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Demos at Freshman BME Course

Today the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab demonstrated their state-of-the-art research technology to the incoming class of Biomedical Engineers at the University of Utah. As a part of the "Careers in Biomedical Engineering" course, students got hands-on experience from Dr. George and his team to learn about medical applications to aid individuals with life-altering neuromuscular disabilities. Demos included new prosthetic interfaces, assistive exoskeletons, new diagnostic tools, and interfaces for virtual and augmented reality!

Dr. George Wins ECE Rising Star Award

Dr. George was recently awarded the Rising Star Award from the University of Utah Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This is a rare and prestigious award only given out every few years. The award recognizes up and coming faculty who are excelling in research, teaching, and service. Since joining the department, Dr. George has raised nearly $4 million in research funding, earned a spot among the top 15% course instructors in the College of Engineering, and established four new programs/partnerships in the ECE department (Robotics, MD-PhD, Neuroscience, and NeuroEngineering).

In response to receiving this award, Dr. George thanked his mentors for their continued support as well as his excellent students who have made his research and courses so successful.

BioHive Showcase

Today the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab showcased it's technology to BioHive. BioHive is a thriving collective of more than 1,100 companies representing the life science and healthcare innovation ecosystem of Utah’s economy. BioHive includes researchers, developers, and manufacturers of therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics, as well as laboratory facilities, healthcare delivery systems, digital health, health IT, and supply chain businesses that support these industries. Utah's bioscience industry employs 43,000 people directly and 88,000 indirectly, for a total of more than 130,000 (among the nation’s highest per capita). The life science industry is a key driver of both life-changing interventions and tools, and also of economic growth. The highly trained employees of this industry are paid an average wage almost 50% higher than Utah’s average.

Today's showcase from the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab serves to strengthen ties and make a seamless transition between technology and PhD students from the University of Utah into the thriving biotech community in the state of Utah.

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New Grant for Gesture Control of Smart Homes

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab was just awarded $200,000 to develop a wearable device capable of translating intended movements of the hand into control of smart-home devices. The funding comes from the Veterans Affairs "Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology" program. The long-term vision of this project is to allow individuals with neuromuscular impairments the ability to seamlessly interact with their home environment, despite physical limitations and/or impaired speech. The wearable device, in the form of a wrist watch, will use electromyography and various embedded sensors to determine a users intended hand gestures, even if they are weak or unable to physical move their hand. This fast-paced 1-year project will run from June 2022 to June 2023 and result in a functional prototype and leverage plan for future commercialization of the assistive technology.

You can learn more about the grant here: https://www.ece.utah.edu/2022/08/25/george-receives-200k-grant/

Myoelectric Controls Symposium

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab will be at the 2022 Myoelectric Controls Symposium! MEC is a triennial symposium of special interest to those who work in the fields of upper limb prosthetics and myoelectric control (including upper and lower limb). As in previous years, it was hosted by the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, a research institute recognized worldwide for its pioneering work in myoelectric controls. This year, the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab will give six presentations!

  • Troy N. Tully, C. J. Thomson, G. A. Clark, J. A. George, “User-Specific Mirror Training Can Improve Myoelectric Prosthesis Control”
  • Monika K. Buczak, B. S. Baum, C. D. Olsen, J. A. George, “Disentangling Sensory and Motor Deficits of Fine Hand Function Using an Electronic Grip Gauge (EGG) to Simulate Transferring Fragile Objects”
  • Marshall A. Trout, T. C. Hansen, C. D. Olsen, D. J. Warren, J. L. Segil, J. A. George, “Shared Control Decreases the Physical and Cognitive Demands of Maintaining a Secure Grip”
  • Caleb J. Thomson, J. A. George, “Proportional Electromyographic Control of a Bionic Arm in a Participant with Chronic Hemiparesis, Muscle Spasticity, and Impaired Range of Motion: A Case Study”
  • Abby R. Citterman, T. C. Hansen, E. S. Stone, T. N. Tully, C. M. Baschuk, C. C. Duncan, J. A. George, “Universal Low-Cost Transradial Check Socket for Rapidly Validating Myoelectric Control”
  • Connor D. Olsen, T. N. Tully, E. S. Stone, N. R. Olsen, G. A. Clark, J. A. George, “An Inexpensive and Adaptable Prosthetic Wrist Improves Dexterity and Reduces Compensatory Movements”

