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Mechanical Engineering

Rehabilitation Engineering

Rehabilitation Engineering is the "systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities" (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Rehabilitation Engineering research at Vanderbilt focuses on restoring health, mobility, independence and societal participation to individuals with disabilities by:
  1. Studying the interdisciplinary science of human movement, called biomechanics/neuromechanics
  2. Designing, developing and controlling next-generation assistive and rehabilitative technologies, such as prosthetic limbs and robotic exoskeletons
  3. Performing human subject experiments in our state-of-the-art motion analysis lab to measure if and how much these technologies help users
  4. Training engineers and scientists to be the future leaders and innovators in the fields of biomechanics, biomechatronics, human augmentation, and neuromotor rehabilitation engineering

David Braun

Research Focus: Robotics, optimal control, system dynamics, compliant robot actuators, human performance augmentation technology 		10

Michael Goldfarb

Research Focus: Design, modeling, and control of electromechanical devices and systems. Design of high-energy-density robotic actuators. Control of fluid-powered actuators and devices. 		10

Jason Mitchell

Research Focus: Human augmentation through engineering, wearable sensors, exoskeletons, prosthetics; mechanical simulation and design 		10

Nilanjan Sarkar

Research Focus: Robotics, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Human-Robot and Human-Computer Interactions, Socially Assistive Intelligent Systems for Healthcare with particular interest in Autism, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Down and Rett Syndrome, Dynamics and Control 		10

Karl Zelik

Research Focus: Biomechanics of legged locomotion, lower-limb prosthetics, assistive technology, dynamic walking principles, neural control, human-device interfaces, mobility, rehabilitation engineering 		10