All Publications

Back exoskeletons are gaining attention for preventing occupational back injuries, but they can disrupt movement, a burden that risks abandonment. Enhanced adaptability is proposed to mitigate burdens, but perceptual benefits are less known. This study...

In one person with Parkinson’s disease, freezing of gait was averted through the use of a soft robotic apparel that provided a moderate level of hip-flexion assistance during the swing phase of walking. This approach delivered instantaneous effects and...

Freezing of gait (FoG) is a profoundly disruptive gait disturbance in Parkinson’s disease, causing unintended stops while walking. Therapies for FoG reveal modest and transient effects, resulting in a lack of effective treatments. Here we show proof of...

Telerehabilitation and robotics, either traditional rigid or soft, have been extensively studied and used to improve hand functionality after a stroke. However, a limited number of devices combined these two technologies to such a level of maturity that...

As demonstrated by the Soft Robotics Toolkit Platform, compliant robotics pose an exciting educational opportunity. Underwater robotics using soft undulating fins is an expansive research topic with applications such as exploration of underwater life or...

Plantarflexor central drive is a promising biomarker of neuromotor impairment; however, routine clinical assessment is hindered by the unavailability of force measurement systems with integrated neurostimulation capabilities. In this study, we evaluate...

Back support exosuits aim to reduce tissue demands and thereby risk of injury and pain. However, biomechanical analyses of soft active exosuit designs have been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a soft active back support...

Occupational back exoskeletons and exosuits aim to reduce low back injuries in the workplace. For these technologies to be adopted, it is important that they provide biomechanical benefits to the wearer and do not disrupt job performance. To address this...

Running injuries are prevalent, but their exact mechanisms remain unknown largely due to limited real-world biomechanical analysis. Reducing overstriding, the horizontal distance that the foot lands ahead of the body, may be relevant to reducing injury...

Experiential learning in biomedical engineering curricula is a critical component to developing graduates who are equipped to contribute to technical design tasks in their careers. This paper presents the development and implementation of an undergraduate...

Wearable technology excels in estimating kinematic and physiological data, but estimating biological torques remains an open challenge. Deformation of the skin above contracting muscles—surface-level muscle deformation—has emerged as a promising signal...

Background During inpatient rehabilitation, physical therapists (PTs) often need to manually advance patients’ limbs, adding physical burden to PTs and impacting gait retraining quality. Different electromechanical devices alleviate this burden by...