Design, Technology , and Engineering benefitting individuals
with disabilities and older adults in the local community |
February 23, 2022 |
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Perspectives is the newsletter of the
Stanford course, Perspectives in Assistive Technology.
Designing Exoskeletons and Prosthetic Limbs that Enhance
Human Performance (on campus)
This issue announces the next class session (on
campus).
Perspectives in Assistive
Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now in its
sixteenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of
assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults.
It consists of semi-weekly in-person discussions; lectures by
notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; a
tour of an accessible inclusive playground; student project
presentations and demonstrations; and an Assistive Technology
Faire. |
Course News
In-person, In-classroom
Instruction Resumes - Community members are welcome to attend class
sessions on campus in Lathrop Library Classroom
282. Participants must attest to being vaccinated or receiving a negative
COVID test result and wear a mask. |
Parking Information
- Please note that open parking on the Stanford campus begins at 4:00pm, the
same time as the class session begins.
So, your parking options are:
- To arrive on campus
at 4:00pm to take advantage of the open parking and miss a few minutes of
class.
- To arrive on campus
a bit earlier than 4:00pm to be on time for the start of the class, incurring a
small risk of getting a parking citation.
- Download and use
"Zone Parking" or the ParkMobile app to pay for less than an hour of visitor
parking. See the
Classroom
Location and Accessibility Information webpage for more information and
links.
Note: Individuals with state-issued disability parking
placards (from any state) can park free in any marked space on
campus. |
Next Class Session (on campus) - Thursday, February 24th at 4:00pm PST
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Designing Exoskeletons and
Prosthetic Limbs that Enhance Human Performance
Steven H. Collins, PhD
Stanford University - Mechanical Engineering
Department |
Abstract: "My central research goal is to develop
wearable robotic devices that improve mobility and quality of life, especially
for people with disabilities. My laboratory uses three complementary
approaches. First, we develop tools to speed and systematize the design of
prostheses and exoskeletons. Humans are complex, limiting the effectiveness of
typical robotics design methods, so we have developed a new approach that
utilizes versatile, laboratory-based emulator systems. Second, we leverage our
emulators in basic scientific experiments aimed at discovering and
characterizing new methods of assistance. Our versatile hardware allows rapid
implementation of new ideas, controlled characterization of human response to
device functionality, and new approaches to design and prescription involving
online adaptation and patient-specific device optimization. Finally, we
translate successful approaches into energy-efficient mobile devices. For
example, we recently demonstrated an ankle exoskeleton that uses no energy
itself yet reduces the metabolic energy cost of human walking. We are currently
developing actuators based on electrostatic adhesion that are both energy
efficient and controllable, which will enable new types of high-performance
wearable robots."
Biosketch: Steven H. Collins received his
BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2002 from Cornell University, where he
performed research on passive dynamic walking robots with Andy Ruina. He
received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from the University of
Michigan, where he performed research on the dynamics and control of human
walking with Art Kuo. He performed postdoctoral research on humanoid robots
with Martijn Wisse at TU Delft in the Netherlands. He was a professor of
Mechanical Engineering and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University for seven
years. In 2017, he joined the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford
University, where he teaches courses on design and robotics and directs the
Stanford Biomechatronics Lab. His primary focus is to speed and systematize the
design and prescription of prostheses and exoskeletons using versatile device
emulator hardware and human-in-the-loop optimization algorithms (Zhang et al.
2017, Science). Another focus is efficient autonomous devices, such as highly
energy-efficient walking robots (Collins et al. 2005, Science) and exoskeletons
that use no energy yet reduce the metabolic energy cost of human walking
(Collins et al. 2015, Nature). He is a member of the Scientific Board of
Dynamic Walking and of the Editorial Board of Science Robotics. He has received
the Young Scientist Award from the American Society of Biomechanics, the Best
Medical Devices Paper from the International Conference on Robotics and
Automation, and the student-voted Professor of the Year in his
department
Upcoming Class Sessions
Please contact me with your ideas, questions, comments,
and project suggestions - or just to say hello. Please continue to stay safe
& healthy.
Dave Jaffe - Course Instructor
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email
Dave. |
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