Kessler and NJIT team up to produce wearable robots

A joint team from Kessler Foundation and the New Jersey Institute of Technology is developing new applications for wearable robotic exoskeleton devices with a $5 million federal grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research.Researchers from the two institutions are working together on the next generation of robotic exoskeletons to improve mobility and to enable safer, more independent functioning for people with spinal cord injuries, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and stroke.

The team will also evaluate the efficacy of existing robots for restoring and expanding mobility to upper and lower extremities.

Richard Foulds, associate professor of biomedical engineering at NJIT, said, “This grant allows us to pursue a comprehensive effort that includes advanced robotic engineering from NJIT and outstanding biomechanics and neuromuscular physiology research from Kessler Foundation, with critical feedback throughout the development process from the people who use these devices.”

This collaborative research will also be supported by education and training activities for therapists, physicians and doctoral researchers — the designers of future therapeutic devices — as well as by dissemination of the broader rehabilitation benefits of commercial and experimental wearable robots.