Director of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab and ECE assistant professor Jacob George, along with mechanical engineering assistant professor Haohan Zhang, received a $50,000 seed grant from the ALS Association to develop new neck exoskeleton technologies aimed at helping ALS patients suffering from dropped head syndrome regain functional head-neck movements. This grant partially supported two graduate students for one year as they conducted preliminary studies and data collection necessary for larger future clinical trials that will translate this innovative technology to ALS patients. The project collaborated with the multidisciplinary Motor Neuron Disease clinic, directed by Mark Bromberg at the University of Utah Hospital.
Monika Buczak, an ECE graduate involved in the project, shared her experience, saying, “I’ve had a good experience working on this project overall, even though it feels like we’ve just started. All my previous work has been with populations with neurological injury, not disease, so it has been a new challenge to look at myoelectric signals (EMG) that are changing over the course of the disease progression. I’ve also had the opportunity to start implementing some machine learning methods, which none of my previous work required.” Her work focuses on using EMG signals from muscle activation as inputs for adaptive devices, an innovative approach aimed at maintaining autonomy for ALS patients.
The significance of this project extends beyond technological development. As Buczak explains, “ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by decreasing voluntary muscle control. This is detrimental to autonomy and quality of life. We’re aiming to use EMG signals from muscle activation as input for controllers for adaptive devices to maintain autonomy in an intuitive manner. Importantly, monitoring the EMG input signals may also give us insight into the disease progression and help these patients prevent catastrophic events such as asphyxiation from head drop.”
Expressing gratitude for the collaboration, Buczak added, “I’d like to thank our collaborator, Dr. Haohan Zhang, from the mechanical engineering department, for inviting us to contribute a new control method to his incredible powered neck exoskeleton. Also, his student Joey Brignone, who is working on this with me!”
Since the project has concluded, Zhang and George believe their work will have a lasting impact on the quality of life for ALS patients. Supported by the ALS Association and driven by the dedicated efforts of their research team, they are hopeful for the future applications of their findings. They are poised to make meaningful advancements in the treatment of dropped head syndrome, ultimately paving the way for greater autonomy and improved care for those affected by this challenging condition.
Written by Logan Little