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Presentations at the Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference

16 October 2023October 24, 2023Admin

Several students presented posters at the Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference on Saturday, September 9th. Presentations included:

Fredi Mino – Co-Adaptive Myoelectric Control: A Framework that Equalizes Human Computer-Interaction for Stroke Survivors

Abigail Harrison – Transcutaneous Wrist Stimulation Provides Sensory Feedback for Augmented and Virtual Reality

Connor Olsen – Wrist EMG Improves Gesture Classification for Stroke Patients

Jared Zollinger – Development of a Surface Electromyography Integrated Low-Cost Control System for Assistive Robotic Devices

Michael Adkins & Nate Toth – Automated Quantifiable Assessments of Sensorimotor Function Using an Instrumented Fragile Object

Bret Mecham – MAV of Peripheral Nerve Activity Has More Predictive Power than Firing Rate for Neuroprostheses

Caleb Thomson – Proportional Myoelectric Control of a Bionic Arm in Participants with Chronic Hemiparesis, Muscle Spasticity, and Impaired Range of Motion

Monika Buczak – Intuitive, Myoelectric Control of Adaptive Sports Equipment for Individuals with Tetraplegia

Gould Distinguished Lecture on Technology and the Quality of Life: From a sci-fi dream to real-world impact

11 September 2023September 11, 2023Admin

In 2019, Jacob George, an assistant professor in the University of Utah Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and fellow researchers at the U made waves with the “LUKE Arm.” Named after the robotic hand given to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, the team’s prosthetic arm has the ability to feel objects by transmitting the appropriate signals to the brain. Not only can the arm feel, but it can be controlled by the user’s thoughts.

Members of the campus and broader community are invited to attend a lecture from George scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. in the Gould Auditorium on the first level of the U’s J. Willard Marriott Library.

As the featured speaker for The William R. and Erlyn J. Gould Distinguished Lecture on Technology and the Quality of Life, George will highlight this technology and the advances that have taken place since their breakthrough technology was first announced—including translation into bionic exoskeletons to aid individuals with paralysis and into smartwatches that could allow anyone to seamlessly control smart devices and augmented reality interfaces by thought.

Click here to read the full press release.

Abby Citterman wins American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association’s Edwin and Kathryn Arbogast Award

29 August 2023September 11, 2023Admin

Congrats to Abby Citterman for being honored with the best prosthetic abstract at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly! Her poster is titled Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation at the Wrist as a Method to Restore Sensory Feedback for Individuals with Partial Hand Amputation. Sensory feedback is critical for dexterous hand function, but current methods are cumbersome, inhibiting the natural use of the residual hand or prosthesis. TENS at the wrist may constitute a functional solution for evoking distally referred sensations on the phantom digits and restoring intuitive, non-restrictive sensory feedback for individuals with partial hand amputation.

The Edwin and Kathryn Arbogast Award and the Otto and Lucille Becker Award were founded in 2012, made possible by a special endowment by Becker Orthopedic and WillowWood. These awards honor two meritorious scientific papers submitted for presentation as a poster at the AOPA National Assembly, to encourage students and residents to display outstanding posters.

The Edwin and Kathryn Arbogast Award is awarded annually for the best prosthetic abstract submitted by a qualifying student or resident. The main author of each presentation must be a student (baccalaureate or master level), or a resident at a qualified patient care facility. This prestigious honor also comes with $500 cash, free travel and lodging, and complimentary registration for the 2023 American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly in Indianapolis, Indiana. Congratulations to Abby on this award!

Revolutionizing Science Education

15 August 2023August 15, 2023Admin

In a lab in the U’s Craig H. Nielsen Rehabilitation Hospital, so new that plastic wrap and tape still enclose monitors and equipment cabinets, three or four middle school science teachers group around research assistant and recent MS graduate Bret Mecham, who is wearing a bionic exoskeleton on his arm.

The bionic arm moves up and down. “I’m not controlling this,” Mecham tells the audience, “He is—” indicating a teacher who is holding an electrode on his forearm. As the teacher flexes and relaxes, the electrode picks up electrical signals in his muscle. Those signals translate into mechanical motion by the bionic arm. Such an arm, Mecham says, can restore strength and stability to people who have lost them through disease or injury.

Around the room, other teachers gather around other demos hosted by assistant professor Jacob George, director of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, and his students. They’re showing the teachers how U researchers engineer ways for machines and nerves to talk to each other. The teachers are asking questions and taking notes.

These 17 teachers from nine states aren’t here just to gather ideas for their classrooms. Their impact goes far beyond that. They were brought together by the U’s Genetic Science Learning Center (GSLC). In many gatherings like this over many years, the GSLC has co-designed, with teachers, new educational science content. The teachers are helping the GSLC know what students need.

Over the next 12-18 months, the GSLC will produce lessons, videos and activities based on these sessions. When ready, the materials will be available on the GSLC’s website, which logs more than 16 million page views per year from nearly every country. These three days of presentations and discussions at the University Guest House in July 2023 will impact science education for middle school students and others around the world.

