Exploration of a novel soft robotic assistive device for arm and hand function for people living with Motor Neuron Disease.

This PhD project is collaborative across two leading institutions, with primary engineering supervision from Professor Rossiter at the University of Bristol Soft Robotics Lab and secondary clinical and neuroscience supervision from Dame Professor Shaw at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) at the University of Sheffield. The core goal is to develop a real-world, working soft robotic device that could be used to improve the upper limb function of people living with motor neurone disease and presenting with upper limb weakness.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is an umbrella term for a group of incurable diseases leading to the degeneration and eventual death of motor neurones and resulting in voluntary muscle wasting, partial or total paralysis, and eventual death. A major aspect of disability and distress in MND is the development of bilateral upper limb weakness. Available upper limb orthoses for people living with MND are prohibitively expensive and poorly matched to complex user needs, leading to low uptake. Their application for users with MND and other degenerative conditions is usually secondary to their role as rehabilitation devices e.g.for stroke victims. Effective devices for upper limb weakness could reduce the care burden on relatives and carers, preserve joint mobility, and decrease pain.

Orthosis design is at a threshold of a new age where rigid, lifeless, restrictive mechanisms associated with traditional robotics will be replaced by biologically realistic systems enabled by the development of muscle mimetic actuator technologies. Soft robotics inspired by, and matched to, biomechanics have the potential to be applied to modular devices with adaptive morphology that can cope with muscle degeneration. Development of enabling technologies is key to translating the existing and arising academic effort into clinically useful devices particularly in terms of actuator size, actuating efficiency, life, and control interface. Additionally, a more holistic synergistic hybridisation of soft robotic technologies may help to overcome their respective disadvantages. By 'tearing up the rule book' and working directly on pioneering soft robotic technology this project aims to produce a clinically ready device that will disrupt the standard of stroke survivor rehabilitation devices being giving to people living with MND. This project could lead to future collaborative projects to tackle the orthoses needs of people living with a range of neuromuscular disorders.

The project has secured ethical approval from the University of Bristol Research Ethics Committee for a compassionate co-design process (starting imminently). The use of function-based design processes to produce orthoses has led to a market dominated by iterations of existing solutions which inherit the failings of their predecessors. The project will use a compassionate, human-centred, co-design process with intentional consideration of the user's empowerment, dignity, and security. Consultations with healthcare professionals and people living with MND as 'co-designers' will be established at all project phases to input and critique project outputs as well as test prototypes. Co-design sessions will be semi-structured sessions held virtually and in person with small groups or individuals. The co-design process is being funded by the SITraN NIHR.

The project has also received funding from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 2022 Summer Scholarship to work on an initial MND specific glove at the Suzumori-Endo Lab at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

This project falls within the EPSRC Assistive technology, rehabilitation and musculoskeletal biomechanics research area as well as Artificial intelligence and robotics theme.