Description:

Abstract: Robots once were a dream of the future, but they now creep into all aspects of our lives, whether it be vacuuming our house or exploring distant planets. Rehabilitation and mobility are no different. Exoskeletons can provide the motion and support that a user cannot, supplementing or replacing their muscles to enable natural motion. These devices can be used for mobility or for rehabilitation, but both uses come with challenges. I will discuss the design and control of robotic exoskeletons and the challenges faced when designing these devices.
 
Bio: Katherine Strausser began working on the rehabilitation exoskeleton as a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley.  She continued this work as a Senior Controls Engineer at Ekso Bionics working on control algorithms and software for the exoskeleton, including the Human Machine Interface.  She was one of the three primary inventors of Ekso.