Victor Santamaria
Columbia University, New York Medical College, Allen Institute for Brain Science
Papers
22
Total Citations
270
H-Index
9
About
Victor Santamaria is a biomedical engineer and rehabilitation robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of assistive technology, motor learning, and neuromotor rehabilitation. His research focuses primarily on developing and evaluating robotic systems designed to restore postural control and functional independence in individuals with neurological conditions, including spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and other neuromuscular disorders. Santamaria is best known for his pioneering contributions to trunk and postural support robotics, most notably the Trunk Support Trainer (TruST) and the Robotic Upright Stand Trainer (RobUST), systems that apply precisely controlled forces to help patients train seated and standing stability in ways previously impossible with conventional rigid orthoses. His 2020 study on promoting independent sitting in children with cerebral palsy (37 citations) and his work on the stand trainer for spinal cord injury patients (35 citations) highlight his commitment to translating engineering innovation into clinically meaningful outcomes. Beyond trunk rehabilitation, Santamaria has expanded into wearable neck braces, wheelchair robotics, and even cable-driven platforms simulating underwater buoyancy for terrestrial training. With over 200 cumulative citations across his body of work, his research has meaningfully advanced the field of assist-as-needed robotic rehabilitation, offering new therapeutic pathways for some of the most challenging patient populations in physical medicine.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
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- 3Enhancing Seated Stability Using Trunk Support Trainer (TruST)32 citations · 2017
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- 7Human Evaluation of Wheelchair Robot for Active Postural Support (WRAPS)13 citations · 2019
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- 9Applying Force Perturbations Using a Wearable Robotic Neck Brace9 citations · 2020
- 10