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New Grant from Utah PIVOT Center!

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab was recently awarded a $96,500 grant from the University of Utah's Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach and Technology (PIVOT) Center. This grant will help out lab bridge the funding gap between research and commercialization by providing support for technology development, proof of concept, and to prepare the innovation for additional investment by entrepreneurs, investors, and potential licensees. Specifically, the objective of this grant is to demonstrate the feasibility of expanding our brain-computer interface technology into the broader Internet-of-Things market. We will transition our technology from a rough prototype used to control prostheses/orthoses into a sleek product resembling a smartwatch and capable of controlling numerous smart-home devices simply by thought. You can learn more here.

New Grant from Facebook Reality Labs!

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab was recently awarded a $150,000 grant from Facebook Reality Labs to develop new inclusive neural interfaces for controlling virtual and augmented reality. We were one of six selected for funding out of 50 applications! The objective of our proposal is to develop a privacy-by-design EMG data-collection process that provides unbiased and generalizable performance across different decode algorithms and users’ physical ability levels. To maximize EMG privacy, we will place users in direct control of the data-collection process and allow them to rapidly collect data that is inclusive to their specific needs on an as-needed basis. We will also identify key aspects of training data that are critical for unbiased run-time performance in order to inform users how to maximize performance and minimize data collection. Experimental changes in the data-collection process will be validated with functional and psychological metrics while users complete activities of daily living (ADLs) in a virtual reality environment (MuJoCo HAPTIX) with different decode algorithms. Importantly, validation will be done with participants exhibiting common neuromuscular disorders to ensure that the technology is inclusive to individuals with varying physical ability levels.

You can learn more about the grant from Facebook Reality Labs and from the University of Utah Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering!

Abby Citterman Awarded BMES Travel Award!

Congratulations to Abby Citterman for winning a $500 travel award to present her research at the Biomedical Engineering Society. Abby will be giving a podium presentation on her research, titled, "Low Frequencies Improve Intensity Discrimination for Electrocutaneous Artificial Sensory Feedback," in Orlando Florida this October. The travel award was provided from the University of Utah Office for Undergraduate Research.

Visit with the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab at BMES, IEEE EMBC and SFN!

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab will be giving several presentations at upcoming conferences this Fall. Stop by and check out our lab's research and network with our awesome team! We will be at the Biomedical Engineering Society, Engineering Medicine & Biology, as well as the Society for Neuroscience.

Biomedical Engineering Society, Orlando, FL, October 6-9

  • Abby Citterman, Podium Presentation: "Low Frequencies Improve Intensity Discrimination for Electrocutaneous Artificial Sensory Feedback"
  • Troy Tully, Podium Presentation: "Mirrored Training with Larger Datasets Improves Motor-Decode Performance for Myoelectric Prosthetic Control with Neural Networks"
  • Caleb Thomson, Podium Presentation: "Recurrent Neural Networks Provide More Stable Across-Day Prosthetic Control"

IEEE Engineering Medicine & Biology, Virtual, October 31 – November 4

  • Taylor Hansen, Podium Presentation: "A Bionic Hand for Semi-Autonomous Fragile Object Manipulation via Proximity and Pressure Sensors"
  • Caleb Thomson, Podium Presentation: "A Recurrent Neural Network Provides Stable Across-Day Prosthetic Control for a Human Amputee with Implanted Intramuscular Electromyographic Recording Leads"

Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, November 8-16

  • Troy Tully, Poster Presentation, "Mirror Training Improves Offline-Decode Performance for Multi-DOF Myoelectric Prosthetic Control"
  • Marshall Trout, Poster Presentation, "Improved Mirror-Therapy: Reanimation of Fine Motor Function Using Low-Cost Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Driven by Synchronized Bilateral Movements"

Congratulations to our wonderful student presenters!

Farewell to Adrian, Dillon and Wyatt

Today the NeuroRobotics Lab gained three new alumni: Adrian Porras, Dillon Crytser, and Wyatt Fullmer.

Adrian joined the lab in October 2020 to help us enhance human dexterity with a supernumerary robotic finger. Adrian was the first civil engineer to join our group and he brought with him a diverse and valued skillset. In addition to his own independent project, he helped with several other design projects in the lab and was the "go-to" guy for help with 3D-printing. Adrian also served on the NeuroRobotics social committee and helped bring together new collaborations and friendships in the lab. Moving forward, Adrian will be joining the University of Michigan's Department of Biomedical Engineering where he will be pursuing his PhD in the field of Neural Engineering.

Dillon Crytser joined the lab in May 2020 as a part of the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research. Dillon was the first aerospace engineer to join our group and he put his strong design skills to great use by building a upper-limb exoskeleton for the lab. He created an actuated power grasp and wrist flexion/extension device that can be used alongside clinical exoskeletons to improve patients' dexterity. Dillon also served on the NeuroRobotics social committee and as the primary mentor to Matt Ludlow. And last, but certainly not least, Dillon was the 2021 NeuroRobotics Summer Games Champion! Yard game after yard game, Dillon simultaneously showed us up while bringing us together. Moving forward, Dillon will be returning to West Virginia University to finish his BS.

