Spina bifida is a disease that consists of a defective closure of the spine that arises during the fourth week of gestation. It is classified into three types, spina bifida occulta, spina bifida meningocele, and spina bifida myelomeningocele. The latter is the most serious case that manifests itself in newborns by the formation of a small sac covered by a thin layer of skin at the opening of the spinal column. In 2009, newborns affected by myelomeningocele ranged from 0.5 to two per 1,000 pregnancies worldwide. In Peru, it is estimated that 6 per 10,000 newborns suffer from myelomeningocele. This congenital disease generates several complications in infants during their growth, such as hydrocephalus and skeletal deformities. Likewise, due to the damage to their nervous system derived from myelomeningocele, infants present a decrease or abolition of motor function in their lower extremities, drastically hindering their development and quality of life.

Sick babies as adults become dependent on objects such as wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. Therefore, in view of this problem, the design of a robotic system for the rehabilitation of affected newborns was proposed as a project in order to increase the possibility that newborns learn the ability to walk. The project is developed within the framework of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program and includes the participation of the Mechanical Engineering student Mijaíl Mendoza Flores. The project is led by Dr. Emir Vela, senior professor of Mechanical Engineering and leader of the Micro-Biorobotics Laboratory at UTEC, and Dr. Ellen Roche, professor and researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with two of her graduate students. The institutions that participate in the project are UTEC, MIT and the INS del Niño de San Borja.

Researchers

• Emir Vela, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator UTEC
• Ellen Roche, Ph.D. – Co PI MIT
• Mijaíl Mendoza Flores – UTEC
• Samuel Dutra Gollob – MIT
• Bon H Koo – MIT

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