CapstoneEngineerMagazineFall2026 - Flipbook - Page 10
Using these compounds in drug delivery systems not
only aids in drug delivery and drug accumulation at the targeted
site, but it also helps reduce the toxicity of the drug on a
patient’s body. This function is unique to EVs. Standard cancer
treatments lack the ability to target cancer cells so directly,
causing more intense side effects.
After identifying promising natural compounds and
producing the optimized EVs, the research team will
further validate the effectiveness and proper dosing of these
compounds using drug-resistant breast cancer cells as a model
system. The long-term goal is to develop safer, more effective
therapies that restore the effectiveness of existing cancer
treatments and improve patient outcomes.
DR. QIANG “JASON” ZHANG
Every year, nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke, and many
live with long-term challenges affecting movement, balance,
walking and independence. Stroke and other neurological or
mobility-related conditions can damage the body’s ability to
coordinate movement, making effective rehabilitation essential
for recovery and quality of life.
Dr. Qiang “Jason” Zhang is an assistant professor in the
department of mechanical engineering. His research focuses
on biomedical robotic devices, wearable robotic technologies,
neuromuscular modeling and control, human-machine
interaction, and assistive technologies for rehabilitation.
Zhang is the director of the Enhanced NeuroRobotics Autonomy
and Biomechanical Engineering (ENABLE) Laboratory, which
facilitates research projects integrating biomechanics and
arti昀椀cial intelligence to create wearable robotics that help
with mobility and balance.
Projects within the ENABLE Lab focus on creating solutions
for people with mobility de昀椀cits and other challenges, including
those who have survived strokes, spinal cord injuries, limb
amputations or paralysis.
“The main goal for this lab is to develop robotic devices
and control strategies to provide customized and personalized
assistance to help people overcome mobility challenges and
disorders and improve gait function, locomotion, sitting and
standing movements, upper limb function, and to ultimately
improve quality of life,” Zhang said.
PERSONALIZED ROBOTIC ASSISTANCE FOR
MOBILITY AND BALANCE ENHANCEMENT
In one project, Zhang works with hemiparetic stroke survivors
who have lost function in one side to strengthen their weakened
limb and improve their gait. Zhang uses reinforcement learning
algorithms to train a robotic hip exoskeleton in order to provide
optimal, personalized assistance to each individual.
“In a person who is paralyzed on just one side, we analyze
them during a walking scenario on the treadmill without
using any interventions or robotic devices. Then, we apply the
wearable hip exoskeleton, which is kind of a hip brace, on both
the left- and right-hand sides,” Zhang said. “We control the
motors on the exoskeleton to be able to adapt the participant’s
behavior. The goal here is to try to improve the walking
stability and the symmetry between the paralyzed and the
non-paralyzed sides.”
10 | CAPSTONE ENGINEER | FALL 2026
Zhang and his colleagues found that the assistance from
the exoskeleton resulted in a greater range of motion of the
affected hip joint, as well as greater symmetry between the
two sides.
The ENABLE Lab also studies balance recovery in people
who may be at higher risk of falling, including older adults.
Fall accidents cost the U.S. healthcare system around $50
billion each year, making prevention paramount to the health
of the country’s aged population and the economy. Zhang
utilizes a cable-driven robotic assistive device to aid
in rehabilitation training of those who are prone to falls.
The participant stands still on a treadmill, and the
researchers then apply controlled force on the participant’s
center of mass using a cable attached near their pelvis
to cause them to falter. Several sensors attached to the
participant measure the muscular reactions as they recover
from the perturbance, allowing Zhang to evaluate their
biomechanical and neuromuscular response.
Then, they attach the hip exoskeleton to help the
individual return to an upright, balanced stature quickly
and strongly.
“We can alter the magnitude of the torque or force from
the hip exoskeleton to try to 昀椀nd the maximum bene昀椀t the
exoskeleton can bring to a person when their balance is
perturbed,” Zhang said. “This personalized assistance can
help the patient regain their balance better and ultimately
can promote healthy aging.”
ROBOTIC ULTRASOUND FOR MUSCLE ASSESSMENT
The ENABLE Lab is also extending its ultrasound research
into robotic imaging systems. In this project, Zhang’s team
integrates a robotic arm with an ultrasound machine to help
position and move the ultrasound probe in a more consistent
and controlled way. Instead of relying only on manual probe
placement, the robotic system can help regulate how much
force the probe applies to the body, the angle of the probe
and the path it follows during imaging.
This work could support more reliable assessment of
muscle structure and function, particularly for rehabilitation
and neuromuscular health monitoring. By combining
robotics, ultrasound imaging and arti昀椀cial intelligence, the
system may one day help clinicians and researchers collect
repeatable muscle images, track changes in tissue or muscle
behavior, and better understand how the body responds to
injury, disease or rehabilitation.
DR. AMANDA KOH
We’ve all tried to make something work for us that just won’t
function — squeezing into a too-small pair of shoes always
results in blisters; trying to ride someone else’s bike when
your feet don’t reach the pedals probably means you aren’t
going anywhere; and wearing glasses with a prescription that
doesn’t match yours can throw off your depth perception and
eyesight. The same principle applies to one often overlooked
medical device: blood pressure cuffs.
When taking vitals, medical practitioners visually assess
the size of the arm where the blood pressure cuff would 昀椀t,
then choose the appropriate cuff. Many things, including the
