UH, Methodist receive grant in robotics

A grant of $695,000 was awarded to a research project at UH and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute that aims to develop a system in which patients with disabilities can use their minds to control a robot.

The Cullen Foundation and The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research collectively awarded the grant to Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, a researcher and professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH, and his partner Robert Grossman, a professor at the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Hospital.

The team is working on creating a non-invasive brain-machine interface technology that patients can use to operate advanced robotics systems, or what Contreras-Vidal calls “mind” control. The system Contreras-Vidal is focusing his study on is a self-balancing motorized robotic exoskeleton called Rehab Rex which will allow people with lower-body paralysis and other forms of paraplegia to walk again.

“We are developing a brain-machine interface to allow Rehab Rex to be controlled by the user’s thoughts,” Contreras-Vidal said. “This system we call NeuroRex. NeuroRex can be controlled by the user’s brain activity acquired noninvasively and/or by a joystick that patients can use to command the robot’s gait functions. The system is self-balancing and can step up and down stairs, turn left and right, stand up or sit down or even walk backwards.”

Contreras-Vidal says the collaboration between the UH laboratory and TMHRI is crucial, since his research requires a large amount of clinical expertise. Grossman and his team provide the knowledge and skills required for patient screening and the interpretation of any physical or neurological changes that must be made to use the exoskeleton.

“This is an example of interdisciplinary research collaborations that are required to design, test and validate novel biomedical devices and their translation to the end user,” Contreras-Vidal said.

Some versions of Rehab Rex have already been shown to the public at various events, and the team says they have been received well by the public and scientific community at home and abroad. Grossman said two versions are at the UH lab and a third is expected to arrive at Methodist this month.

“Last week we demonstrated the system to U.S. Rep. (John) Culberson,” Contreras-Vidal said. “Every demonstration is unique in that the place, context and audience are different, and we need to be ready for the unexpected.”

Grossman said he is excited at the prospect of restoring a person’s mobility with this new technology.

“The most innovative part, which is Dr. Contreras-Vidal’s specialty, is the (brain-machine interface),” Grossman said. “Being able to control the robot through the individual’s own brain waves — that is the major thrust of our scientific work.”

One of Contreras-Vidal and his team’s goals is “to reverse-engineer the brain.” If it sounds bold, that’s because it is. For Contreras-Vidal, who has been recognized internationally as a leading voice in the field, bold is standard.

“It is a great responsibility and an honor,” Contreras-Vidal said.

The team puts each awarded grant toward a specific challenge, clinical application or neurological condition. With this grant, the purchase of and study on Rehab Rex was able to advance, but the team does not stop there. Contreras-Vidal said they are advancing in other areas of study as well.

“We are making progress and testing patients with spinal cord injury and learning about the effects of NeuroRex on the body and the brain, including cortical plasticity,” Contreras-Vidal said.

The team says that a smart exoskeleton and neuroprosthetics technologies will improve the health and quality of life of millions of people who suffer from physical and neurological disabilities.

“In the specific case of Rehab Rex, this system will allow persons with lower-limb paralysis to walk again,” Contreras-Vidal said. “The resulting increase in mobility is likely to have positive effects on other systems, such as bladder function, cardiovascular function, bone density, muscle strength, skin condition and other secondary disabilities that come with the lack of mobility.”

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