Development of an Adaptive Device to Improve Functional Ability of Pediatric Patients with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

Project Description:
Ataxic cerebral palsy is the least common form of cerebral palsy. Ataxia means ‘without order’ or ‘incoordination’. Ataxic movements are characterised by clumsiness, imprecision, or instability. Movements are not smooth and may appear disorganised or jerky. The incoordination seen with ataxia occurs when a person attempts to perform voluntary movements such as walking or picking up objects. Ataxia causes an interruption of muscle control in the arms and legs, resulting in a lack of balance and coordination. People with ataxia may have unsteady, shaky movements or tremor, difficulties maintaining balance, and appear very unsteady and shaky because their sense of balance and depth perception is affected.

The objective of this project is to improve Dylan’s quality of life by giving him greater control of his movements and thereby increased independence. Specifically, the aim of this project is to develop a device that can assist with the most impactful movements that Ataxic Cerebral Palsy patients struggle with. The device may be an exoskeleton, robotic, or orthotic device. It should be adjustable so that it does not require replacement with growth and able to be used in other patients with similar disabilities.

Project Mentor:
Physician Mentor: Sharief Tamaran, MD, Pediatric Neurology Department, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), staraman@choc.org
Engineering Mentor: Christine King, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, UCI, kingce@uci.edu

Other Resources:
Note: students will need to sign an IP agreement to work on this project

Team Members:

Tianyi Li, Quang Nguyen, Kimmai Tana Phan, Adriana Rodriguez, Salma Waleed Serhal, Taylor Loren White