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Mile O’Brien:
Tim Gatautis suffered
a spinal cord injury
in a swimming accident
nearly a decade ago.
He’s been in the chair
ever since.
He’d like to be able
to do more for himself.
That’s what brings him here
to Harvard University,
where he helps test new
wearable robotic devices
designed for hand
and arm rehabilitation.
Tim Gatautis:
I’ve been telling people
about it
because it’s pretty exciting.
It has given me hope.
It seems like it’s inspired me
to get out
and try to do things that
I didn’t think I can do before.
Conor Walsh:
So, basically every week or so,
we’re testing
a new type of glove,
a new type of sensor,
a new type of control scheme
and using this kind of feedback
from our participants
in our study to understand
if we’re moving
in the right direction or not.
Mile O’Brien:
With support from the National
Science Foundation,
designer roboticist Conor Walsh
and a team
are developing inflatable,
soft robots to help people
like Tim
regain use of
their upper extremities.
Conor Walsh:
When someone suffers an injury
such a stroke or spinal
cord injury, they lose function.
So, one of the things
that we’re thinking about doing
is how do we help
restore their functions
so that we can enable
these people
to be able
to be more independent.
Our approach in doing that
is creating very lightweight
and soft wearable robots
that people could potentially
wear all day, every day.
Mile O’Brien:
Walsh says some patients
could use these wearable robots
short-term to rehab an injury.
Others with more serious
conditions might use them
as assistive devices
on a long-term basis.
Conor Walsh:
Yeah, so I think the field
definitely recognizes
that some devices are maybe
better for assistance,
and some are better
for rehabilitation.
But, there’s definitely
a gray area between those two,
and where if you’re
wearing a device
that’s an assistive device
all day,
every day, maybe that’s actually
helping you get better.
Mile O’Brien:
The challenge is making
the robots comfortable
to wear and intuitive to use.
Sensors control
the movement.
Kate Zhou:
If we tap on the palm sensor,
this is the mode
where we help our wearers
like open up
their hand first,
and then if you maintain
the contact or tap again,
that will help you grip.
During our design
we also put a soft release.
The idea was that
some of our participants
could reach across and hit
the sensor to release,
but we also incorporated
another external button.
Mile O’Brien:
They are made of layered
textile materials,
with balloon-like bladders
stitched inside.
Conor Walsh:
On the top part of the glove,
we might have textiles that
can stretch a little bit more,
on the inside part,
maybe textiles
that can stretch less,
and it’s that difference
in the mechanical properties
of those textiles
that when it gets inflated
that causes it to have
the motion that it has.
Mile O’Brien:
Team member and physician
Sabrina Paganoni is testing
new treatments for people
with the degenerative muscle
disease A-L-S.
Conor Walsh:
Could you see this becoming
part of clothing
that you might want to wear?
Mile O’Brien:
She sees a growing need
for these robots.
Sabrina Paganoni:
The need for assistive devices
is going to continue
to increase
because people will live
longer - which is great -
as we develop new treatments.
But, at the same time,
we need to be able to give them
not just longer lives,
but more fulfilling,
more productive lives.
Mile O’Brien:
Tim has been working
with the robots
for just a couple of months,
but he’s excited
for the future.
Tim Gatautis:
It’s easy to get discouraged
and think
that you can’t do things,
and now that, like I said,
with this glove
and the shoulder harness,
I just see
different possibilities
that it just seemed
like way out of the ballpark.
And, now it seems like,
I literally have things
in my reach.
Mile O’Brien:
Designing wearable, soft robots
to help people with disabilities
help themselves -
For Science Nation,
I’m Miles O’Brien.
