MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
Rory Cooper
Empowering people with disabilities to work, travel, engage with others and participate in a life that is free from barriers. This is the mission—and legacy—of Rory Cooper, Distinguished Professor of Rehabilitation Science and Technology and founder of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more than 30 years, Cooper and his researchers have harnessed the power of technology to transform the design, construction and utilization of power and manual wheelchairs and other mobility and manipulation devices. The result: 30 U.S. patents awarded or pending, two textbooks, more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and countless lives changed for the better.
A 2023 inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Cooper was hailed by President Joe Biden for his seminal work “empowering the lives of millions of Americans.”
“People often talk about the research for a cure for various disabilities,” notes Cooper, who has been a wheelchair user since an accident in 1980 left him paralyzed from the waist down. “But for many of us, technology is really the cure.”
Utilizing cloud computing, artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and other innovations, Cooper and his team at HERL have embarked on new ventures that will further support inclusivity.
Through a new Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Physical Access and Transportation for People with Disabilities, they are developing ways to make electric vehicles and commercial airlines more accessible. During the next five years, Cooper will be investigating how people with disabilities can get in and out of vehicles and how their wheelchairs can safely be docked in commercial airplanes. “Within 10 years, we hope to see our recommendations implemented,” says Cooper.
“People often talk about the research for a cure for various disabilities, but for many of us, technology is really the cure.”
In addition, a separate RERC on the Power of Play strives to increase participation of people with disabilities in recreational exercise. Novel recreational technologies coupled with advanced training and strategies will make adaptive sports and recreation safe and affordable for all, especially those in underserved communities.
“Recreation helps maintain our spiritual, physical and emotional health,” says Cooper. “Through this kind of research, recreation will be possible for everyone, especially people with disabilities.”