NRT: Accessibility, Rehabilitation, and Movement Science (ARMS): An Interdisciplinary Traineeship Program in Human-Centered Robotics

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

NRT: Accessibility, Rehabilitation and Movement Science (ARMS): An Interdisciplinary Traineeship Program in Health-Centered Robotics The world's demographics are changing. People continue to live longer and the U.S. population is becoming older and more racially and ethnically diverse. There is also an increase in younger individuals living with a life-long disability, such as veterans who sustain catastrophic injuries, persons suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, and children growing up with developmental disorders or delays. With this changing population profile comes an increasing demand for advanced healthcare technologies and a need to train a new generation of engineers able to develop these new technologies. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award to the Georgia Institute of Technology will address this demand by training graduate master's and doctoral students in the interdisciplinary field of healthcare robotics. The traineeship anticipates providing a unique and comprehensive training opportunity for one hundred and fifty-five (155) students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, by combining disciplines in robotics, studies in health sciences, interactions with clinical partners, hands-on rehabilitation research, and a culture of innovation and translational research. Trainees will have unique exposure to a variety of approaches developed in Robotics, Physiology, Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, and Psychology. The traineeship will bridge the gap between healthcare and robotics by addressing two major barriers: a) the lack of a formalized framework to enable interdisciplinary collaborations between robotics engineers and health professionals; b) the tendency for students in robotics to be unprepared to address problems in healthcare, including a lack of appreciation for the challenges encountered by clinicians, caregivers, and people with disabilities. Through close interactions with various partners, the traineeship will expand student horizons beyond a technology-first mentality to consider challenges in developing robotic solutions that address the needs of clinicians, caregivers, and people with disabilities. The goal is to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum based upon the concept of participatory design, problem-based learning, and an immersive research experience that blends techniques from multiple disciplines to solve problems posed in healthcare. A second major goal of the traineeship is to increase the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and students with disabilities in robotics and related engineering fields. The project will develop a new M.S. degree program in healthcare robotics and a new PhD concentration area in healthcare robotics as well as curricular materials and best-practices to allow other institutions to develop similar programs. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, potentially transformative, and scalable models for STEM graduate education training. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through the comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. This award is supported, in part, by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, specifically the ECR Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) area of special interest. ECR emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.