Advanced Platform Technology Center
Sandra Hnat, D. Engr.
Research interests
Exoskeletons, Assistive Technology, Balance Control and Fall Mitigation/Prevention, Biologically-Inspired Control
Dr. Sandra Hnat is an Investigator with the APT Center and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and a Research Associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (2013) and Doctor of Engineering (2018) from Cleveland State University. She then completed her postdoctoral training at the APT Center and at Case Western Research University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Medicine under a NIH T32 Musculoskeletal Health Postdoctoral Training Grant.
Her research focuses on improving powered exoskeleton technology for users with lower-limb paralysis. Dr. Hnat’s projects include developing an electrical stimulation subsystem to interface with commercial exoskeletons to enhance their rehabilitative outcomes, developing balance, fall detection, and injury mitigation controllers for a hybrid exoskeleton for users with spinal cord injury, and combining surface electrical stimulation and an exoskeletal knee to improve walking after stroke.
Figures: (Left) Individual with spinal cord injury wearing the full hybrid exoskeleton during a “hands-free” perturbation experiment to assess balance improvements via actuated ankle control (Right) Able-bodied participant wearing a ReWalk Exoskeleton to determine gait phase to deliver appropriately-timed electrical stimulation in a subsystem to be used with commercial exoskeletons
 Curriculum Vitae |
 Published Work: PubMed, Research Gate |
