This weekend on Sept 13th, our team had the opportunity to visit the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Research Center of Excellence located in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. HERL is also the national Center for Wheelchairs and Assistive Robotics Engineering, making it a hub for innovation that changes lives every day.
During our visit, we learned that HERL students and scholars work directly with veterans to design and test devices ranging from advanced wheelchairs to robotics solutions for daily living. Dr. Cooper explained, “We’ve changed rehab in this country because of the work we have done at Pitt in partnership with the VA and the Department of Defense. Not only for veterans—but for everyone.”
For our team, this visit was a reminder of the broader purpose behind robotics: to use creativity, collaboration, and technical skills to solve real-world challenges. We left HERL motivated to keep learning and pushing forward with our own designs, knowing that robotics can truly make a difference