#  Harvard Biodesign Lab 

 



##  Soft Exosuits 

Next generation soft wearable robots for enhancing or restoring mobility of healthy and physically disabled individuals

 

 [ Soft Exosuits arrow\_circle\_right ](/soft-exosuits) 

 

       ![exosuit](/sites/g/files/omnuum11441/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/biodesignlab/files/for_slideshow.png?itok=HXPMPE56) 

 

 



 

 



 

## Announcements

- ### **Welcome to our newest PhD student,** Matthias**!**
- ### **Congrats to Dr. Lauren Baker, Dr. Chih-Kang Chang, Dr. Dabin Choe, Dr. Connor McCann, and Dr. Chris Siviy on successfully defending their theses!**

## About the Lab

The Harvard Biodesign Lab brings together researchers from the engineering, industrial design, medical, and business communities to develop robots and smart medical devices that are specifically intended for interacting and cooperating with humans. Our work is accomplished through new approaches to design and fabrication of actuation and sensing components (e.g. using soft materials) in addition to the development of appropriate control strategies for systems that integrate these components. These technologies are inspired by the results of experiments in human biomechanics and their development is influenced by time spent in the operating room to understand the unmet needs from clinicians. Current research projects focus on wearable robotics to assist disabled and able-bodied people, as well as tools for minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of disease. Lab members work closely with industrial partners and technical experts to translate these technologies into products that meet real-world medical needs.

## News

04/2021 - [Soft Robotics Mechanotherapy Leg Wrap](https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/fashion-in-transit/feature/walking) and [Textile-Based Capacitive Strain Sensor](https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/fashion-in-transit/feature/carrying) are featured in the [Cornell Fashion in Transit exhibit](https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/fashion-in-transit).

07/2019 - The Soft Robotic Glove project is featured as part of the Nature Exhibition in the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City. [Read more...](/soft-robotic-glove-featured-cooper-hewitt-exibition "Soft Robotic Glove featured in Cooper Hewitt exibition!")

03/2018 – Harvard’s Office of Technology Development announce a licensing agreement with HoliStick Medical, a Paris-based startup, for a light reflecting catheter developed in the lab in collaboration with Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and MIT.

03/2018 – Josh Gafford successfully defended his PhD thesis!

02/2018 – Ye Ding and Myunghee Kim et al.'s work on human in the loop optimization of control parameters for a soft exosuit, a collaboration with Scott Kuindersma, is published in Science Robotics.

01/2018 – Ye Ding successfully defended his PhD thesis!

07/2017 – Louis Awad and Jaehyun Bae et al.'s work on a soft exosuit that improves walking in stroke patients is published in Science Translational Medicine.

05/2017 – Giuk Lee, Jinsoo Kim, and Fausto Panizzolo et al.'s work on reducing the metabolic cost of running with a tethered soft exosuit is published in Science Robotics.

01/2017 – Brendan Quinlivan and Sangjun Lee et al.'s paper on assistance magnitude vs. metabolic cost reductions with a multi-articular soft exosuit is featured on the online cover of Science Robotics.

01/2017 – Ellen Roche et al.'s work on a soft robotic sleeve for supporting heart function is featured on the cover of Science Translational Medicine.

11/2016 – Seun Araromi gives a talk on stretchable compliant pressure transducers at the IEEE Sensors 2016 conference in Orlando, Florida.

...



 

##  Research Highlights 

 



 ### Science Robotics

The [Soft Exosuit project](/soft-exosuits) is featured on the online cover of the January 2017 issue of [Science Robotics](http://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/2/2/eaah4416)



 

   ![science robotics cover jan 2017 exosuit](/sites/g/files/omnuum11441/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/biodesignlab/files/science_robotics_jan_2017_cover.jpg?itok=hcocTDcV) 

 

 

 

 ### IEEE Sensors Jornal

Joshua Gafford's work on millimeter-scale force sensors is featured on the [cover of the IEEE Sensors journal](http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2015.2476368).



 

   ![ieee_sensors_jgafford_cover](/sites/g/files/omnuum11441/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/biodesignlab/files/ieee_sensors_jgafford_cover.png?itok=8JbFDFZU) 

 

 

 

 ### Science Translational Medicine

Ellen Roche et al.'s work on a soft robotic sleeve for supporting heart function is [featured on the January 2017 cover](http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/373/eaaf3925) of *Science Translational Medicine*.



 

   ![Science Translational Medicine Jan 2017 cover - DCC](/sites/g/files/omnuum11441/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/biodesignlab/files/science_translational_medicine_jan_2017_cover.jpg?itok=yF2BHA6H)