Schearer, Eric, PhD

My primary research interest is in the application of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to provide disabled individuals with increased independence and improved quality of life.

In particular, I have focused my work on FES as applied to cervical level spinal cord injury. These individuals have paralyzed muscles in both their hands and arms. FES can be used to produce grasp and release motions, allowing the individual to perform many tasks that they could not otherwise perform independently.

AREAS OF INTEREST

• Learning models of the response of the arm to electrical stimulation from force and motion data
• Planning feasible movement trajectories given limitations in FES systems
• Automatic improvement of FES control based on tactile feedback from a therapist or caregiver

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Model Learning and Planning for Control of Paralyzed Human Arms using Functional Electrical Stimulation