Hardin, Elizabeth, PhD

My research interests lie in studying human walking performance and stability, and in the intrinsic and extrinsic criteria that influence them.

These criteria include muscle strength and endurance, joint stiffness, proprioception, and anthropometry as well as neural and conventional prostheses, bracing and footwear properties. I am especially interested in how these factors interact to keep gait stable and to what extent they can be modified and controlled to improve walking performance and musculoskeletal health.

Neuroprosthetics, in particular, have the promise to be of considerable benefit to individuals with compromised gait, allowing them to gain mobility and some of the numerous and tangible system-wide benefits of movement. To this end, it is essential to discover how to develop and use neuroprostheses to maximize gait performance and stability.

Research Programs

• Lower Extremity FES Program

Co-Investigator Programs

• Ohio Neurostimulation and Neuromodulation Partnership, National Institutes of Health
• Enhancing Neuroprosthesis Performance with Cuff Electrodes, National Institutes of Health
• Electrical Treatment of Reflex Incontinence, Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service
• Development and testing of a novel device for diagnosis of urinary incontinence.
• Development of a muscle powered cardiac assist device, NASA

Publications (Select)

Entire publication list can be found here.