Purdue joins $41.5 million ARPA-H project to advance robotic assistive mobility for people with disabilities
Purdue joins $41.5 million ARPA-H project to advance robotic assistive mobility for people with disabilities
The Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering and Purdue University will play a key role in a new up-to-$41.5 million, five-year research initiative led by the University of Pittsburgh aimed at transforming mobility and independence for people with disabilities through advanced robotics.
The contract has been awarded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which is a research funding agency that supports transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs – ranging from the molecular to the societal – to provide health solutions for all.
The project, titled "RAMMP: Robotic Assistive Mobility and Manipulation Platform Providing Proactive Health," brings together leading universities and industry partners to develop and integrate next-generation assistive robotic systems capable of supporting individuals in their daily activities.
The University of Pittsburgh serves as the lead institution, with Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, Cornell University, and Purdue University as collaborating academic partners. Additional private-sector companies are also contributing their expertise to this project.
(L-R) Bradley Duerstock, PhD, Professor of Practice,Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering,Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering - Brandon Pitts, Elliott Sigal Rising Star Associate Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering.
Bradley Duerstock, professor of practice in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering, and Brandon Pitts, Elliott Sigal Rising Star associate professor of industrial engineering, who will serve as co-principal investigator, will focus on integrating an assistive robotic platform that combines innovative hardware and software technologies into transportation systems, enabling people with disabilities to participate more fully in activities of daily living.
This collaboration will leverage complementary expertise across engineering, computer science, human factors, and rehabilitation science to develop a scalable, human-centered robotic platform. Ultimately, the program seeks to demonstrate how robotics and artificial intelligence can proactively promote health and quality of life for people with mobility challenges.
This research was funded, in part, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.