Wyss InstituteRobotics – Wyss Institute

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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Scientists build tiny biological robots from human cells

Jessica Leff — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 20:00:32 +0000

Mike Silver / Tufts University Communications (MEDFORD, Mass.) – Researchers have created tiny biological robots, called Anthrobots, from adult human tracheal cells that can move across a surface and encourage the growth of neurons in a lab dish. The multicellular assemblies, ranging in size from the width of a human hair to the point of a sharpened pencil, are designed to carry out tasks…

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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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Clearing a path for non-invasive muscle therapy for the elderly

Jessica Leff — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 17:57:17 +0000

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Mechanotherapy, the concept of using mechanical forces to stimulate tissue healing, has been used for decades as a form of physical therapy to help heal injured muscles. However, the biological basis and optimal settings for mechanotherapies are still poorly understood, especially with respect to elderly patients. Given the well-known decline in healing ability…

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Manufacturing Mini Surgical Robots

Jessica Leff — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 15:29:21 +0000

Surgical robots have revolutionized procedures for patients around the world, making them more precise and less invasive than earlier tools. But most surgical robots are massive devices that can take up an entire room and cost millions of dollars. And the surgical tools themselves that enter the patient’s body are currently too large to access certain organs and tissues.

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14 Wyss Faculty named Highly Cited Researchers in 2022

Jessica Leff — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:57:03 +0000

By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — Clarivate has announced its Highly Cited Researchers 2022 list, which uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify individuals from across the globe who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field(s) of research. Each year’s list recognizes the authors of scientific papers that rank in the top 1% by citations in the Web…

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Wasting muscles built back better

Mariel Schoen — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 15:55:28 +0000

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Muscles waste as a result of not being exercised enough, as happens quickly with a broken limb that has been immobilized in a cast, and more slowly in people reaching an advanced age. Muscle atrophy, how clinicians refer to the phenomenon, is also a debilitating symptom in patients suffering from neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)…

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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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