Improving Wheelchairs and Engineering for Veterans
Rehabilitation Research and Development Center for Wheelchairs and Rehabilitation Engineering
This program helps Veterans with disabilities by developing better wheelchairs and assistive technologies to improve their daily lives.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11016909 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Our program, called WARE, works directly with Veterans who use mobility devices to understand their needs and create new solutions. We gather feedback through focus groups, interviews, and surveys to guide our engineering and design efforts. The goal is to develop innovative technologies that support Veterans in their health, community living, education, employment, and travel. This approach ensures that the solutions we create are truly helpful and relevant to their experiences.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for involvement in this program are Veterans with disabilities who use mobility devices and are interested in sharing their experiences to help shape future technologies.
Not a fit: Patients who do not use mobility devices or are not Veterans with disabilities may not directly benefit from this specific program's outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more comfortable, functional, and advanced mobility devices and assistive technologies, significantly enhancing the independence and quality of life for Veterans with disabilities.
How similar studies have performed: This program builds upon a long-standing, Veteran-led approach to rehabilitation engineering, incorporating consumer feedback that has proven successful in guiding technology development.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cooper, Rory a. — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Cooper, Rory a.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.