According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cerebral palsy is the most common form of motor disability affecting children. It is estimated that between one and four out of every 1,000 live births present with problems related to cerebral palsy, while other studies put the number as high as 3.6 (per 1,000 live births). And as of 2010, 33.3% of affected children had very limited or no walking ability. However, a small percentage were eventually able to gain mobility through the use of robotic or handheld devices.
Over the past few decades, scientists have come up with a number of solutions to restore mobility. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, have developed an exoskeleton that it claims can solve the problem of crouching gait and enable individuals to walk. However, for most families, the cost is very expensive and can become quite heavy and complex. Soft robotics, on the other hand, promises to be a miracle cure for the core problem of cerebral palsy.
Experts from the University of California, Riverside have come up with a novel solution that puts an array of assistive robots directly into the fabric to give children with cerebral palsy some control over the movement of their arms. The idea is achieved through the use of tiny airbags integrated with the fabric of the garment, which inflate when needed to stiffen the area and then give the person the ability to control the movement of the limb.
Solving two problems at once
The team behind this innovation is focused on something called “voluntary control,” which basically means being able to communicate exactly what function a person wants to perform. To achieve this, the fabric will have a number of tiny sensors that will pick up electrical signals generated in specific areas of muscle fibers. These electrical signals are then passed through an algorithm that interprets the intent of the human subject.
Once the intent of a particular area of the arm has been deciphered, air will be injected into tiny pockets (or sacs) and pressure will be generated that will move the arm in the desired direction. The idea sounds very promising, and it addresses another key barrier for people with cerebral palsy: cost accessibility. The scientists aim to use “widely available textiles” rather than complex and bulky assistive mobility machines.
According to UCLA, the study will begin prototype testing and refinement for “patients in the Pediatric Movement Disorders Clinic” through a collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Orange County. In the long run, the team hopes the innovation will also prove beneficial for those with age-related mobility limitations and even other types of movement problems in adults.
“If we can help kids brush their teeth, pour water or open doors on their own — actions that others take for granted — it’s a huge win for them,” said Jonathan Realmuto, an assistant professor at UCLA who led the project.
