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This UD researcher is making life easier for babies with physical disabilities

Michele Lobo's “Playskin Lift” allows babies with muscle weakness to have an easier time moving their limbs.

Lobo's design will keep parents and babies a lot happier. (Photo by Flickr user Pete, used under a Creative Commons license)

Michele Lobo, a physical therapy researcher at the University of Delaware, was tired of seeing small children with physical disabilities — and their parents — struggling with clunky, uncomfortable pediatric exoskeletons.

UD physical therapy researcher Michele Lobo.

Michele Lobo. (Courtesy photo)


Because of the hassle, parents often ended up ditching the devices that were supposed to help their muscle-weak children move.
Lobo envisioned a solution, Eli Chen reports in a Delaware Public Media story: She calls it the Playskin Lift. Lobo, along with her Ph.D. student Martha Hall, a fashion designer, have invented wearable exoskeletons disguised as soft baby onesies.
Read the full story
Bundled music wires inside the sleeves, according to the story, are positioned to help arms move.
For now, the comfy exoskeleton can be a DIY project for parents, but ultimately, Lobo said she’d like to see a company put them on the market.

Companies: University of Delaware
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