From left: Behboodi, the project principal investigator, and Samuel Lee, PT, MPT, PhD, discuss the proposed device.
Photograph courtesy of Kathy F. Atkinson, University of Delaware.
Ahad Behboodi, PhD, of the University of Delaware will share in a $700,000 award for continued development of a compact and soft mechanized orthosis for people with ankle control deficits, to help them walk more easily and longer. The orthosis will assist ankle muscles to correct and improve ankle motion in pathological gait, especially in children with cerebral palsy.
The University City Science Center’s QED program awards projects that tackle critical healthcare needs. Behboodi will share the award with researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to financial support, each project has been matched with a business advisor from a network of industry professionals and serial entrepreneurs. The business advisors work with researchers and technology transfer offices to evaluate a go-to-market strategy and prepare a commercialization funding plan.
The QED program supports novel university technologies with market potential, bridging the gap between academic research and product commercialization. The awardees were selected from a pool of 50 applicants from 12 institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
