this work at the intersection of my personal life and my professional interest."
