Advanced Platform Technology Center
Seated Balance and Trunk Control with Implanted Neuroprostheses
Living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) often means losing control of the muscles that stabilize your core and hips. This makes everyday tasks—like reaching for objects, staying balanced while seated, or pushing a wheelchair—much harder. These challenges can limit independence and participation in work, social activities, and recreation.
Our research is changing that. By using implanted neuroprostheses to stimulate trunk and hip muscles, we can help restore upright posture, improve balance, and make wheelchair propulsion more efficient. Early studies show promising results: better seated posture, extended reach, and improved propulsion mechanics on level surfaces.
But we’re going further. Current systems use continuous stimulation, which works well for static sitting but falls short during dynamic movements like pushing a wheelchair or reacting to sudden shifts. Our next step is smarter control: stimulation that automatically adjusts in real time to what you’re doing, without extra effort on your part.
What's next?
We’re developing technology that synchronizes muscle stimulation with the wheelchair propulsion cycle or trunk position, using signals from your shoulders or trunk angle as a natural control input. This means smoother, more efficient movement, better balance, and greater independence.
Our goal is simple: make neuroprostheses more adaptive, more intuitive, and more impactful for people living with SCI.
Principal Investigators: Musa Audu PhD • Nathan Makowski, PhD • Ronald Triolo, PhD
Clinical Collaborators: Gilles Pinault, MD • Stephen Selkirk, MD
Funding Agencies: Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development; Department of Defense
