New book release from Dr. Sangram Redkar

Dr. Sangram Redkar has written a new book entitled “Order Reduction Of Parametrically Excited Nonlinear Systems: Techniques And Applications,” which presents rigorous techniques for order reduction of nonlinear systems with periodic coefficients. The techniques proposed here construct a reduced order equivalent system by expressing the non-dominant states as time-varying functions of the dominant (master) states. This reduced order model preserves stability properties and is easier to analyze, simulate and control since it consists of relatively small number of states in comparison with the large-scale system.

About the Author:

Sangram Redkar completed his PhD from Auburn University and M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay). Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering Technology, Arizona State University. His research interests are Nonlinear Dynamics and Control Inertial Navigation and GPS.

Book Details:

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing (September 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3838311892
• ISBN-13: 978-3838311890

Robot Rehab

ASU Poly students developing robotic physical therapy device

Students designing physical therapy machine

A machine currently being developed by ASU student engineers could help people with physical disabilities and injuries recover through physical therapy.

The machine, called the Neurovator, is a device originally designed by local physical therapist Dwight Schaeffer, and now ASU students have stepped in to help actualize Schaeffer's design.

The Advanced Technology Innovation Center and students in ASU's College of Technology and Innovation are collaborating with Schaeffer to build the device as part of their senior capstone project.

The invention will hopefully provide patients with better care as well as be a more economical option to traditional physical therapy, Schaeffer said.

"The patient doesn't just lay there and be passive, it's making them take an active role [in their recovery]," he said.

Jerry Gintz, a lecturer for the department of engineering technology who supervises the project at ASU, said he hopes to see students gain knowledge through the hands-on experience they get while constructing the machine.

"This truly gives [students] a real-world view of what engineers are faced with today," Gintz said.

The Neurovator is a total body machine designed to help those with physical disabilities, including muscular dystrophy, and patients who have recently undergone surgery to maintain healthy limbs and a good range of motion, he said.

It is designed to train both the patient's brain and body as it challenges the body to increase the strength and range of motion and creates muscle memory.

Schaeffer said he came up with the idea based on his career experience as a physical therapist, and he's constantly trying to advance his knowledge and experience in the therapy field.

"I'm kind of like Benjamin Franklin," he said. "I never want to stop studying and learning."

Students from last semester constructed the basic parts of the machine, and this semester, students are working to improve and build on the work done by the previous students.

Mechanical engineering technology senior George Armas is currently serving as the project manager.

"We're picking up where [previous students] left off and refining their ideas, trying to make it more user friendly," he said.

The group is working on putting together a 3-D model, Armas said, which it hopes to have completed by the end of the semester.

He chose this particular project as a capstone project over others because of the opportunity to have a positive impact on members of the community.

"It's something we could accomplish that would help a lot of people," Armas said. "It's great to help out by using the skills wisely to help make the world a better place."

ASU Insight: Recognizing the value of ATIC

Students think outside the box with physical therapy project

   Dwight Schaeffer, a Valley physical therapist, isn’t the only one who recognizes the value of the Advanced Technology Innovation Center (ATIC) and the students in the College of Technology and Innovation at Arizona State University. The U.S. News & World Report recently credited both entities as playing a nurturing role in making Phoenix one of the top 10 cities offering tech job opportunities.
   ATIC, based at the Polytechnic campus, facilitates science and technology collaborations between businesses and ASU entities for research, design and development of new products or concepts.
    Along with ATIC and the engineering technology students in the college, Schaeffer is realizing a dream of developing an automated robotic physical therapy device. Schaeffer has a patent on the device, but needed a prototype built to move it closer to commercialization.
   He contacted ATIC after seeing an article about the center in the newspaper, and the project evolved into a capstone project, which is a culminating activity for undergraduate students in the College of Technology and Innovation.
   The first phase of the project, completed last spring, involved research and finalizing a workable design for the device, including a 3D animated computer model of the device. The second phase, which started this fall semester, involves building a working computer controlled prototype of the arm and shoulder manipulation system, including an easy-to-use control system interface.
   “This is a challenging project,” says Jerry Gintz, a senior lecturer in the mechanical and manufacturing engineering technology program and an adviser for the project. “This has pushed the students outside their comfort zones to think about the electromechanical systems involved. Humans have sensory perception that robots don’t have, and the students had to consider these carefully in the design.”
   Students started with a drawing of what Schaeffer had in mind for the design. Students researched the ergonomics and engineering involved in FDA-approved therapeutic devices that already existed in the market. Through this research, students took Schaeffer’s drawing and revised it into a therapy table that is similar to a dentist chair but can lay flat.
   The mechanics behind the table involve a system of electric motors, or actuators, and other devices that will operate the movements, but also can sense resistance in the patient’s limbs and stop before causing injury.
   “There were definitely obstacles to overcome with the project,” says Amber Brown, a mechanical engineering technology senior. “One was our lack of knowledge about human anatomy and the lines of body movement.”
   Mark Degarriz, a senior in the mechanical engineering technology program, agreed.
   “We had to figure out how to engineer the different mechanisms that would move the body in all of the different motions,” he says. “At the same time, we had to keep it simple and safe to use.”
   Schaeffer is happy with what the students developed.
   “This is very complex machinery, but it’s created in a way that technicians can be trained to run it safely and efficiently,” Schaeffer says. “Safety is the main concern, and the students have built that into the design.
   “I’m excited about how far-reaching this device’s capabilities will go, how many audiences it will help. This can help not only post-operative patients, it also can help people with debilitating diseases such as muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis.”
   “This is a real-world project,” Gintz says. “This is a project that will allow the students to apply their engineering education while helping the community.”

Prewitt, with Public Affairs at the Polytechnic campus, can be reached at
(480) 727-1023 or deborah.prewitt@asu.edu.

ATIC in the Media: Phoenix Business Journal

Phoenix gets nod as a top 10 place for tech jobs
Phoenix Business Journal - by Patrick O'Grady

The Phoenix metro area is among the top 10 places in the country to grow technology industry jobs, according to a new assessment by U.S. News and World Report.

The region was noted for having more than 81,000 technology jobs and more than 4,200 high-tech companies, as well as the presence of larger players like Microsoft, Oracle and Intel, and newcomers such a Go Daddy Group Inc. providing a solid technology base.

The magazine also cited work by Arizona State University at its College of Technology and Innovation and the Advanced Technology Innovation Center, both based at the university’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa.

Also named on the list were Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Huntsville, Ala., New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington.