On September 18, 2013 Dr. Greg Sawicki, Director of the Human PoWeR Lab in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NCSU/UNC received a 5-year NIH R01 research grant for his project titled “Novel platform for rapid exploration of robotic ankle exoskeleton control strategies to augment healthy or restore post-stroke locomotion”. Dr. Sawicki will collaborate with fellow Principal InvestigatorSteven Collins, Director of the Experimental Biomechatronics Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. In an innovative funding arrangement, the National Science Foundation is financing Dr. Collins portion of their collaboration. The objective of their joint project will be is to compare different techniques for assisting individuals with stroke-related mobility impairments using robotic ankle orthoses.
The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots acting in direct support of and in a symbiotic relationship with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Additionally, Dr. Sawicki recently received a NIH Clinical Research Extramural Loan Repayment (LRP) award. The purpose of the Clinical Research LRP is to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals as clinical investigators. BME congratulates Greg on both these accomplishments.