Ayanna Howard and Yu-ping Chen have been named to Atlanta Magazine's 2013 Innovation Index and were honored at a November 13 event at the Atlanta History Center for their work on developing a robot to help children with cerebral palsy. Howard’s and Chen’s project was featured in the November 2013 issue of the magazine that recognizes organizations and individuals that are contributing to Atlanta becoming a healthier city.

Howard, who is the Motorola Foundation Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Georgia Tech, and Chen, an assistant professor from the Department of Physical Therapy at Georgia State University, have designed a robot that helps children impacted by cerebral palsy to improve their muscle control and motor skills. Video cameras in the robot’s eyes record data as the child plays, allowing researchers to tailor therapy to his or her needs.

Howard leads the Human-Automation Systems Lab, which is based in ECE, and she was recently named as the associate director for research for Georgia Tech’s Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines. Howard received the Georgia Tech 2013 Class of 1934 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award for her outstanding work in robotics and is a past recipient of the Janice A. Lumpkin Educator of the Year Award, which is given by the National Society of Black Engineers.