Stan Napper

Applications of robots in rehabilitation

Abstract The ability to manipulate objects in our environments is an important human characteristic. The use of a single multipurpose device, such as a robot, offers significant advantages over a variety of assistive devices and tools. This article supports the use of robots by disabled persons and rehabilitation applications of robots. Vocational applications and independent living applications are featured. Independent living uses of robots which have actually been implemented cover a wide variety of daily living tasks. Although most uses of robots in rehabilitation environments consists of robots designed for other uses (e.g. industrial, educational), some development projects have been undertaken and are also presented here. The technological issues (e.g. sensors, end effectors, and alternative human control of robots) and nontechnological issues (e.g. cost effectiveness, acceptance, and safety) which affect the design, development, modification, and use of robots in rehabilitation are also reviewed.

Ramping up an integrated engineering curriculum to full implementation

The College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University piloted an integrated freshman-engineering program with 40 students for the 1997-98 academic year. The pilot program was continued for these students with an integrated sophomore curriculum in 1998-99 while the freshman program was expanded to 120 students. Full implementation of the integrated freshman and sophomore curricula is planned for the 1999-2000 academic year. The new curriculum integrates engineering, math, chemistry, and physics and incorporates an engineering design project during the freshman year. Engineering, math, and physics are integrated in the sophomore year. All classes rely heavily on cooperative learning techniques. Assessment of the program to date indicates significant improvement in student performance over the traditional program, as measured by grades in all courses and by retention. This paper addresses the issues and challenges related to making such a dramatic curriculum change in three years and our approaches to resolving these challenges.

Mathematical evidence for flow-induced changes in myocardial oxygen consumption

The objective of this investigation was to aid in the determination of the mechanism by which oxygen consumption changes in proportion to coronary perfusion pressure or coronary blood flow. A mathematical model of oxygen transport and consumption in the isolated-perfused heart was developed, based on data from an autoregulating, cell-free perfused, externally paced, isovolumic feline heart preparation. The model features the unique combination of Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and one-dimensional (axial) diffusion in radially well-mixed tissue. An adaptive finite-difference integration routine was used to solve the resulting third order stiff two-point boundary value problem. A simplex minimization was employed to determine the parameter values that minimized the squared difference between the model and the experimental data in terms of tissue PO2 distribution (histograms). Different cases of the model representing pressure-induced, flow-induced, and “magnified” flow effects were run. The flow-dependent oxygen consumption version of the model produced a histogram squared error 30% lower than the pressure-induced version and 5% lower than any other case. The model and a critical review of the literature indicate that a flow-related mechanism is responsible for this phenomenon. Evidence also demonstrates that the Michaelis-Menten kinetics constant is not constant for different oxygen tensions.

Innovative administration supports innovative education

Louisiana Tech Universitypsilas College of Engineering and Science has over ten years experience operating under an innovative multidisciplinary administrative structure which has created a supportive environment for numerous education reform initiatives. The traditional departmental structure was dismantled in favor of a much more flexible approach which has helped remove barriers between departments and promoted collaboration between engineering and science programs. The new administrative structure relies heavily on multidisciplinary teams and has been a key factor in the successful establishment of our first integrated engineering curriculum in 1997, followed by our integrated science curriculum in 2002. Other innovations implemented since that time include the first undergraduate nanosystems engineering degree program in the US; multidisciplinary design courses which include engineering, business, and technical writing students; a freshman enrichment program; the living with the lab curriculum (the most recent version of our integrated engineering curriculum); and a program whereby engineering and science majors complete the master of arts in teaching and become certified K-12 teachers. The college currently has

Weanpro: a weaning protocol expert system

3.5 million in NSF funding for STEM projects. Much of the lasting success of these education reform efforts can be attributed to the supportive, interdisciplinary approaches the college uses in all of its core functions, including undergraduate education, research, and graduate education.

Development of a Nanosystems Engineering Degree

A description is given of WEANPRO, an expert system that assists respiratory therapists and nurses in weaning postoperative cardiovascular surgery patients from mechanical ventilation in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). WEANPRO suggests ventilator settings that lead the patient toward independent breathing on the basis of arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis, spontaneous effort, and hemodynamics. WEANPRO was developed using M.1, an expert system shell, and runs on any 80286- or 80386-based personal computer. The expert system was developed to increase the quality and decrease the cost of the weaning process that occurs every day in the CVICU. An evaluation revealed that WEANPRO decreased the mean number of ABG analyses necessary to wean patients from 6.2 to 3.5. A one-tailed test of hypothesis revealed that WEANPROs mean is statistically less than the clinicians mean with a t-statistic of -4.994 and a p-value of 2.3772E-6.<<ETX>>

An expert system to aid in the prescription of electronic augmentative communication devices

Nanotechnology is science at the molecular level. Like biotechnology and information technology, it has tremendous potential to greatly change the world in which we live. Nanosystems engineering can be considered the branch of engineering that deals with materials and devices smaller than 100 nanometers (1 nanometer is a billionth of a meter), especially with the manipulation of individual molecules. Student interest and industry growth in this field highlight the need for a baccalaureate program in this area. The College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University has developed a new undergraduate degree in nanosystems engineering. The main objectives of this program are (a) to train undergraduate students in experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of engineering and science as applied to the development and use of nanotechnology; and (b) renovate and revitalize traditional engineering curricula such as mechanical engineering or materials science/ engineering through new nanosystems courses and instructional modules. We describe a new undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nanosystems Engineering curriculum which has a strong interdisciplinary emphasis. The Nanosystems Engineering Program draws on the strengths of all the basic sciences (chemistry, physics, and biology) and existing integrated engineering and science programs within the college at the freshman and sophomore levels. Graduates with a nanosystems engineering degree will have many opportunities at the boundaries of traditional engineering due to the cross-disciplinary nature of their degree. We expect many of the graduates of this program may choose to pursue research-based careers by moving on to graduate study or working at government laboratories and/or research centers. Graduates who wish to work in a commercial environment will find ever expanding opportunities in the many new nanotechnology companies that are emerging.Copyright

Effects of Modeling Assumptions on Oxygen Transport in Isolated Heart

The prescription process used by the expert system involves matching the clients capabilities and needs to an augmentative communication device. The formalized knowledge of the relationships between the clients needs and capabilities and the device parameters was implemented in a personal computer program. The expert system was consulted on 13 in-house cases, and its prescription was identical to the device the client had actually received.<<ETX>>

MICHAELIS MENTEN KINETICS AS A MODELING ASSUMPTION IN A MODEL OF OXYGEN TRANSPORT IN HEART

The overall goal of our synergistic physiological/ mathematical research efforts is to investigate the mechanisms of regulation of mass transport and its effects on contractility in heart muscle. The mathematical portion complements the physiological work by suggesting the relative significance of physiological phenomena by modeling the oxygen transport characteristics. This will lead to further and more critical experimental study. Examples of this synergism are indicated throughout the paper.

Using Design Projects for Program Assessment

The Michaelis-Menten kinetics model oxygen consumption rate is investigated as a modeling assumption in a mathematical study of oxygen transport to heart tissue. The model is derived from the classic Krogh capillary tissue cylinder geometry and based on physiological experiments in isolated cell-free perfused autoregulating cat hearts. This model is compared to a basic simplified model and to real data of oxygen distribution. Michaelis-Menten kinetics is found to be an improvement over the basic model for matching histograms of real data. However, further modeling assumptions will need to be studied because this effect falls short of completely matching the real data.