Current Projects
Infant Hip Biomechanics
The BABI Lab is working to develop a “smart” Pavlik Harness, a device commonly used to treat Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in infants. DDH is the leading cause for early-onset hip osteoarthritis in people under 50 years old. The goal of this research is to develop a “smart” Pavlik Harness in order to understand the use of the Pavlik Harness to treat DDH in infants more. We are currently recruiting for this study and if you are interested please visit our Participation page for more information.
Infant Rolling
In the BABI Lab, we conducted research to understand how babies achieve a roll. This important motor milestone is not well understood, and we hope this research will elucidate the coordinated movements and muscle activity that babies use to roll over. The results of this study can be used to understand delays in motor development and in safety of commercial infant gear. We are currently recruiting for this study and if you are interested, please visit our Participation page for more information.
Past Projects
Inclined Sleep Products
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission had received hundreds of reports of infant injury and death related to the inclined sleep product class in a 10 year period. Our research team designed an in vivo study to understand how the design of the inclined sleep products impacts a baby’s ability to move and use their muscles. We found that none of the products we examined were safe for infant sleep. Our research contributed to the ongoing conversation regarding the safety of infant gear.
Concrete Jungle
This project focused on a caregivers experience while carrying infants in various methods. Our purpose is to describe muscle activation and spatiotemporal mechanics of these individuals when carrying a 12 lb infant manikin in a car seat, body carrier, stroller, in arms, and unloaded. This will help understand the biomechanics of the understudied perinatal population.
Safety of Infant Gear
The BABI Lab is working to develop methods to test the safety of infant products, with a primary focus on preventing asphyxiation. Many infant products are unregulated, meaning that manufactures lack guidance on how to ensure products are safe for babies. The goal of this arm of our research is to define the problems that face the commercial baby gear industry, then work to develop testing solutions to mitigate hazards. We seek to understand how babies interact with everyday products, and how those products may impact a baby’s movement and/or ability to breathe.