Chomowicz, Julia Coleman, Samantha Sims, Dianna Dusek, Jeff
Description
During a research period of June-August 2020, a team of students from the Laboratory for
Adaptation, Inclusion, and Robotics developed fabric-based pneumatic actuators for use in
at-home physical therapy for children with spastic cerebral palsy. This paper focuses on the
mechanical components of the device–specifically, what materials and productions methods
are most effective in creating a useful, affordable actuator. It details the development of
several working prototypes and what methods were used to test them, as well as what
research remains to be done on this subject in the future.