Taking the Slack Out of Stroke Recovery

After suffering a stroke, a body can lose strength on one side.

Robotics, particularly assistive machines called exoskeletons, can help patients move their limbs again, but with a problematic tradeoff: muscles "slack" and become reliant on the machine.

Reed Woodland '27, an applied physics major at Trinity University, has spent his summer researching a special exoskeleton that seeks to turn this problem on its head, allowing users to call on both sides of their body to power movement. This system, called "interconnected bellows," relies on an inflated mechanism that connects both arms together, prompting the wearer to use their own strength.

"I think it would be really rewarding to see this get implemented on a larger scale and potentially have an impact on the world," says Woodland, who presented his research on July 23 at Trinity's Summer Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium.

Woodland, a member of Trinity's baseball team, says he first thought about the healing power of engineering after seeing multiple teammates recover from Tommy John surgery, a common setback for many baseball players. "They kept showing up with braces on their arms, and I saw this project was a chance to work on a brace that goes on someone's arm."

Woodland wasn't an engineer, but he'd had a basic mechanics class with Engineering Science Professor Emma Treadway '11, Ph.D., a Trinity alumna and rising robotics star in Trinity's engineering science program.

"What's so great about research at a place like Trinity is that, if you feel stuck or you want to try something new, you can find a professor who can give you an opportunity like this," Woodland says.

Over the summer, Woodland has familiarized himself with a concept called electromyography, which measures electrical impulses traveling from the nervous system to muscles. He's run entire experiments, testing live participants who performed simple exercises while wearing the exoskeleton. Results are promising, as the project showed potential for the device.

And Woodland discovered a source of strength for himself, too. "I learned a lot about how to motivate myself," he says. "Research is so much less stressful when I feel that I'm working on something with a real impact. I'm excited every morning to get started."