Health

Within CARS, we pursue the application of autonomous and robotic systems to improve human health. Examples of research conducted within this thrust include rehabilitation robotics and computational biomedicine.

In computational biomedicine, for instance, our researchers apply methods of analysis developed within the context of autonomous multi-agent systems to study the evolution of viral infections, drugs, and diseases within the human body and in populations. In rehabilitation, on the other hand, we use robotic devices such as exoskeletons or smart garments to assist physical therapists in the delivery of movement-based therapy after neuromotor or orthopedic disorders or we coordinate robots to function as playmates when interacting with infants in motor activities to promote motor rehabilitation goals. In conjunction with neuromuscular imaging and/or neuromuscular modeling, we develop novel robotics systems to help us elucidate fundamental mechanisms of motor control in healthy and impaired individuals, which can inform the development of new rehabilitation interventions.