This Is Quite Possibly the Most Proud I've Ever Been of UofL
By Michelle on August 14, 2008
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| bioengineering, innovations, science
Why yes, I am a crazy dog person. Why do you ask? Is it because I'm beyond pleased that a bioengineer at the University of Louisville studied the inadequacies in dog wheelchairs? Or is it because I'm just all warm and fuzzy that she not only developed a better dog wheelchair but is also putting the instructions for building it on the internet for free because this is "not about making money. It's about improving the quality of life for injured dogs and their owners." Warm and fuzzy people, I feel warm and fuzzy and full of love for the University of Louisville and the innovation it inspires.
Bertocci will be presenting a paper on how she and her students developed the wheelchair this weekend at the Fifth International Symposium on Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy in Veterinary Medicine.
You're such a rockstar Gina Bertocci.When a family dog's hind legs are paralyzed from injuries, nerve problems or disease, its owners face a tough decision. They can take on the demanding job of caring for a pet which no longer can walk, or they can have the animal euthanized.
University of Louisville bioengineer Gina Bertocci was deeply troubled by the problem, so this past year, she and mechanical engineering graduate student Eddie Fowler designed and developed an adjustable wheelchair for paraplegic dogs that anyone can build with items commonly found at a hardware store.
She's not pursuing a patent on their invention. Instead, she plans to post free instructions on the Internet for people who want to build the wheelchair themselves.
"This isn't about making money," said Bertocci, an endowed chair of biomechanics at Speed School of Engineering with a joint appointment in pediatrics. "It's about improving the quality of life for injured dogs and their owners."
Bertocci will be presenting a paper on how she and her students developed the wheelchair this weekend at the Fifth International Symposium on Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy in Veterinary Medicine.
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