Enabled by a $1.5m grant from the US National Science Foundation, the UC Riverside scientists are looking at novel approaches to clothing, which will also facilitate more natural limb functioning for children with conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of serious physical disability in childhood. However, the robots that have traditionally been designed to help patients are rigid and not comfortable to wear. In contrast, the devices envisioned for this project are meant to offer long-term daily assistance for those living with this condition, to improve their quality of life.
"Hard materials don't interact well with humans," said Jonathan Realmuto, UCR assistant professor of mechanical engineering and project lead. "What we're going for by using materials like nylon and elastic are essentially robotic garments."
The scientists' vision of the garments is that they will contain sealed, airtight...