Nov. 4, 2025
Pitt to Lead Major Project to Create Robotic Wheelchair
Pitt's Human Engineering Research Laboratories, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, received up to $41.5 million to develop a next-generation wheelchair and assistive robotic arm system.
TOPICS: Accolades and Awards
Designs on Aging-Ready
By Strategic Communications
Researchers at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), an institute under the University of Pittsburgh's schools of health sciences and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, were awarded up to $41.5 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop the Robotic Assisted Mobility and Manipulation Platform (RAMMP) system. HERL will lead a team using next-generation robotics and assistive technology to reimagine a wheelchair and robotic arm that will improve independence, safety and quality of life for people with disabilities, including veterans.
The project’s coprincipal investigators are Rory Cooper, director of HERL and Distinguished Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering, and Jorge Candiotti, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and research biomedical engineer within HERL and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Most powered wheelchairs aren’t designed to overcome many of the common challenges in the real world...We need smarter technology that prevents tipping and falling, improves mobility and adds more function such as coordinated mobility and robotic arm manipulation of objects so people with disabilities can fully participate in everyday life.”
Rory Cooper, director of HERL and Distinguished Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering
RAMMP will integrate advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, a novel operating system, and digital twin technology through the Robotic Assistive Mobility Manipulation Simulation (RAMMS) environment, a virtual platform for precise, safe and scalable testing and development in realistic simulated settings.
“Most powered wheelchairs aren’t designed to overcome many of the common challenges in the real world—and changing the environment to accommodate them is nearly impossible,” said Cooper. “We need smarter technology that prevents tipping and falling, improves mobility and adds more function such as coordinated mobility and robotic arm manipulation of objects so people with disabilities can fully participate in everyday life.”
The RAMMP system will enhance powered mobility and manipulation devices by improving function, obstacle detection and negotiation, and integration with robotic arms for better object interaction. Its real-time 360° environmental awareness and adaptive control will help users navigate complex environments with greater confidence and safety.
“We are redesigning everything from the ground up,” Cooper said. “In terms of the seating system, the base, its robotic arm, the control system, the mechanical design, the operating system —everything will be new.”
HERL received this landmark award—the first from ARPA-H to Pitt as lead—in recognition of its pioneering work in mobility technology. HERL previously developed the Mobility Enhancement Robotic Wheelchair (MEBot), capable of autonomously climbing curbs and stairs and maintaining a level seat using six independently controlled wheels and onboard sensors.
Each year, more than 100,000 wheelchair-related injuries are treated in U.S. emergency departments due to tips and falls. RAMMP will address these safety issues using Participatory Action Design and Engineering (PADE), a user-centered process involving wheelchair users, clinicians and advocacy groups in co-designing real-world solutions.
RAMMP will also create a new workforce and manufacturing opportunities in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, aiming to produce advanced mobility systems domestically.
Joining Pitt in this national consortium are Kinova Robotics, LUCI Mobility, ATDev, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Northeastern University and Purdue University.
The five-year project, “RAMMP: Robotic Assistive Mobility and Manipulation Platform Providing Independence for People with Disabilities,” launched in September 2025.
This research was funded, in part, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.