of analytics to get to the bottom of things, what do you have? Thanks to financial assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, he managed to get through college when his wheelchair was inaccessible. He recently spoke with DorobekINSIDER host Christopher Dorobek about the center, which operates in Pittsburgh. Since its inception, the research center has driven advances in the field of veteran care and rehabilitation.
For wheelchair technology alone,
Cooper and his team hold 25 patents. For his work in this field, he received the 2017 American Service Medal (SAMMIES) in the science and environment category last week. In his view, these innovations will have a lasting and widespread impact, as more than 100 million people in the world rely on wheelchairs. So far, Cooper and his team are responsible for several innovations, such as a wheelchair with a robotic arm and gripper hand.
Over the years, they have also worked to
Improve wheelchairs with the latest electronics and operating mechanisms to make them more comfortable and easier to adjust. The team has altered the design to reduce injuries ig database such as carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff strains, which have plagued wheelchair users in the past. Cooper sees his profession as a calling, and it’s in line with the need. HERL, he says, averages five new patents per year.
That efficiency is at least in part due to
Percent of his employees are veterans or have in a world where who you know disabilities. “They’re helping themselves, but they’re also helping other veterans and others who are in similar situations to them,” Cooper says. “That keeps us grounded and passionate. I think another factor that drives our innovation.
That we have engineers doctors nurses therapists
counselors on our team…all working together to help injured, sick rich data veterans.” According to Cooper, the work done at HERL enables people who were previously excluded. For veterans and others with disabilities, the benefits are obvious. But taxpayers benefit, too, he says.