Wyss InstituteBalance & Motor Control – Wyss Institute

Hani Sallum on Engineering Prototypes for Researchers, Patients, and the Planet

Jessica Leff — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:00:46 +0000

The Humans of the Wyss (HOW) series features members of the Wyss community discussing their work, the influences that shape them as professionals, and their collaborations at the Wyss Institute and beyond. Hani Sallum is always tinkering, whether he’s creating an eight-foot-tall robot costume to show off at a convention or designing a carbon dioxide-powered seawater collection system to…

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Reachable – Restoring arm function after stroke

Jessica Leff — Fri, 31 May 2024 16:36:14 +0000

The Reachable project from Conor Walsh’s lab is a wearable shoulder device that assists patients with upper limb disability. Stroke survivor and collaborator, Julie Hahnke, shares her experience working with the research team, using the current prototype, and her hopes for how this technology could improve the rehabilitation outcomes of stroke patients and others suffering from upper limb…

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MyoExo: Wearable Muscle-Centric Sensors for Improved Assessment of Neurological Disorders

Jessica Leff — Wed, 01 May 2024 14:00:27 +0000

Abnormal changes in muscle function are hallmarks of a collection of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s Disease (PD), essential tremor, epilepsy, certain sleep disorders, and others. For example, patients with PD can have slowed movements (bradykinesia), tremors, and muscle stiffness (rigidity) – doctors need to detect at least two of the three signs for a positive diagnosis.

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Soft robotic, wearable device improves walking for individual with Parkinson’s disease

Jessica Leff — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:21:45 +0000

By Leah Burrows / SEAS Communications (CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Freezing is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 9 million people worldwide. When individuals with Parkinson’s disease freeze, they suddenly lose the ability to move their feet, often mid-stride, resulting in a series of staccato stutter steps that…

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How can we restore mobility to the sick and injured?

Jessica Leff — Wed, 24 May 2023 14:21:36 +0000

Researchers at the Wyss Institute are working to improve treatment outcomes for patients suffering from reduced mobility. This video focuses on two platform technologies that could improve the quality of life for these patients: stochastic resonance and wearable soft robotics. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University…

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Wearable Technology for True Movement Quantification

admin — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:47:43 +0000

Athletes undergoing daily training and patients undergoing physical therapy, often do not have a way to quantitatively assess their progress or obtain actionable insights that help to enhance performance or avoid injuries. There are vast options for wearable devices and activity monitors, however, those are generally limited to tracking cardiovascular activities and heart-related data.

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Reimagining Robots to be Smaller, Softer, and Safer

Jessica Leff — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 20:39:16 +0000

Wyss Associate Faculty members, Conor Walsh and Rob Wood, discuss their visions for the future of bio-inspired soft robotics. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University…

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Wyss Technologies Top Harvard’s 2022 President’s Innovation Challenge

Seth Kroll — Mon, 09 May 2022 15:20:43 +0000

(BOSTON) – Students and selected alumni competed over the course of seven months for a share of $510,000 in the 2022 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge (PIC). On May 5, two teams won top prizes for technologies developed at the Wyss Institute. Benjamin Freedman, Ph.D. and the Limax Biosciences team won the $75,000 first-place prize in the Health & Life Sciences Track for their Tough…

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Sensing Parkinson’s symptoms

Jessica Leff — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 19:24:31 +0000

By Matthew Goisman/SEAS Communications BOSTON – Nearly one million people in the United States live with Parkinson’s disease. The degenerative condition affects the neurons in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which can impact motor function in multiple ways, including muscle tremors, limb rigidity and difficulty walking. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease…

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Soft Robots Aiding the Elderly and People with Physical Impairments

Jessica Leff — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:27:03 +0000

An interdisciplinary team at Harvard University School of Engineering and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University is building soft robots for older adults and people with physical impairments. Examples of these robots are the Assistive Hip Suit and Soft Robotic Glove, both of which have been included in the 2021-2022 Smithsonian Institution exhibit entitled “FUTURES.” Credit: Wyss Institute at…

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