Robotics expert awarded up to $2.4M for feeding system for people with disabilities

Tapomayukh "Tapo" Bhattacharjee, assistant professor of computer science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, has received up to $2.4 million to develop a robot-assisted system that will not only prepare meals for people with severe mobility limitations but also feed them and and clean their table afterward.

The award is part of a five-year, up to $41.5 million contract award from the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to the University of Pittsburgh. The award will support researchers who will develop the Robotic Assisted Mobility and Manipulation Platform (RAMMP) system, which will include a wheelchair and assistive robotic arm to improve the independence, safety and quality of life for people with disabilities, including veterans.

As part of this collaboration, Bhattacharjee will develop robot-assisted systems focused on the user, for feeding, drinking and meal preparation. Caregivers report that feeding is one of the most time-consuming daily activities, and being unable to feed oneself can be devastating to the self-esteem of care recipients. The proposed system will use a robotic arm to prepare ready-to-eat meals, feed different dishes to a wide variety of people with mobility limitations, help care recipients drink liquids and clear the table afterwards - all while preserving their sense of agency.

"For millions of people with severe mobility limitations in the U.S., maintaining independence during mealtimes can greatly improve their quality of life," said Bhattacharjee. "What makes our approach different is that it can adapt to the unpredictable reality of everyday meals in people's homes, while also catering to the unique physical limitations of each individual. This technology has the potential to restore independence and sense of agency for countless individuals and to reduce the workload for caregivers."

The robotic arm will be mounted onto a robotic wheelchair to be developed by Rory Cooper, director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, an institute under the University of Pittsburgh's Schools of Health Sciences, and Jorge Candiotti, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh, and research biomedical engineer with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The combined wheelchair and robotic arm platform will work as a mobile manipulator that can handle objects and navigate through the house.

"Most powered wheelchairs aren't designed to overcome many of the common challenges in the real world - and changing the environment to accommodate them is nearly impossible," said Cooper. "We need smarter technology that prevents tipping and falling, improves mobility and adds more functions such as coordinated mobility and robotic arm manipulation of objects so people with disabilities can fully participate in everyday life."

Bhattacharjee will work with Cooper and Candiotti to integrate "digital twin technology" into the RAMMP system through the Robotic Assistive Mobility Manipulation Simulation (RAMMS) environment, a virtual platform that enables precise, safe and scalable testing and development within realistic simulated settings.

Each year, more than 100,000 wheelchair-related injuries are treated in U.S. emergency departments due to tips and falls. To directly address these safety issues, RAMMP will apply Participatory Action Design and Engineering - a user-centered process that actively involves wheelchair users, clinicians and advocacy groups in co-designing solutions that meet real-world needs.

Kinova Robotics, LUCI Mobility, ATDev, Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University and Purdue University are also involved in the collaboration.

This research is funded, in part, by ARPA-H.

Patricia Waldron is a writer for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.