REU Site: Research Experiences in Pediatric Prosthetics

The University Of Central Florida Board Of Trustees, Orlando FL

Investigators

Abstract

This three-year REU Site: Research Experiences in Pediatric Prosthetics is hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) and offers ten students each year an interdisciplinary undergraduate research experience on projects related to pediatric prosthetics. Using bio-sensing and Internet of Things (IoT) connected hardware has opened new possibilities for personalized pediatric prosthetics and has the potential to revolutionize the standard of care for congenital and acquired amputees. A multi-disciplinary research facility will engage students in bionics research that will integrate smart sensors and customized software for prosthetic research. Each interdisciplinary research project will have two mentors, and students will be assigned in multidisciplinary pairs to a project. Participants will attend a two-day theory and hands-on application workshop on artificial intelligence and machine learning for smart healthcare, as well as a human gross anatomy workshop. Additionally, students will have opportunities for professional development activities, research symposiums, and graduate school preparation. This three-year REU Site: Research Experiences in Pediatric Prosthetics is hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) and offers ten students each year an interdisciplinary undergraduate research experience on projects related to pediatric prosthetics. Smart medical systems can transform patient care and onboarding that increases performance, reliability, adapt better to changing real-world conditions and provide a friendlier user interface than their traditional counterparts. Connected smart sensors and virtual training leads to improved outcomes, including learning greater control over a limb prosthetic device. The REU site is led by a team of researchers and a dedicated environment for the design and manufacturing of prosthesis. The practical applications covered by the projects include robotics, biomechanics, smart sensors, and human machine interfaces. In addition, participants will engage in projects featuring user experience design and gamified simulations, combined with bio-medical engineering with feedback from clinicians and disability community members. The participants will gain experience in research and development, along with professional skills development, to achieve goals of developing preparedness for students ready for industry and graduate school placement. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.