Real-life Indiana Jones-style boffin Albert Lin has revealed how being part-man, part-machine saved his life during the making of his new TV series.
The explorer cheated death – for a second time – thanks to his high-tech artificial limb, which he had fitted after part of his right leg was amputated following a car crash. Albert says: “I was climbing up this cliff in Israel at the side of a mountain.
“It had rained, the rocks were looser than I thought and I was on this human-sized boulder which started to peel off – I felt it opening like a door. I chucked myself off and in my mind I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to hit the ground and this boulder is going to crush and kill me.’
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“Everything flashed before my eyes. I fall and hit the ground and am waiting for the moment of impact and it doesn’t happen.”
(Image: National Geographic for Disney/Soloman Taan)
The accident came seven years after his leg was crushed in the car smash and replaced by the custom carbon fibre and metal limb. Albert, an engineering lecturer at the University of California, says: “Having been in major physical accidents before I know you don’t actually feel pain, so you don’t always know something has happened.
“When I dusted myself off and stood up I saw a couple of not too big cuts. I go to step on two feet and fall to the ground and realise looking down my foot is on the other side of the boulder. The boulder crushed my prosthetic and barely missed my physical body. I’m the only amputee I know who has lost the same leg twice!”
(Image: National Geographic for Disney/Solomon Taan)
Despite risking his life for his job and passion, Albert has no plans to slow down. He says: “I know it sounds reckless but we’re trying to get to the frontier, to the edge of what’s known.
“Every expedition feels like a deep quest to reveal some very important truths about our own humanity. For me there is a purpose behind all this which makes it worth it, trying to find out who we are, which I hope I can share with the world and that’s why I keep going.”
And Albert’s futuristic leg shows how being a bionic explorer has benefits. The 42-year-old says: “When I go to the jungle I’ve got a 50% lesser chance of being bitten by a snake than any one of my peers. If a snake comes after my leg they’re going to have a rude awakening when they bite into carbon fibre or titanium. Now I go first and deeper into the jungle because I can lead with this metal leg. I feel like an early adopter of some high-tech explorer gear.”
(Image: National Geographic for Disney/Solomon Taan)
The National Geographic series also sees Albert visit Scotland. He says: “We find this world of warriors who were covered in tattoos from head to toe, so much so the Romans called them the Picts – the story of the pictured people. The world they built actually withstood one of the greatest armies that ever existed, the Romans, and fought against it and pushed them off.”
Making real discoveries and unearthing truths about our humanity is what drives Albert to take such risks. He says: “I’m also in Peru where we look for the story of the ancient cloud warriors, people high up in the Amazon region. Plus I’m in the desert of Sudan where we think we’ve found the kingdom of Kush that once ruled Egypt for 100 years. They’re not just TV shows, they’re all quests into our shared humanity.”
● Lost Cities Revealed With Albert Lin starts on Sunday on National Geographic at 6pm.
● To make suggestions where Albert goes next send him a message at exploreralbert.com or use @exploreralbert on social media.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