Research Featured in National Geographic Cover Story

Research from Dr. George, in collaboration with Dr. Clark, was recently featured in June Cover Story of National Geographic. The cover story, titled, "The Power of Touch," highlights several ongoing research studies that seek to restore the sense of touch to individuals who have lost it. The U's research on the "LUKE Arm" is among the research studies featured. An excerpt from the article is listed below:

..."I just wanted to see if I could pay it forward," said Keven Walgamott, a Utah real estate agent who lost parts of his right arm and foot two decades ago after a power line sparked while he was lifting a pump out of a well outside his home.

Starting in 2016, Walgamott spent more than a year as a research volunteer at the University of Utah, where he was temporarily implanted with electrodes, including some developed by scientists there. Inside their lab, wired into a computer, Walgamott would put on one of the new sensorized prostheses--this one named the LUKE, for Life Under Kinetic Evolution but also for Luke Skywalker, the Star Wars Jedi who loses his hand in a light-saber fight with Darth Vader. By the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke has a prosthetic that can apparently do everything, including feel. If you enter "Walgamott eggs" or "Walgamott grapes" into a search engine, you'll see him in a Utah lab with the LUKE: Concentrating, his face sober, he's performing the kind of simple tasks that are almost impossible for hands that can't feel.

He lifts a raw egg in its shell, with just the right delicacy, and sets it gently into a bowl. He holds a grape cluster with his actual hand, closes a prosthetic thumb and finger around a single grape, and pulls it off without squashing it...

Swenson Day

Each year in Spring, the Department of PM&R holds the Annual James R. Swenson, MD, Scientific Symposium. The Symposium, referred to as "Swenson Day," is in recognition of the founding Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. James R. Swenson (November 18, 1933-October 11, 2014), pictured above with a patient. The purpose of the symposium is to encourage the research mission of the department by highlighting recent research produced by department faculty, residents and students. The symposium also brings in external speakers on topics relevant to the department’s research activities. Two graduate students from the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab presented at the 2022 Swenson Day. Connor Olsen, ECE, gave a presentation titled "Electromyographically Controlled Prosthetic Wrist Improves Dexterity and Reduces Compensatory Movements" and Monika Buczak, BME, gave a presentation titled "EGG: A Quantitative Assessment of Hand Dexterity."

Limb Preservation Symposium

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab represented the University of Utah at the Limb Preservation Conference today in Denver Colorado. Undergraduate student Abby Citterman and graduate student Troy Tully are pictured showing off the LUKE Arm and implantable peripheral nerve interfaces to provide bidirectional control of this advanced prosthesis.

Abby Citterman Awarded Parent Scholarship

Congratulations to Abby Citterman for being awarded the Parent Scholarship at the University of Utah! This prestigious award is giving to top undergraduate researchers who have already received two undergraduate research fellowships. The Parent Fund is sustained by parents and supports student-centered programs and initiatives. The Parent Fund plays an integral role in the University of Utah’s ability to provide students with exceptional opportunities inside and outside the classroom. This year, Abby was one of four to be selected for the Parent Scholarship. Abby is now the second undergraduate in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab to be a Parent Scholar. Aidan Lethaby also received the Parent Scholarship in 2020.

Caleb Awarded NSF Graduate Fellowship!

Caleb Thomson, a second-year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering department, was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. This highly prestigious fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. Caleb is one of 2500 fellows this year. Since 1952, the NSF has funded over 46,500 Graduate Research Fellowships out of over 500,000 applicants. Many former graduate fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates and members of the National Academy of Sciences. Some well known NSF GRFP alumni include Eric Cornell, Steven Chu, Jennifer Richeson, Sergey Brin, Amy Mainzer, Steven Levitt, Burton Richter, and John C. Mather.