Inder Perkash

Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research

Papers

Total Citations

133

H-Index

About

Dr. Inder Perkash is a pioneering figure in assistive robotics and rehabilitation engineering, whose work has fundamentally reshaped vocational independence for individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries. His research centers on the development and clinical validation of robotic workstations designed to restore daily living and vocational capabilities to quadriplegics. Perkash’s most influential contribution is the clinical evaluation of a desktop robotic assistant, a voice-controlled system tested by 24 quadriplegics at the Palo Alto VA Spinal Cord Injury Center. This landmark study, cited over 100 times, demonstrated the feasibility of robotic aids for performing essential tasks. He further advanced the field through a rigorous single-subject study, where a vocational robot was deployed for 18 months at the worksite of an employee with C4-C5 quadriplegia, systematically comparing its performance against a human attendant. Beyond hardware, Perkash developed the Interactive Evaluation Model, a framework ensuring user feedback drives the design of assistive technologies. His work at the Palo Alto VA Rehabilitation R&D Center also led to the creation of a self-paced, multimedia curriculum for vocational training, cementing his legacy as a researcher who translated engineering innovation into tangible, life-changing autonomy.