Projects

The JIF Project is funded by the Joint Incentive Fund (JIF), through the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This funding began to provide incentives for creating innovative DoD/VA sharing initiatives at the facility, regional, and national levels. The purpose of this project is to design and develop the database and software for the Rehabilitative Lower Limb Orthopedic Analysis Device (ReLOAD) system for the JIF DoD-VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund Proposal titled: DoD-VA Mobile Device Outcomes-based Rehabilitation Program (MDORP). Outcome measures include self reports, mCTSIB, TUG, AMP, and 6 minute walk test.

This project is funded by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Wallace Coulter had a keen interest in the medical research at the University of Miami and enjoyed visiting with researchers in their labs. His interest went beyond hematology to include flow cytometry. Continuing the funding that Mr. Coulter provided, the Foundation supports breakthrough research in microparticles at the Wallace H. Coulter Platelet Laboratory. In further recognition of the university’s efforts, the Foundation entered into a partnership to support commercialization of its translational research. The result of this partnership is known as the Wallace H. Coulter Center at U Innovation. The foundation also funds the FORE Center CHAMP project, which uses technology developed in the lab to study the movement of injured and healthy athletes at the University of Miami. The athletes are given various agility tests and the data collected is recorded and analyzed by researchers in the lab. Outcome measures include single limb stance, side step, L-Test, and the Illinois Agility Test.

The ReLOAD project (Rehabilitative Lower-limb Orthopedic Analysis Device) is our internal project. This mainly serves as a platform for testing out new features that could be added to projects in the future.  Here’s an example of our system during a trial providing music feedback based on the knee angle of the subject.

The Ossur Project is funded by the Icelandic company, Ossur, which develops, manufactures, and distributes non-invasive prosthetic equipment. For 20 years Dr. Gailey has fitted patients with prosthetics made by an Icelandic company called Össur, which has bestowed a research grant to Dr. Colby Leider and Dr. Gailey to design and conduct a clinical trial of a new mobile app that employs audio, visual, social media, and haptic (vibration) feedback. The various signals let users know if they’re walking in a way that could cause body fatigue, ulcers on the stump attached to the prosthetic, or stress on the non-amputated leg, which greatly increases risk of double amputation. The study involves the collaboration of trans-tibial amputees, physical therapists, and engineers. The project is coming to a close, as it leaves the laboratory for clinical trials in the next few months. Outcome measures include self reports, TUG, AMP, and 6 minute walk test.

The Dual Task Project is being used to research mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the geriatric population.  Outcome measures include TUG, mCTSIB, self reports, and 10 meter walk tests.