Michael Fritschi

Khalifa University of Science and Technology

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Michael Fritschi is a researcher at the intersection of rehabilitation robotics and human motor control, with a focus on developing innovative technologies to restore mobility and balance in patients with neurological impairments. His most impactful work, "Multidirectional transparent support for overground gait training" (2013, 85 citations), addresses a critical bottleneck in locomotor rehabilitation: the lack of robotic overhead support systems that allow natural, multidirectional movement during overground training. This contribution has been foundational for researchers seeking to design transparent, patient-responsive devices that unweight patients without impeding their gait dynamics. Fritschi also advanced sensor technology for compliant actuators, proposing a novel method to measure spring force via coil spring inductance (2015), eliminating the need for additional sensor hardware in Series Elastic Actuators. In parallel, his work on human balance responses to horizontal-plane perturbations (2014) broadens our understanding of postural control, moving beyond traditional sagittal-plane studies to investigate how the upper body reacts to destabilizing forces. By combining engineering ingenuity with deep insights into human neuromechanics, Fritschi’s research provides both practical tools for rehabilitation and fundamental knowledge of balance strategies, making him a key contributor to the future of assistive robotic systems.