Pitt professor turns personal tragedy into life-changing inventions for others

Dr. Rory Cooper arrived in Pittsburgh during a major snowstorm in 1994 and he almost turned his moving truck around.

But three decades later, he’s still here.

His inventions helped put Pittsburgh on the map as a world-class medical and technology town.

Cooper’s wheels are always turning. He’s been a tough competitor for decades.

In his early 20s, it was track, as a top runner for the US-Europe military team, but during his tour in Germany, his life changed forever on a bike ride.

“As I was passing the bus the bike lane ended, the bus driver started to pull into traffic and pushed me into oncoming traffic,” Cooper said. “There was a Mercedes, kind of a German version of a semi-truck coming in the opposite direction. I fell backwards off the bike and the left front wheel rolled over my chest.”

Cooper never walked again. With his military service over, Cooper returned home to California. During college, he found a passion for science and biomedical engineering.

“That changed my career path,” he said.

During the early 90s, the University of Pittsburgh recruited Cooper to help transform their medical school into a world-class research and teaching facility.

Thirty years later, Cooper’s wheels are still turning. He’s the director of the human engineering research laboratories, a joint effort of Pitt and the VA. Cooper holds the patents for more than two dozen inventions.

“So you’ll see our MeeBot, our mobility robotic wheelchair that climbs curbs that could do self-leveling so you reduce the risk of tips and falls, and can go over terrain that you couldn’t otherwise go over,” Cooper explained.

Another wheelchair Cooper invented is air-powered and works in water. He designed robotic arms controlled by a person’s brain.

Cooper’s inventions landed him in the Inventors Hall of Fame, along with others responsible for well-known inventions.

He‘s the 28th person to have his own inventors trading card.

His accomplishments were even commemorated on a cereal box.

But Cooper shakes off the attention, committed to improving the lives of millions of people, especially his fellow veterans.

“When they leave the service and they live among us, and they’re part of the fabric of our society, give them opportunities because they can do amazing things,” Cooper said.

Late last year, Cooper was invited to the White House, where he was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

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