DOD Funds WPI Prosthetics Development
Worcester Polytechnic Institute will use a $1.6 million allocation from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop advanced prosthetic limbs.
The money will go to WPI's Center for Neuroprosthetics and BioMEMS, which is part of the WPI Bioengineering Institute. The center's efforts are laying the groundwork for prosthetic limbs that will be fully integrated with the body and nervous systems and look and function like natural limbs.
As part of the DOD's recently approved appropriations bill, the allocation was sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, U.S. Sen. Paul G. Kirk and U.S. Rep. James McGovern. The allocation will be directed by the U.S. Army.
At WPI, the allocation will fund work on neural control for the advance prosthetics.
Dennis Berkey, WPI's president and CEO, noted in a statement that the neuroprosthetics center was launched with government funding secured in part by former U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.
In all, 30 WPI researchers from several science and engineering disciplines are currently working on projects related to neuroprosthetics.
The work focuses on regenerating soft tissue for use around an implanted limb and using engineered micro-wires to support stem cells and the regeneration of nerves. By regenerating nerves, researchers say it may be possible to connect prosthetic limbs directly to the nervous system.
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