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Robotics Institute
Seminar, March 3, 2006
Time and Place | Seminar Abstract | Speaker Biography | Speaker Appointments
New Horizons for Orthotic & Prosthetic Technology: Merging Body and
Machine
Hugh Herr
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Assistant Professor,
Media Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor,
MIT-Harvard Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Mauldin
Auditorium (NSH 1305)
Refreshments 3:15 pm
Talk 3:30 pm
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Abstract |
Rehabilitation technology is at the
threshold of a new age when orthotic and prosthetic
devices will no longer be separate, lifeless mechanisms, but will instead be
intimate extensions of the human body-- structurally, neurologically, and
dynamically. Such a merging of body and machine will not only increase the
acceptance of the physically challenged into society, but will also enable
individuals suffering from limb dysfunction to more readily accept their new
artificial appendages as part of their own body. Several scientific and
technological advances will accelerate this mergence, including the development of actuator technologies that behave like
muscle, control methodologies that exploit principles of biological movement,
and device architectures that resemble the body’s own musculoskeletal
design.
In
this talk, I describe research activities in
rehabilitation science and engineering currently under development at the Biomechatronics Group within MIT’s Media Lab. I discuss how variable-impedance actuation
and polyarticular limb architectures can result in
efficient, low-mass, and quiet legged systems for walking. In addition, I emphasize the importance of
harnessing both zero-moment and moment balance control strategies for the
enhancement of bipedal stability and dynamic cosmesis. A key focus of the lecture is the importance
of biologically-inspired hardware and control architectures in the
implementation of highly functional legged systems for prosthetic, orthotic and robotic applications.
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Speaker Biography |
Hugh Herr is Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
and Health Sciences and Technology. His primary research objective is to apply
principles of muscle mechanics, neural control and human biomechanics to guide
the designs of biomimetic robots, human
rehabilitation devices, and augmentation technologies that amplify the
endurance and strength of humans. Professor Herr has
advanced novel
actuation strategies, including the use of animal-derived muscle to power
robots in the millimeter to centimeter size scale. He has
employed cross bridge models of skeletal muscle to the design and optimization
of a new class of human-powered mechanisms that amplify endurance for cyclic
anaerobic activities. He has also built elastic shoes that increase aerobic
endurance in walking and running. In the field of human rehabilitation,
Professor Herr’s group has developed gait adaptive knee prostheses for transfemoral amputees and variable impedance ankle-foot orthoses for patients suffering from drop foot, a gait
pathology caused by stroke, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis.
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Speaker Appointments |
For
appointments, please contact Janice Brochetti (janiceb@cs.cmu.edu).
The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.