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State

Illinois

National Resource

Yes

Topics

Assistive Technology

Keywords

Amputations, Cerebral palsy, Mobility Disabilities, Prosthetics, Rehabilitation engineering, Robotics, Stroke, Wheeled mobility, university, RERC, research, engineering

Description

This RERC at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (Shirley Ryan AbilityLab) develops technologies to evaluate and advance mobility and manipulation for people with movement disabilities to help them participate fully in society. 

Services Provided

 The Center has six objectives: (1) to perform home trials of a manual standing wheelchair (developed under a previous RERC grant) and finalize the design to FDA standards; (2) modify a smart, wearable airbag system with custom smartphone application to sense falls in stroke survivors, and evaluate whether use of this system can mitigate fall injuries and improve walking confidence; (3) optimize and evaluate a robotic trainer for children with cerebral palsy; (4) develop and evaluate a low-cost prosthetic arm system targeted for individuals with amputation in both low-income countries and the US; and (5) evaluate a novel prosthetic leg with powered and passive modes (also developed under a previous RERC grant) in elderly users. In addition to research, evaluation, and developmental activities, this project implements comprehensive training programs to train the next generation of scientists and clinicians; and disseminates results to consumers, the public, and other relevant stakeholders. Outcomes include advanced production-ready prototypes of all devices that are clinically and commercially viable, production of peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings, and training materials for fitting powered prosthetic legs; and a low-cost prosthetic arm system using a simple, low-cost fabrication method.

Contact Information

Technologies to Evaluate and Advance Mobility and Manipulation (TEAMM) Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
355 East Erie Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2654