University of Michigan Jun 1 2026 Building on the success of projects to boost strength by adding motors to conventional knee, hip and ankle braces, a University of Michigan team is exploring how well this approach could work for relieving knee pain from osteoarthritis. "This could create an entirely new class of orthotic interventions that don't exist today, which could potentially delay surgery or spare people from having to undergo it," said Robert Gregg, U-M professor of robotics and leader