Stroke survivor Patty Jowett wears a lower-limb exoskeleton in 51爆料网's Bionics, Systems and Controls (BSC) Lab. 鈥淚 have a smile on my face every time I leave here," she says.
In 2014, Patty Jowett suffered a stroke that briefly rendered the left side of her body immobile. 鈥淢y shoulder, arm and fingers are still weak, but I鈥檓 doing better,鈥� admits the 67-year-old Syracuse native. 鈥淭hrough physical and occupational therapy, I鈥檓 getting my life back.鈥�
So when Jowett heard that Victor Duenas, a professor in 51爆料网鈥檚 , was looking for test subjects for his , she jumped at the opportunity. Days later, Jowett found herself on campus draped in cables and lead wires, pedaling a stationary recumbent motorized cycle.
On the surface, there鈥檚 nothing unusual about this and Duenas鈥� other contraptions, which include a compressive walking boot and a wearable lower-limb exoskeleton, each connected to a patient monitoring system. But it鈥檚 the proprietary algorithms, code and programming running the devices鈥攏ot the devices, themselves鈥攖hat are noteworthy.
鈥淚 have a big smile on my face every time I leave Victor鈥檚 lab,鈥� says Jowett, a vocational rehabilitation counselor. 鈥淎s a stroke survivor and advocate, I feel like he鈥檚 on the verge of something big.鈥�
Bringing New Power to Programming
Professor Victor Duenas is a self-described "experimentalist" who oversees the BSC Lab.
Duenas often jokes about the BSC Lab being a 鈥渇ive-year, overnight success story.鈥� Housed in the basement of Link Hall, it grew out his doctoral work at the University of Florida and became official with his arrival at Syracuse in 2018. Since then, the lab has borne witness to a wide range of robotic tools and equipment while bringing new power to programming.
鈥淚 focus on the design, analysis and experimental implementation of control systems for human-robot interactions,鈥� says Duenas, a Mexican-born mechanical engineer. His fluency in control theory, which explores how electrical and mechanical systems work together to achieve a desired result, largely accounts for his success as an experimentalist.
Duenas鈥� first Ph.D. student, Chen-Hao Chang G鈥�22, helped design and manufacture the lab鈥檚 stationary cycle and exoskeleton. He also assisted with research projects with the and The Medical University of South Carolina.
A central theme of Chang鈥檚 work was functional electrical stimulation (FES), which applies small electrical charges to weakened or paralyzed muscles. FES, he explains, is particularly effective in treating foot drop, a side effect of stroke. 鈥淎 big challenge was dealing with movement unpredictability and muscle fatigue, which affect the way you develop and implement a control system,鈥� says Chang, a senior control engineer at the chipmaking juggernaut ASML. 鈥淪till, Professor Duenas always listened to my feedback and trusted me make the necessary adjustments.鈥�
Bridging Theory and Practice
Jonathan Casas G鈥�23 (right) has parlayed his University training into a research position in Germany.
Jonathan Casas G鈥�23 also figures prominently in the lab鈥檚 evolution, having worked almost exclusively on the exoskeleton. He refers to it as a 鈥渂ionic robot鈥� for gait function. 鈥淚t promotes self-care and self-esteem,鈥� says the newly appointed research associate at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. 鈥淥f all our rehabilitation devices, this one probably has the most far-reaching societal implications.鈥�
Casas recalls how Duenas encouraged him to 鈥渃lose the loop between theory and practice,鈥� using mathematical modeling and computer simulations to inform the exoskeleton鈥檚 functionality. 鈥淲e eventually came up with software that would let us design almost any kind of controller we wanted,鈥� says Casas, regarding the robot鈥檚 so-called brain. 鈥淚 learned technical skills and strategies that will benefit me for years to come.鈥�
Other researchers echo these sentiments, noting Duenas鈥� proclivity for having graduate students mentor undergraduates, who, in turn, assist the occasional high school intern.
One such undergraduate is Jade Carter 鈥�24, who studies robotic devices called powered ankle-foot orthoses (PAFOs). A senior majoring in biomedical engineering, she says that such boot-like devices are invaluable to stroke patients because their control systems can read and interact with the external environment. Thus, PAFOs can improve walking ability, gait speed and balance.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in biomechanics, but thanks to Dr. Duenas, I now have a twin passion for rehabilitation engineering and gait training,鈥� Carter says.
Nicholas Rubino G鈥�24 also studies PAFOs and is part of a team of students developing the computer architecture necessary to run such experiments. 鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of trouble shooting with rehabilitation robotics,鈥� notes the aspiring Ph.D. student. 鈥淒r. Duenas reminds me that every problem needs to be addressed in context of a complete, robust system.鈥�
Putting Their Best Foot Forward
The BSC Lab helps students close the loop between theory and practice.
As an undergraduate, Eleanor Lawler 鈥�22, G鈥�24 distinguished herself as a and champion. Today, she鈥檚 racing the clock to design PAFOs that ensure 鈥渞obustness and comfort across stroke victims.鈥� 鈥淢y research into healthy physical locomotion hasn鈥檛 just made me a better runner. It鈥檚 also made me sympathetic toward patients with long-term impairment,鈥� says the master鈥檚 student in .
Lawler collaborates with students like Evan Tulsky 鈥�24, whose mathematical acumen has earned him a high-profile conference paper. 鈥淓veryone pushes me hard, but that鈥檚 how we get results,鈥� says Tulsky, a senior majoring in .
Duenas underscores the importance of dignity and respect in the classroom. And the lab. 鈥淲e create devices that are safe and empowering,鈥� he says smiling. 鈥淚 want my students鈥攁nd people like Patty Jowett鈥攖o put their best foot forward.鈥�
