A coin flip that led to helping change lives- UH project help young children with mobility disabilities – The Cougar

For computer and systems engineering Ph.D. student Jesus Rodriguez, engineering isn’t just about software and code, it’s about giving back to the community and helping those around him.

Rodriguez works on a project called P-LEGS, the Pediatric Lower Extremity Gait System initiated by Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, the principal investigator of the project. He works specifically on a robotic exoskeleton designed to rehabilitate young children with mobility disabilities.

Originally from Mexico, Rodriguez moved to the U.S. during middle school, returned to Mexico to complete his bachelor’s degree and later decided to come back to the States to pursue graduate study.

After his mother told him about a new scholarship offered by Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission at UH, Rodriguez began researching the University and came across the P-LEGS project. Right at this moment, he knew he wanted to work alongside Contreras-Vidal.

“Helping people is something I want to do the rest of my life, and so I applied to the University specifically to work on this project and to work with Dr. Contreras,” Rodriguez said.

The coin flip

Rodriguez originally studied neuroscience but realized he did not see himself spending the rest of his life doing laboratory work.

Despite having various interests, he narrowed his choices to computer science and engineering. The decision, however, was not meticulously planned.

“I knew I liked coding, so I thought, what can I do with coding? Either computer science or engineering,” Rodriguez said. “So I flipped a coin, and well, engineering won.”

A calling rooted in community service

Acts of service have been embedded in Rodriguez for as long as he can remember, from helping strangers and family members to volunteering in his community.

In Mexico, he volunteered at a children’s museum, where he taught kids about science, history and culture.

From demonstrating electrical experiments to giving lessons on climate change, he saw firsthand how education and engagement could light up a child’s eyes, Rodriguez said.

He describes himself as an introvert, but Rodriguez pushes himself to connect with others when it means making an impact or bringing a smile to someone’s face.

“When it’s for somebody else, when it’s for making people smile, I put my energy into it,” Rodriguez said. “Even if I drain all my social battery.”

The P-LEGS project

The P-LEGS exoskeleton is built to assist children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida or spinal cord injuries.

Traditional physical therapy focuses on one aspect of movement at a time, such as knee motion or balance. Rodriguez explained that the exoskeleton is designed to imitate movement at the hips, knees and ankles, allowing children to practice full gait movements simultaneously.

A goal of the exoskeleton project is to create a more accessible and affordable alternative to existing systems that can be used both in clinics and at home, helping families who struggle to transport their children to hospitals.

The device will be first used in the clinics and then at home, so kids can benefit from both.

“One of the things that we learned from those enrolled in the study is that some children’s families find it really hard to get to the hospital,” Rodriguez said. “But those children deserve the right to be able to move. We want the price to be affordable. We want it to be as accessible as possible.”

The team is currently conducting a pilot study to test the device with both neurotypical children and children with mobility impairments. The data collected will help the team work toward FDA clearance.

Wherever his career leads, Rodriguez said one notion will remain unchanged: the work must matter.

“My core idea is that wherever I go in life, I want to do work that advances something, a technology that helps people,” Rodriguez said.

Many children with mobility disabilities reside in Houston, and through this project Rodriguez hopes to improve not only a child’s life but also the community that surrounds them.

For children learning to walk with the help of robotics, that advancement could mean more than the success of a project, it could mean independence.

“What I really want to see is the same thing that I saw back when I used to volunteer at the museum in Mexico, children’s faces lighting up, seeing their own self-improvement, endurance and improving the things that they couldn’t do alone before,” Rodriguez said. “That will not only impact the kids, but also the parents, the sisters, brothers and their extended family. It’s an improvement that fuels the soul.”

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