NIA grant will expand UMaine research on a wearable robotic system for home-based gait training for older adults

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

April 4, 2023 Aging Research, Outreach, Research

Babak Hejrati, director of the Biorobotics and Biomechanics Laboratory in the University of Maine Department of Mechanical Engineering, has received a more than $432,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a novel wearable robotic system and intelligent methods that, for the first time, will enable home-based and independent walking training for older adults.

Maintenance of efficient walking ability is essential for high-quality and independent living in older adults. However, most older adults often demonstrate mild to moderate deficits in their walking that, if untreated, will lead to loss of mobility and increased risk of falls.

Many of the changes in walking seen with aging are a reflection of impaired motor control that are not ameliorated by conventional training interventions. Through this funded project, Hejrati and his team also will create training methods based on motor learning exercises to enhance older-adult users’ neuromotor systems and generate more effective and long-lasting improvements in their walking.

The long-term goal of this research is to merge the training unobtrusively into older-adult users’ daily living through seamless and low-profile wearable devices because neuromotor skills can be improved by regular training.

Hejrati is also a recipient of a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which will enable his team to further expand their translational research in the areas of robotics, gait training and clinical gerontology.

Contact: Chris Karlen, christopher.karlen@maine.edu