Center FOR Biomechanical & 
Rehabilitation EngineerinG 
CBRE

Creator & Director: Lara Thompson, Ph.D.
 Professor of Mechanical Engineering

The Center for Biomechanical & Rehabilitation Engineering (CBRE) lab at the University of the District of Columbia is a state-of the art research and education space with a focus placed on studying human mobility (balance, posture and gait) for unimpaired as well as impaired populations.  

The mission of the CBRE is to seek knowledge tied to human balance and mobility for a wide array of populations and to provide meaningful experiential learning and hands-on research training to equip and prepare a diverse demographic of students for the biomedical engineering workforce. 

 

The CBRE lab is equipped with the following:

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• A Tekscan Walkway System used to measure individual’s ground reaction forces needed to assess standing balance and gait

• A Vicon Motion Capture System, used to measure subject’s body kinematics/movements

• A NaviGAITor System for multidirectional partial body-weight support and safety from falls; The NaviGAITor at UDC is 1 of 2 that exists nationwide

• A Delsys surface electromyography (or sEMG) used to measure muscle activity/response to determine postural strategies/muscle synergies

• Open Bionics prosthetic hand for upper limb amputees

• Brain Vision EEG System to measure electric brain activity/response

• HTC Vive Virtual Reality System to create simulated environments