Project Grant 2339331

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a 5-year, $465,009 CAREER grant to the University of Florida (UF) Division of Sponsored Research to develop a novel neuromechanical simulation framework for improving gait rehabilitation design and prescription. The project aims to model how patients adapt to error-augmentation based gait training interventions that challenge and retrain walking balance control. The research activities include capturing muscle activity and kinematics data from diverse populations, and developing a simulation framework to model individual-specific adaptation to the error-augmentation environment. This work will lay the foundation for a transformative approach to patient-specific prescription of gait rehabilitation. As part of the project, the investigator will also pursue outreach and educational activities to train the next generation of engineers and educate clinicians and patients on the potential of neuromechanical simulations in gait neurorehabilitation.