PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A University of Pittsburgh research group is reaching new limits and perfecting a robot to help people with ALS live better lives.

Stretch, a robot by the company Hello Robot, looks like a Roomba from the future. Researchers in Pitt’s Accessible Smart-Tech Research Group teamed up with Hello Robot and the ALS Association to work on advancing Stretch. 

“For people who have these dexterity issues or mobility issues, you can actually send the robot to do things for you. Grab a cup of water and help you to pick up things from the floor,” said Dr. Dan Ding, a University of Pittsburgh professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology.

The mobile manipulator is mostly used for research and educational purposes. Ding said the company hopes people will be able to buy them to have one in their home.

Through this new partnership, the Pitt researchers are focusing on getting the robot ready to help people with ALS do things that the progressive neurological condition takes away. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and it gets harder to perform daily tasks. It can rob people of the ability to reach for objects, walk, talk and eat.

Stretch just needs some fine-tuning.

“We really want to understand how this technology can help the individuals at different stages. And so especially when people go down to the later stage that they have to rely on a power wheelchair and then they would rely on a lot of manipulation support,” Ding said. 

She said they’re working directly with people living with ALS, their families, caregivers and clinicians to understand their everyday life needs — whether that’s help with eating, personal care, chores, or even if it’s as simple as picking things up.

“To identify the tasks that truly matter to them but also feasible to the robot. Robots cannot do everything at this time. So, we have to prioritize what kind of work that robot can really help is meaningful. So, these kind of things that we can help with and they don’t have to constantly ask caregiver to do things for them,” Ding said. 

They hope to program the robot to give independence, safety and hope to anyone living with disabilities. Ding said it’s always rewarding when they develop technology that makes a difference in people’s lives. 

“It’s very motivating for us to hear that whatever we gave them has actually helped them to do things independently that they don’t have at all, and then we take it for granted. But they have to, for a very small thing, ask people to help. And now with this technology, they don’t. They can actually decide when I want to do it,” she said. 

The Pitt research group has two years to further develop the robot. The project is funded by $400,000 from the ALS Association.

For anyone who has ALS or family members who would like to help them with this project, the research group would love to hear from you. Participating would include getting the robot to practice in the lab and your home.

There’s no timeline for when the improved robot will be available for consumers to purchase.

PITTSBURG — Pittsburg running back Jamar Searcy has opened his recruitment, he announced in an X post on Thursday. 

Searcy was committed to play at Washington State next year and signed his National Letter of Intent last week, but after it was announced that coach Jake Dickert was taking a job to be the head coach at Wake Forest on Wednesday, the three-star running back has decided to explore other options. 

Before Searcy signed with Washington State, he held offers from UNLV, Sacramento State, San Diego State, UC Davis and Cal. 

Searcy is six days removed from his best performance as a high school player as he totaled 290 yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburg’s heartbreaking 28-26 loss to Lincoln-San Diego in the CIF Division I-AA state title game. 

The 5-foot-8 running back finished his senior year with 1,668 yards and 22 touchdowns and was a Bay Valley Athletic League first-team selection. Searcy was one of Pittsburg’s senior leaders and also on defense as a safety. 

“I’ve been telling scouts this all season, Jamar Searcy is the best touchdown maker in Northern California if not the state,” Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said after Pittsburg’s win over Archbishop Riordan in September. “

Originally Published: December 19, 2024 at 5:02 PM PST

Russell Wilson hopes his first year with the Steelers won’t be his last.

Hard Knocks documented an event in Pittsburgh for the Why Not You Foundation founded by Wilson and his wife Ciara, at which a child asked Wilson if he likes playing for the Steelers.

“Yeah, I love it. It’s awesome,” Wilson answered.

Asked if he’s going to re-sign with the Steelers, Wilson answered, “Hopefully, I love it here. It’s cool. Hopefully we’re going to win a Super Bowl.”

This year Wilson is giving the Steelers the NFL’s biggest bargain, playing for a league-minimum salary of $1.2 million because his contract with the Broncos, who cut him in the offseason, guaranteed that he was going to make $39 million this year whether from the Broncos or anyone else. He took the least he could take from Pittsburgh and made Denver pay the balance.

But Wilson is slated to become a free agent in March, and he has proven this year that he’s still capable of starting in the NFL. He’s going to command starter’s money, but he may decide to prioritize playing in a place where he’s comfortable, and Pittsburgh is that place.