“By the end of this,” GSLC director Louisa Stark, H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair and professor of human genetics, said in welcoming remarks, “we’ll have a wonderful set of ideas from you about what students need to know and how to support their learning.”

... continue reading at: https://attheu.utah.edu/uncategorized/u-center-works-with-teachers-to-design-science-education-tools/

Dr. George Gives Expert Testimonial on Latest Research

2 August 2023August 2, 2023Admin

In a recent article from Science, Dr. George discusses the latest neurorobotics research...

When someone loses a hand or leg, they don’t just lose the ability to grab objects or walk—they lose the ability to touch and sense their surroundings. Prosthetics can restore some motor control, but they typically can’t restore sensation. Now, a preliminary studyposted to the preprint server bioRxiv this month—shows that by mimicking the activity of nerves, a device implanted in the remaining part of the leg helps amputees “feel” as they walk, allowing them to move faster and with greater confidence.

“It's a really elegant study,” says Jacob George, neuroengineer at the University of Utah who was not involved with the research. Because the experiments go from a computational model to an animal model and then, finally humans, he says, “This work is really impactful, because it's one of the first studies that's done in a holistic way.”

Patients with prosthetics often have a hard time adapting. One big issue is that they can’t accurately control the device because they can’t feel the pressure that they’re exerting on an object. Hand and arm amputees, for example, are more prone to drop or break things. As a result, some amputees refuse to use such prosthetics.

In the past few years, researchers have been working on prosthetic limbs that provide more natural sensory feedback both to help control the device better and give them back a sense of agency over their robotic limb. In a critical study in 2019, George and his team showed that so-called biomimetic feedback, sensory information that aims to resemble the natural signals that occur with touch, allowed a patient who’d lost his hand to more precisely grip fragile objects such as eggs and grapes.

...[continue reading on Science]

Abby Citterman Wins 3rd Place in EMBC Student Paper Competition!

26 July 2023July 26, 2023Admin

In the world of cutting-edge research and groundbreaking discoveries, the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab has always been at the forefront. It is with immense pride and excitement that we celebrate one of our own, Abby Citterman, for her outstanding achievement in the student paper competition at the prestigious 2023 IEEE Engineering Medicine & Biology Conference. Abby's passion for research and her exceptional paper have earned her a well-deserved 3rd place in the competition.

The IEEE Engineering Medicine & Biology Conference is an esteemed international event that brings together researchers, engineers, and scientists to present and discuss groundbreaking advancements at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and biology. It serves as a platform for showcasing cutting-edge research, fostering collaboration, and driving progress in various healthcare technologies and applications.

Abby Citterman's 3rd place win at the 2023 IEEE Engineering Medicine & Biology Conference is a testament to her brilliance and dedication to advancing NeuroRobotics. The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab commends her for her exceptional research and innovative spirit. As we look towards the future, we are confident that Abby's contributions will continue to shape the field and inspire others in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements in healthcare technology. Congratulations, Abby, on this well-deserved recognition, and may your journey be filled with continued success and impact!

Dr. George Featured in Capital Campaign

8 May 2023May 8, 2023Admin

When the University of Utah launched a capital campaign in 2014, the initial goal seemed lofty—$2 billion to be raised over eight years. No one could have anticipated the changes that lay ahead. Over the next decade, Utah’s population began to soar, new sectors of the economy heated up, and the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world. Despite those and other challenges, or perhaps in response to them, the university would meet its goals two years ahead of schedule, then go on to exceed them, with $3 billion raised over 8.5 years!

On April 30, the university celebrated the successful completion of the “Imagine New Heights: The Campaign for the University of Utah” with a public event on President’s Circle. Dr. George's research was featured in the celebration. The mission of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, to create an inclusive world for everyone - regardless of physical capabilities, was highlighted alongside projections of the famous "Luke Arm" on the University of Utah's presidential park building. Check out the spectacular light show below!

Abby Citterman Awarded O&P Scholarship

5 May 2023May 5, 2023Admin

Abby Citterman was one of three students awarded the SPS Orthotics & Prosthetics Master's Scholarship! This prestigious scholarship recognizes future leaders in field of O&P. Abby demonstrated her passion for the industry with her inspiring essay submission and leadership experience. Abby has led numerous projects and mentored several undergraduate and high-school students in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab. She began working in the lab as an undergraduate research fellow and still works part-time in the lab today while pursuing her Master's in O&P at Northwestern University.

This scholarship is awarded by SPS. SPS is the leading distributor for orthotic and prosthetic products in the United States. SPS offers over 400,000 O&P products to choose from including the latest technology in prosthetic feet, prosthetic knees, prosthetic liners, and orthotic devices. Through its strategically positioned distribution centers, SPS is able to provide thousands of clinics their O&P products within a day or two, enabling them to provide for patients quickly and efficiently. More information on the program and recipients can be found here: https://www.spsco.com/master-scholarship

Three ECE Student Awards!

26 April 2023April 27, 2023Admin