Improving Locomotion through the Design and Control of Wearable Robotics
We design and develop new controllers for wearable robotics (prosthetics and exoskeletons), used to rehabilitate and assist a wide range of patient populations with mobility impairments. We seek to improve patient mobility by creating assistive devices that are powerful but lightweight and comfortable; delivering intuitive assistance that makes locomotion easier; and developing prescription techniques that fuse gait biomechanics, patient perception, and clinician observation. See our Research Page for an overview of recent work.
We are always looking for highly motivated and intrinsically curious graduate students to join the lab. If you are interested in joining, please contact Dr. Shepherd at m.shepherd@northeastern.edu.
Lab News
Nathan Receives Award!
Nathan received the John and Katharine Cipolla early student career merit award from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, for his research developing a novel robotic prosthetic ankle.
Brittany Receives Microgrant from O&P Foundation
Brittany Moores CPO received the $2k Fall Microgrant from The O&P Foundation! Her project is on: “Understanding Clinical Phrases from Patient and Prosthetist Perspectives.” Link
New Grant!
(May 2025) The Shepherd Lab received a new $750k grant from the Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP) to develop new breakaway device to protect bone-anchored limbs from overload! This is a collaboration with Sandra Shefelbine at Northeastern and Kazu Saitou at the University of Michigan.
New Papers from the Lab
(April 2025) Congrats to Pavan Shetty (MS Thesis) and PhD candidate Brittany Moores CPO on their latest papers:
“Ankle Exoskeleton Control via Data-Driven Gait Estimation for Walking, Running, and Inclines” in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. Link
“The Footropter: A Passive Prosthetic Prescription Tool With Adjustable Forefoot and Hindfoot Stiffness” in IEEE TNRSE. Link
New Grant!
(September 2025) The Shepherd Lab is collaborating with Little Room Innovations on a new ~$2M SBIR Fast Track to study how a Passive Dorsiflexing Ankle can improve outcomes for lower limb amputees.
New Lab News section
New lab news section! Some wins from this year will be backdated to get us started.