University of South Florida Planning Grant: I/UCRC for iPERFORM Center for Assistive Technologies to Enhance Human Performance

南佛罗里达大学的辅助、康复和机器人技术中心(CART)将通过成为现有的NSF IUCRC iPERFORM辅助技术中心来提高人类性能，从而提高辅助技术和人类性能领域的工程师、研究人员和从业人员的能力。IPerform中心目前包括德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校(UTA)和达拉斯大学(UTD)。CARTT将研究、教育和服务相结合，以改善人类表现，包括残疾或高龄个人的能力。将与行业合作伙伴一起探索用于职业培训的虚拟现实、智能轮椅和电动移动设备、自适应驾驶模拟器、中风后康复训练系统以及帮助做出假肢决策的移动应用程序等创新。美国联邦还将与退伍军人事务部、佛罗里达州职业康复司、科学和工业博物馆、女童子军思想设计营和佛罗里达州-佐治亚州路易斯·斯托克斯少数群体参与联盟合作，以向广大受众推广科学、工程和创业精神。与辅助技术和提高人类表现相关的现实世界问题将被整合到课程中，如Capstone高级设计、人类因素、康复工程、Haptics和生物宇航学，以激励该领域未来的科学家和工程师。USF的学生分会，如生物医学工程学会，也将帮助开发和实施与IPERFORM中心目标相关的研究项目。这项规划拨款的目标是建立南佛罗里达大学(USF)，作为现有IPERFORM中心的补充。USF的CARTT在将研究、教育和服务与跨学科和机构间协作研究的良好记录相结合方面拥有专业知识，这些研究导致了新型辅助、康复、可穿戴和机器人技术的开发。USF的团队在辅助技术的人体测试方面拥有专业知识，这是改进设计并使其在商业上可行所必需的。USF有几个运动捕捉系统，其中两个被实施到虚拟现实系统中，允许在现实环境中安全地进行测试，同时提供受控和可重复的测试协议。这使得量化数据能够改进辅助技术，并使其为吸引行业合作伙伴所需的市场做好准备。USF的能力与现有NSF IUCRC iPERFORM中心的重点和目标是协同的，其中包括吸引对辅助技术商业化的支持，以及促进由客户和行业需求驱动的学术界创新。通过USF Carrt的一体化整体模式，工程师和科学家与临床医生、康复从业者和艺术家一起工作，一个独特的研发结构将加强IPERFORM中心。

The University of South Florida's, Center for Assistive, Rehabilitation & Robotics Technologies (CARRT) will increase the capacity of engineers, researchers and practitioners in the assistive technology and human performance field by becoming a Site in the existing NSF IUCRC iPERFORM Center for Assistive Technologies to Enhance Human Performance. The iPerform Center currently includes the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and at Dallas (UTD). CARRT combines research, education and service to improve human performance, including the capabilities of individuals with a disability or of advanced age. Innovations such as virtual reality for job training, intelligent wheelchairs and powered mobility devices, adaptive driving simulators, training systems for rehabilitation after a stroke, and a mobile app to help with decisions about a prosthesis will be explored with industrial partners. USF will also work with the Tampa VA, the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Museum of Science and Industry, Girls Scouts Minds for Design Camp and Florida-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in order to promote science, engineering and entrepreneurship to a broad audience. Real world problems associated with assistive technologies and enhancing human performance will be integrated into courses such as Capstone Senior Design, Human Factors, Rehabilitation Engineering, Haptics and Bioastronautics motivating future scientists and engineers in the field. USF's student chapters such as the Biomedical Engineering Society will also help in the development and implementation of the research projects related to the goals of the iPERFORM Center.The objective of this planning grant is to establish the University of South Florida (USF) as a Site addition to the existing iPERFORM Center. USF's CARRT has expertise in integrating research, education and service with a strong record of interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborative research that has led to the development of novel assistive, rehabilitation, wearable and robotics technologies. USF's team has expertise in the human testing of assistive technologies that is necessary to improve designs and make them commercially viable. USF has several motion capture systems including two that are implemented into virtual reality systems that allow for testing in realistic environments safely while providing controlled and repeatable testing protocols. This allows for quantitative data that can improve assistive technologies and prepare them for market necessary to attract industry partners. USF's capabilities are synergistic to the focus and goals of the existing NSF IUCRC iPERFORM Center that include attracting support towards the commercialization of assistive technologies and promoting innovation in academia that is driven by customer and industrial needs. Through USF CARRT's integrated holistic model in which engineers and scientists work with clinicians, rehabilitation practitioners and artists, a unique structure for research and development will strengthen the iPERFORM Center.