Wyatt Fullmer joined the lab in May 2020 as a part of the Rural & Underserved Utah Training Experience. Wyatt was the first exercise science major to join our group. Wyatt's research project involved the use of conductive thread to make electromyography more viable in everyday use. During his time in the lab, Wyatt built several exciting new prototypes that expanded the lab in new directions. Notably, Wyatt's research marks the first lower-limb application from the NeuroRobotics Lab. Despite the unchartered territory, Wyatt excelled and created a working prototype that has already sparked two new collaborations in the lab. Outside of his research, Wyatt was a pleasure to have in the lab; he was always willing to lend a hand. Moving forward, Wyatt is returning to Southern Utah University to finish his BS, and then he will be going to medical school - hopefully at the University of Utah!

Congratulations to Adrian, Dillon and Wyatt for all of the amazing contributions you've brought to the lab. You will be missed and you will always be a part of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab!

Welcome to Brandon, Shaila, and Connor!

Today we officially welcome Brandon Baum, Shaila Collins and Connor Olsen to the lab. After a fun summer rotation, we're excited to have them join us full time this Fall.

  • Brandon is pursuing his M.S. thesis in Mechanical Engineering and will be leading the design and validation of a new sensorized object for rapid, quantifiable and systematic measures of hand dexterity.
  • Shaila is pursuing her M.S. project in Electrical & Computer Engineering and will be exploring how hand kinematics change after neurological impairments such as stroke or spinal cord injury.
  • Connor is pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering and will be exploring how semi-autonomous bionic devices can be used to enhance dexterity and reduce cognitive load.

The Utah NeuroRobotics lab is excited to officially have these three join our team, and we look forward to their exciting projects!

Congratulations to Marshall Trout for passing his PhD qualifying exam!

Congratulations to Marshall Trout for passing his PhD qualifying exam! Students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD program are required to review two research articles related to their research and then provide a written and oral report. The committee then asks about questions about the research field and their research direction. Marshall's competition of his qualifying exam signifies that he has the background knowledge and research foresight necessary to complete his PhD research. Congrats Marshall! We look forward to seeing your exciting research coming up.

Six New Undergraduate Research Fellowships!

Today we received a record number of undergraduate research fellowships! Starting this Fall, we will have a total of six undergraduate research fellows working the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab! The students and their award-winning research projects are listed below:

  • Abby Citterman, Biomedical Engineering: Compliance Discrimination through Sensory Feedback
  • Elaine Wong, Electrical Engineering: Wireless Miniature Wearable Surface Electromyography Device for Intuitive Control of Smart Technology
  • Abby Harrison, Biomedical Engineering: Discriminability of Transcutaneous Sensory Feedback
  • Gabriel Santana, Computer Engineering: Data Augmentation of Electromyography Data to Improve the Performance of Machine-Learning Algorithms for Decoding Motor Intent
  • Jared Zollinger, Biomedical Engineering: Surface-Electromyography Integrated Low-Cost Control System for Dexterous Bionic Arms
  • Kennedy Powell, Biomedical Engineering: Robotic Supernumerary Digit to Explore Biological Control of External Devices and Shared Human-Machine Dexterity

These prestigious research fellowships are awarded through the University of Utah's Office of Undergraduate Research. Congratulations to our super-star undergraduates!

Dillon Crytser Wins the Summer Games Tournament!

The NeuroRobotics social committee hosted a summer games tournament where lab members competed across various games throughout the summer to see who will be crowned the ultimate winner! Today we finished out the tournament with a double-elimination bracket of ladder toss. Matt took first place, Shaila came in second, Dillon got third, and Adrian finished in fourth. This brings us to the final standings... drum roll please!

FINAL STANDINGS
1. Dillon Crytser (10 points)
2. Matt Ludlow (7 points)
2. Jake George (7 points)
3. Wyatt Fullmer (4 points)
4. Ruby Law (3 points)
4. Caleb Thomson (3 points)
4. Shaila Collins (3 points)
5. Kennedy Powell (2 points)
6. Adrian Porras (1 point)

Congratulations to Dillon Crytser - the 2021 NeuroRobotics Summer Games Champion!

Summer Reflections and Gratitude

Today we held a lab dinner to celebrate recent accomplishments and share some of our highlights from the summer:

Shaila was thankful for all the fun social events - especially the smores night - and the delicious (and often free) food in our building. Dillon highlighted how much he enjoyed spending the summer in Utah and making new friends in the lab. Matt joked about staying up late to run a 3D-print with Dillon, which ultimately failed minutes after they left! Caleb's highlight of the summer was his first-author manuscript getting accepted (woohoo!) and Abby Citterman shared her excitement to be writing her first manuscript. Abby Harrison reflected on how much fun she had learning to soldier in the lab this summer and Wyatt's highlight was when he finally finished a new prototype after almost 80 hours of construction! And all that hard work isn't without reward; as Kennedy pointed out, the best part of the summer for her was finding out the lab has a massage chair! Adrian reflected on how fun it's been to watch the lab grow and to be apart of that growth. And to that, Brandon joked about his first trip to the lab when he waited on the elevator and walked through the building alongside a stranger, only to realize later that they shared the same destination and that stranger was his new labmate Adrian!

As for me, I'm grateful to have such an amazing group of people to work with every day and, like Adrian said, it's been an amazing to watch our lab grow. It's been a fun and productive summer - and we're all excited to keep the momentum going together!