The Human Engineering Research Laboratories

HERL—a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Research Center of Excellence—operates in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. It also serves as the national Center for Wheelchairs and Assistive Robotics Engineering. HERL’s current and founding director is Rory Cooper, a U.S. Army veteran who sustained a spinal cord injury while stationed overseas.

“9/11 changed everything for me, and I knew in that moment that I needed to use my engineering and scientific talents to help our wounded service members have a better life,” says Cooper, who also serves as Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor for research for health sciences and STEM collaboration.

Today, Cooper is a living embodiment of what happens when the potential of wounded veterans is unlocked, and he’s spent his career trying to give this same opportunity to others.

At HERL, students and scholars work directly with veterans to develop assistive technologies and robotics solutions that help individuals regain their independence after a serious bodily injury. “We’ve changed rehab in this country because of the work we have done at Pitt in partnership with the VA and the Department of Defense,” says Cooper. “Not only for veterans—but for everyone.”