Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation - USA
MENU

Episode Three | Changing What’s Possible: The Disability Innovation Podcast | Season Three

Changing What's Possible banner. A dark gray background with different green lines with white text that reads "Changing What's Possible" and in green "This Disability Innovation Podcast"
Fri 28 Jun 2024

Changing What’s Possible: The Disability Innovation Podcast | Season Three

Episode Three | Creating Caregiving Robots to Help With Everyday Activities With Drs. Bhattacharjee and Dimitropoulou

As the fields of robotics and engineering advance, the utility of robots is no longer limited to performing simple, repetitive tasks. However, for physical robotics to be useful in real-world situations, they must be able to perform in variable and unstructured environments, as well as take into account the needs and characteristics of each individual user. This is particularly important for assistive robots being created to meet the complex needs of caregiving. 

This episode features Dr. Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee, Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Cornell University, and Dr. Katherine Dimitropoulou, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine in the Occupational Therapy Program at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 

They share their innovative research working with people with disabilities and other stakeholders to develop robots that can assist with activities of daily living like feeding and dressing. In their interview, they also discuss their new framework called Structuring Physically Assistive Robotics for Caregiving with Stakeholders-in-the-Loop (SPARCS), which is helping to address challenges with physical robot caregiving and accelerate the translation of this technology from the lab into everyday life.

View the transcript for Episode Three.

Listen and subscribe to learn more about how you or someone you care about can benefit from today’s latest advances in disability tech.

Listen on Apple Podcasts  Listen on Spotify

Thanks for listening! We’d love to know what you think of Changing What’s Possible. Please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, share your favorite episode with your friends, and help spread the word on social media. 

Follow us: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Check out previous episodes. New episodes are released every Friday. 

Thu 01 May 2025

Graphic for Mental Health Awareness Month. On the right side, there's a beige cutout of a human head in profile with colorful flowers flowing out from the top, symbolizing mental well-being. On the left, a blue box contains CPARF's white logo and white text: "Mental Health Awareness Month. 5 Ways to Care for Yourself — and Why Inclusive Mental Health Support Matters."
Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month: 5 Ways to Care for Yourself — and Why Inclusive Mental Health Support Matters   As we enter May, Mental Health Awareness Month reminds us of the importance of openly discussing mental health, something that affects us all but often goes unspoken. At CPARF, we know that mental health care is for […]

Read more

Thu 24 Apr 2025

Watercolor illustration of a smiling woman with dark skin and curly black hair wearing glasses and a peach sweater, sitting at a desk holding colorful charts. She is surrounded by colorful papers, and abstract charts in the background. A purple banner reads: “Make a Difference with Your Donor-Advised Fund. Join the #HalfMyDAF Movement.” The white logo for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation appears above the text in the right-hand corner of the purple banner.
Make a Difference with Your DAF
Make a Difference with Your Donor-Advised Fund: Join the #HalfMyDAF Movement At CPARF, we're always looking for new and meaningful ways for our supporters to create lasting impact for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. A surprisingly powerful, yet often overlooked, way to do that is through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF). And right now, [...]
Read more