Alex Smith

Email: Alexander6.Smith@brl.ac.uk

Supervisors: Martin Pearson and Benjamin Ward-Cherrier

PhD Project Title: Towards restoring natural touch for active prosthesis users: a Hands-on approach

Research Group: Tactile Robotics

Biography

The use of exoskeletons in the medical field has made a large impact on the recovery time and quality of care that can be provided to patients. Rehabilitative exoskeletons, such as the ReWalk and Rex models, have been used in the treatment of those with impaired movement in clinical environments, to help those suffering from strokes, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. The continually ageing population has seen an increase in these affectations and is predicted to continue to do so. As such the need for efficient and effective rehabilitation, and support for these people needs to be considered.

From existing research, it is well established that these exoskeletons often provide advantages to the rehabilitation process to both the patient and the practitioner. However with current designs, the kinematics of the movement provided to the user are often ‘clumsy’ in locomotion and present challenges in their functionality, and usefulness for gait rehabilitation, locomotion assistance or physical enhancement of the wearer. The bulkiness (being in the majority treadmill based) and sheer mass is often another factor that impedes acceptance of this technology in the larger field. For this reason, there is a need for more discrete ambulatory exoskeletons capable of providing similar functionality and support to the user in more cognitively engaging and real-life scenarios.

The main focus of my present research is to improve the efficiency and performance of rehabilitative exoskeletons through integrating bio-inspired joints and control strategies to the system. Through doing this, it is hoped to improve rehabilitative practices, reduce

the associated costs of injury and relieve strain on globally suffering medical professionals. Through the development of more accessible and efficient supportive orthotics it may be possible to move a portion of the rehabilitative efforts to the patients own home; thus returning a level of self-sufficiency to them, while reducing the financial and temporal strain on both the professional and patient.

About me:

My main areas of interest in the robotics sector are, primarily, rehabilitative technologies and prosthetics and how they can be improved for those who rely on them. During my time studying an integrated Masters in Mechanical Engineering at UWE, I have undertaken various projects in the field including the design of a portable upper-limb exoskeleton for in-home rehabilitation of hemi-paretic patients, and the commissioning and control system design for a prosthetic knee testing facility currently implemented in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.