Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that affects movement and coordination.
There is no known cure, and it is the most common cause of severe physical disability in children.
Now, a team of researchers in the US is developing robotic ‘sleeves’ that can help youngsters with the condition to control their arm movements.
Traditional robotics technology uses hard materials that are uncomfortable and tend not to interact well with the human body.
This is why the team, from the University of California Riverside, is working with softer textile materials.
Project lead Jonathan Realmuto said that by using materials such as nylon and elastic, they were essentially working with robotic garments.
He explained that the garments contain sealed, airtight sections that can be inflated, making them temporarily rigid and enabling movement.
If the wearer wanted to flex their arm, for example, air could be directed into special bladders inside these sections, causing the arm to move in the required way.
The project involves not only building the robotic frame, but also designing accompanying algorithms that can teach it to recognise and predict the motions that the wearer wants to make.
Algorithms will learn to predict the movements that the user wants to make
This ‘volitional controller’ would interpret the user’s intentions, allowing the machine to facilitate them.
It does so using a range of small sensors embedded into the sleeve that are able to detect small electrical signals generated by muscles as they contract.
The data from these voltages is then fed into an algorithm, which is trained to recognise the user’s intention when they contract muscles in that way.
According to the team, using available fabrics and avoiding reliance on sophisticated electronics will help to keep the costs down.
The UC Riverside team will be working in partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where patients will help test the prototypes.
Patients, their families, and professionals such as occupational therapists will also be invited to provide feedback as the technology develops.
Realmuto said that by involving patients and other stakeholders in the design process, they hoped to create a technology that really works for them.
He added that the technology could have broader applications beyond helping children with cerebral palsy.
It could also potentially be used to help adults with movement disorders and geriatric patients with mobility issues.
Today’s news was brought to you by TD SYNNEX – the UK’s number one solutions distributor.
Read more of our latest Industry Updates stories
