Development of a Robotic Lewis Rat Ankle & Foot for Advanced Testing and Evaluation of Regenerative Treatment Solutions; Redefining Care: Competing Forces Shaping the Future of Medical AI

How can models and automation improve patient care? Advanced medical technology can enhance diagnostics, reduce errors, expand access to care and lower costs. However, without thoughtful oversight, these technologies may also amplify existing disparities, raising critical questions about how we define and measure quality care.

To accelerate the development of therapies for volumetric muscle loss (VML) injuries, we designed a robotic model of the Lewis rat hindlimb that replicates anatomical gait and force generation while allowing customizable injury simulations. Current in vivo and computational methods are limited by ethical concerns and modeling constraints. Our approach combines CADbased design, 3D printing, and actuators to enable real-world interaction and testing, providing a reproducible, modular platform that could reduce reliance on live animal models and help validate neural control strategies aimed at restoring gait in wounded warriors. Through a series of motion capture trials, we found the motion of the model was able to replicate the motion of the rat very accurately, with an average error of only 11 degrees. The model can likely do even better with a slight adjustment for the moment the foot causes. The force output from the model can be easily altered to replicate the biological outputs once material is published on these factors.

In American healthcare, the safety implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning hinge on who controls its development and deployment. Private corporations have been more influential than government agencies, clinicians and patients. Without inclusively developed regulations, AI may amplify inequities. Because regulations have not kept pace with technological innovation, regulatory responses are urgently needed.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Technical Advisor: Shawn D. Russell

STS Advisor: Peter Norton

Technical Team Members: Brandon Lawrence, Maximus Cresti