This $4.6 million grant will support six research and design projects focused on improving technology and methods for integrating human-machine interactions into the daily lives of patients. The group’s mission is to use rehabilitation technologies to alleviate operational challenges and enhance physical abilities in individuals with disabilities.
Research Project Goals
- To train individuals on device use and achieve the maximum potential of assistive devices
- To enhance somatosensory feedback to improve control of assistive devices
- To improve mediolateral walking balance with an assistive exoskeleton
Design Project Goals
- To develop an environment-aware locomotion mode recognition system for terrain adaptation in lower limb exoskeletons
- To improve the human-machine interface of a hand exoskeleton
- To design an exoskeletal network for forearm supination
The 6 projects each address a unique challenge for adoption of assistive devices.
While all address the human-machine synergy, they range in
the extent of their focus on the human or device.