Building and Validating a Center-of-Mass Perturbation Device to Study Neuromechanics
Stokes, Kieran
Stokes, Kieran
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Abstract
This project is motivated by the challenge of improving the efficacy of gait rehabilitation for people with mobility impairments. Predicting how a person�s gait kinematics and muscle activity change in response to gait rehabilitation remains challenging, making it difficult to personalize certain treatment variables such as intensity. This is, in part, due to individual differences in neural and biomechanical (i.e., neuromechanical) impairments that are challenging to capture in predictive (e.g., machine learning) models. Consequently, approaches to personalizing treatment often rely on experimental trial-and-error approaches which create an unnecessary burden on patients and limit the ability to test a wide range of treatment parameters. One reason that encoding individual differences in neuromechanics is a challenge is that people with different gait neuromechanics can exhibit similar kinematics during unperturbed walking. In contrast, perturbations can reveal individual differences in gait neuromechanics. However, it remains unclear how different experimental conditions reveal individual differences in gait neuromechanics. Here, to test how different experimental perturbations reveal individual differences in gait neuromechanics, we are building and validating the Bump-Em robotic perturbation device. Bump-Em delivers controllable perturbations at the center-of-mass (CoM) in the horizontal plane. The device can generate a force field around the user or deliver predictable or unpredictable perturbations. To date, we have 3D printed durable support fixtures for the motor unit and controller, assembled the motor unit, built a force sensor to control the system, and designed a support structure to hold the device. Next steps include final assembly and validation in non-disabled young adults. For validation, we hypothesize that CoM perturbations will increase muscle activation and amplify CoM excursions compared to unperturbed walking. If successful, this work will support Bump-Em as a tool that reveals individual differences in neuromechanics.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Junior (Graduating in 2027)
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Poster
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Biomedical Engineering
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College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
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Engineering