A5046541956- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Sports Performance and Training
- Advanced Materials and Mechanics
- Soft Robotics and Applications
- Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders
- Dielectric materials and actuators
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Biotin and Related Studies
- Sports injuries and prevention
- Architecture and Computational Design
- Teleoperation and Haptic Systems
- Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation
- Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders
- Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment
- Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Cancer and biochemical research
- Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications
- Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Non-Invasive Vital Sign Monitoring
Harvard University
2020-2024
Mechanical stimulation (mechanotherapy) can promote skeletal muscle repair, but a lack of reproducible protocols and mechanistic understanding the relation between mechanical cues tissue regeneration limit progress in this field. To address these gaps, we developed robotic device equipped with real-time force control compatible ultrasound imaging for strain analysis. We investigated hypothesis that specific loading improves repair by modulating inflammatory responses regulate regeneration....
In soft devices, complex actuation sequences and precise force control typically require hard electronic valves microcontrollers. Existing designs for entirely pneumatic systems are capable of either digital or analog operation, but not both, limited by speed actuation, range pressure, time required fabrication, loss power through pull-down resistors. Using the nonlinear mechanics intrinsic to structures composed materials-in this case, leveraging membrane inversion tube kinking-two modular...
Abstract Across fields of science, researchers have increasingly focused on designing soft devices that can shape‐morph to achieve functionality. However, identifying a rest shape leads target 3D upon actuation is non‐trivial task involves inverse design capabilities. In this study, simple and efficient platform presented pre‐programmed shapes starting from 2D planar composite membranes. By training neural networks with small set finite element simulations, the authors are able obtain both...
Abstract Soft robots have attracted attention for biomedical and consumer devices. However, most of these are pneumatically actuated, requiring a tether thus limiting wearable applications that require multiple controlled actuators. By pairing liquid‐vapor phase change actuation with textile‐based laminated manufacturing method, smart thermally actuating textiles (STATs) eliminate the need pneumatic tether. STATs lightweight unobtrusive exploit facile approach supports arbitrary...
The force-generating capacity of skeletal muscle is an important metric in the evaluation and diagnosis musculoskeletal health. Measuring changes force exertion essential for tracking progress athletes during training, evaluating patients' recovery after injury, also assisting conditions such as muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. Traditional hardware strength requires technical training operation, generates discrete time points assessment, implemented controlled...
Robot-actuated mechanical loading (ML)–based therapies (“mechanotherapies”) can promote regeneration after severe skeletal muscle injury, but the effectiveness of such approaches during aging is unknown and may be influenced by age-associated decline in healing capacity muscle. To address this knowledge gap, work used a noninvasive, load-controlled robotic device to impose highly defined tissue stresses evaluate age dependence ML on repair injury. The response injured robot-actuated cyclic...
Abstract Wearable technology excels in estimating kinematic and physiological data, but biological torques remains an open challenge. Deformation of the skin above contracting muscles—surface‐level muscle deformation—has emerged as a promising signal for joint torque estimation. However, lack ground‐truth measures surface‐level deformation has complicated evaluation wearable sensors designed to measure deformation. A non‐contact methodology is proposed measurement using 2D laser...
The human body constantly experiences mechanical loading. However, quantifying internal loads within the musculoskeletal system remains challenging, especially during unconstrained dynamic activities. Conventional measures are constrained to laboratory settings, and existing wearable approaches lack muscle specificity or validation movement. Here, we present a strategy for estimating corresponding joint torque from muscles with different architectures various activities using A-mode...
Plantarflexor central drive is a promising biomarker of neuromotor impairment; however, routine clinical assessment hindered by the unavailability force measurement systems with integrated neurostimulation capabilities. In this study, we evaluate accuracy portable, neurostimulation-integrated, plantarflexor system developed to facilitate function in settings. Two experiments were conducted Central Drive System (CEDRS). To accuracy, experiment #1 included 16 neurotypical adults and used...
Surface-Level Muscle Deformation In article number 2400444, Jonathan T. Alvarez, Conor J. Walsh, and co-workers introduce a non-contact method using 2D laser profilometer to measure surface-level muscle deformation, promising signal for estimating joint torque. The findings demonstrate strong correlations between deformation metrics—peak radial displacement, surface curvature, strain—and volitional elbow torque across varying measurement locations angles. This methodology standardizes...
Muscle fatigue is a common physiological phenomenon whose onset can impair physical performance and increase the risk of injury. Traditional assessments muscle are primarily constrained by their dependence on maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs), which not only rely heavily participant motivation, reducing measurement accuracy, but also require large, stationary equipment such as isokinetic dynamometers, limiting application to discrete in lab-based environments. In this work, we introduce...
Continuous monitoring of muscle coordination can provide valuable information regarding an individual's performance during physical activities. For example, changes in indicate fatigue exhaustive exercise or be used to track the rehabilitation progress patients post-injury. Traditional methods evaluate often focus solely on measuring activation with electromyography, ignoring timing resultant force produced by activated muscle. Setups designed directly study are limited either...
In article number 2000383, Conor J. Walsh and co-workers present a thermally actuated robotic textile driven by liquid-vapor phase change. A laminated batch fabrication process enables manufacturing of customizable individual arrayed soft modules incorporating resistive heater capacitive pressure sensor. These modular textiles actuate with pressure-based feedback, allowing them to maintain actuation profiles during environmental uncertainty.