Project Grant 90BISA0071

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) awarded a $249,697 Project Grant to The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York, doing business as Stony Brook University, to develop a novel prosthetic robot for individuals with lower limb amputation. The key objectives of this 4-year project are to: Develop a wearable motion capture system using inertial measurement units (IMUs) to reconstruct and predict human gait during daily life activities outside of...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program Project Grant, with the award ID 2340519, is providing $478,141 to the University of Illinois to develop a personalized, wearable robotic prosthesis that can dynamically adapt to the unique movement patterns and sensory needs of individuals with below-knee amputations (BKA). The 5-year project aims to create an advanced, co-adaptive robotic prosthesis that uses biofeedback and real-time optimization to continuously personalize the...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program has awarded the University of Notre Dame a $357,240 project grant to develop innovative prosthetic limb technologies. This collaborative research project between Notre Dame and Brigham Young University aims to integrate optimal function and compliant mechanisms for improving the capabilities and accessibility of lower-limb powered prostheses. The key objectives are to: 1) create a robust optimization framework to design parallel springs...

This three-year, $442,603 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at the University of California, Los Angeles to advance prosthetic suspension systems for persons with limb amputations. Specifically, the Engineering Directorate award will fund the development of an adaptive fixation strategy using electromagnetics to transmit loads from prosthetic limbs directly to residual bone. Key goals include measuring force requirements for above-elbow prostheses, determining...

This $800,000 National Science Foundation project grant will fund research at Florida Atlantic University to develop technology enabling disabled individuals to control advanced prosthetic devices. Specifically, the grant will support exploration of novel bimodal skin sensors, investigation of machine learning algorithms to classify user intent, and creation of a reinforcement learning paradigm for customized muscle training exercises. The goal is to empower those with upper limb deficiencies to...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the University of Alabama a $549,546 Project Grant under the Partnerships for Innovation - Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) program (CFDA 47.084). The 3-year project (08/01/2023 - 07/31/2026) aims to develop an affordable, powered lower-limb prosthetic device that provides versatile multi-modal operation to significantly improve mobility and quality of life for amputees. Key innovations include a novel common-core-components knee-ankle prosthesis...

This $720,000 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (CFDA 47.070 - Computer and Information Science and Engineering) will develop a novel robotic ankle-foot orthosis (exoskeleton) system to assist older adults' mobility and gait ability in real-world ambulation. The project at North Carolina State University aims to design and fabricate a compact, lightweight robotic ankle-foot orthosis to provide powered assistance and enhance ankle...

The National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded a $2,181,624 Project Grant to the Regents of the University of California at Riverside to develop integrated soft wearable robotics technology to assist arm movement of infants with physical impairments. The award period is from December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2025. The grant is funded through the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), which seeks to improve quality of life and economic...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to develop a novel prescription process for customizing prosthetic feet based on individual patient characteristics. The $274,975 award, granted on September 15, 2023, will enable the awardee, Little Room Innovations LLC, to create a system that utilizes adjustable prosthetic foot prototypes and optimization algorithms to determine optimal mechanical properties for each patient's customized...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation will support the development of an open-source ecosystem for a bionic leg system through the Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems program. Funded at $300,000, the award to the University of Michigan from September 2022 to August 2023 aims to advance open-source robotic leg prostheses. Specifically, the grantee will discover appropriate ecosystem models, build open-source infrastructure and governance tools, and disseminate...