Description of Research Expertise
My research is mainly in the area of robot-mediated rehabilitation. I am focused on the investigation and rehabilitation of dysfunction due to aging, neural disease, and neural injury. I am particularly interested in 1) exploring the relationships between brain plasticity and behavioral/motor control changes after robot-assisted interventions; 2)quantifying motor impairment and motor control of the upper limb in real world tasks such as drinking; and 3) defining the methods to maintain therapeutic effectiveness while administering local and remote, robot-mediated interventions.
I direct the Rehabilitation Robotics Lab. This is a new Lab within the Department of Physical, Medicine, and Rehabilitation in the Perelman School of Medicine. The Rehabilitation Robotics Lab mission is to use robotics,rehabilitation,and neuroscience techniques to translate research findings into the development of assistive and therapeutic rehabilitation robots capable of functioning in real-world rehabilitation environments. Our goal is to improve the quality of life and function on activities of daily living (ADLs) of our target population in supervised or under-supervised settings.
Keywords (in alphabetical order): Brain Plasticity, Design, Controls, Motor Control, Robotics, Rehabilitation, Stroke, Therapy, Upper Limb
Selected Publications
Julie C Skorup, Samuel R Pierce, Noor Ruwaih, Sara B DeMauro, Michelle J Johnson, Laura A Prosser: Hammersmith Neonatal and Infant Neurological Examinations Scores in Typically Developing Infants Aged 1-6 Months Journal of Child Neurology 40 (1): 10-14,2025.
Abriana Stewart-Height, Daniel E Koditschek, Michelle J Johnson: Reimagining robotic walkers for real-world outdoor play environments with insights from legged robots: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology 18 (6): 798-818,2021.
Rithwik Udayagiri, Jessica Yin, Xinyao Cai, William Townsend, Varun Trivedi, Rohan Shende, O Francis Sowande, Laura A Prosser, James H Pikul, Michelle J Johnson: Towards an AI-driven soft toy for automatically detecting and classifying infant-toy interactions using optical force sensors Frontiers in Robotics and AI
11 ( 1325296): 2024.
Sobrepera, Michael J; Nguyen, Anh T; Gavin, Emily S; Johnson, Michelle J: Insights into the deployment of a social robot-augmented telepresence robot in an elder care clinic – perspectives from patients and therapists: a pilot study Robotica 42 (5): 1321-1349,2024.
Michelle J Johnson, Shafagh Keyvanian, Rochelle J Mendonca: Chapter 31: Toward inclusive rehabilitation robots In Rehabilitation Robots for Neurorehabilitation in High-, Low-, and Middle-Income Countries : 2024.
Naomi T Fitter, Mayumi Mohan, Rhian C Preston, Michelle J Johnson, Katherine J Kuchenbecker: How should robots exercise with people? Robot-mediated exergames win with music, social analogues, and gameplay clarity Frontiers in Robotics and AI 10 : 1155837,2024.
Kevin Doan-Khang Bui, Michelle J Johnson, Rochelle J Mendonca: Human-centered design for acceptability and usability In Rehabilitation Robots for Neurorehabilitation in High-, Low-, and Middle-Income Countries : 457-469,2024.
Rochelle J Mendonca, Carol A Wamsley, Chung-Ying Owen Tsai, Hao Su, Michelle J Johnson: Chapter 6 - North America and Caribbean region: USA Rehabilitation Robots for Neurorehabilitation in High-, Low-, and Middle-Income Countries : 97-115,2024.
Sobrepera, Michael J; Elfishawy, Julie; Nguyen, Anh T; Prosser, Laura P; Johnson, Michelle J: Insights on Telecommunication Use by Rehabilitation Therapists Before, During, and Beyond COVID-19 Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation 6 (2): 100326,2024.
Kevin Doan-Khang Bui, Michelle J Johnson, Rochelle J Mendonca: Rehabilitation Robots for Neurorehabilitation in High-, Low-, and Middle-Income Countries Academic Press : 457-469,2024.
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Academic Contact Information
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
1800 Lombard Street, 1st Floor, Office 9
Philadelphia,
PA
19146
Phone: 215-893-2665