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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 and includes a total of six projects: three combined development/research projects, two research projects, and one development project.
Services Provided
Two projects are focused on upper limb amputees: The Voluntary Opening and Voluntary Closing Terminal Device (VOVC) Project and the Partial-hand Control Project. The VOVC Project is a clinical trial of an innovative new terminal device that enables two types of grasp that traditionally require two separate devices. The Partial-hand Control Project develops a pattern recognition–based control system for motorized fingers and evaluates this technology in a clinical trial. The Ekso Project evaluates use of a powered exoskeleton device to improve gait and mobility therapy in people following severe stroke. The Social Mobility Project develops and evaluates a new research tool that uses a cell phone application (app) to monitor a person’s mobility at home and anywhere in the community. The app identifies the mobility mode (i.e. walking, wheelchair, car, etc.) and assesses social interactions by analyzing where people go. While focusing on people with stroke, one of the largest populations with disability, this app can be applied to virtually any population with mobility-limiting disability. The Manual Standing Wheelchair (MSW) Project develops and evaluates a wheelchair that enables users to be mobile in a sitting or standing position utilizing an ergonomically efficient lever drive. The MSW Project focuses on a large array of wheelchair users, including those with spinal cord injury, spina bifida, and multiple sclerosis. Finally, the Powered Leg Project uses state-of-the-art-technology to create a lightweight powered leg system targeted for older or smaller persons with a lower limb amputation.