Textile-Based Wearable Assistive Devices

Neuromuscular impairments resulting from conditions such as spinal cord injuries, strokes, and multiple sclerosis can greatly affect the quality of life of those affected, preventing them from carrying out typical activities of daily living. A number of active assistive devices have been proposed to provide upper limb assistance for such neuromuscular conditions. These devices primarily rely upon rigid linkages and conventional electromechanical motors to exert forces on the body, and therefore do not conform to the user’s body and can become prohibitively heavy, often requiring the devices to be used in a stationary setting such as in a rehabilitation clinic, typically with additional assistance from therapists. Recent work has sought to develop soft, conformal devices using inflatable textile balloons to provide similar assistance. Textiles are a natural material for such an application given their high strength, minimal weight, and capability to adapt to complex 3D geometries such as those of the human body. The mechanical properties of the textile greatly affect the performance of the assistive device. These properties are difficult to tune, however, and are typically limited by what options are commercially available from textile manufacturers.

Faculty Supervisor:

Abbas Sadeghzadeh Milani

Student:

Partner:

Harvard University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: