Author: Admin

Connor, Monika, & Abby pass Ph.D. Research Proposals!

Congrats to three of our Ph.D. students for passing their Research Proposals! This two-part milestone requires a written and oral presentation of the student’s dissertation plan. Students must demonstrate adequate preparation to begin independent research per their supervisory committee. They must be well-versed in the fundamentals, have sophisticated familiarity with the primary literature in the proposed area of research, and demonstrate an ability to design and effectively communicate a competent, sound research plan.

Congrats, Connor, Monika, and Abby, on completing this major milestone!

Connor Olsen, Electrical and Computer Engineering: “Optimizing Electrode-Skin Interfaces and Evaluation Metrics to Improve Myoelectric Prosthetic Use”
Monika Buczak, Biomedical Engineering: “Intuitive, Myoelectric Control of Assistive Devices”
Abby Harrison, Biomedical Engineering: “Leveraging Transcutaneous Stimulation to Provide Sensory Feedback after Limb Amputation”

 

Rehab Week & ICORR 2023

On September 24-28, many members of the lab attended Rehab Week 2023 in Singapore to present their work at the International Consortium for Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR). This meeting is sponsored by both the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society (RAS) as well as Engineering Medicine & Biology Society (EMBS). Rehab Week included simultaneous meetings from nine different physical rehabilitation and rehabilitation technology societies. Attendees participated in one day of conference workshops before the remaining four days of talks and presentations. In their free time, attendees explored Singapore’s famous hawker food centers, botanical gardens, and diverse cultural neighborhoods!

Lab alumnus Aaron Wang presented an impressive podium talk on his paper titled “Correcting Temporal Inaccuracies in Labeled Training Data for Electromyographic Control Algorithms.”

Ph.D. students Michael Adkins, Monika Buczak, and Connor Olsen each presented posters on their papers of the following titles:

  • Adkins: “Automated Quantifiable Assessments of Sensorimotor Function Using an Instrumented Fragile Object”
  • Buczak: “Intuitive, Myoelectric Control of Adaptive Sports Equipment for Individuals with Tetraplegia”
  • Olsen: “Wrist EMG Improves Gesture Classification for Stroke Patients

Congrats to Monika for passing the BME Ph.D. Qualifying Exam!

Congratulations to Monika Buczak for passing the biomedical engineering qualifying exam in neural engineering! As a part of the BME Ph.D. program, students must demonstrate expertise in the subject matter within their track specialization (e.g., neural engineering). After completing the relevant coursework, they meet this requirement by passing an extensive 8-hour written qualifying exam. This is a long and grueling exam, but also marks Monika’s final requirement to earn her milestone M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering!

Society for Neuroscience 2022

November 12-16, 2022 our lab attended the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting in San Diego, CA! SfN is a very large international conference covering all aspects of neuroscience research. The conference was a great success for the lab, featuring one virtual and five in-person poster presentations. Additionally, PhD student Caleb Thompson was featured in a special presentation session for Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) winners. See presentation titles below:

Monika Buczak (BME Ph.D. Student): “Electronic Grip Gauge (EGG): Tool to Assess Sensorimotor Interplay in Regulation of Fine Hand Control”
Abigail Harrison (BME Undergraduate Student): “Transcutaneous Wrist Stimulation for Haptic Feedback from the Hand in Virtual and Augmented Reality”
Danielle Lopez (Neuroscience Ph.D. Student): “Utilizing EMG for Stroke Diagnostics: Identifying Metrics that Indicate Degree of Spasticity”
Connor Olsen (ECE Ph.D. Student): “Electromyographically Controlled Prosthetic Wrist Improves Dexterity and Reduces Compensatory Movements without Added Cognitive Load”
Caleb Thompson (BME Ph.D. Student): “Proportional Electromyographical Control of a Bionic Arm in Participants with Chronic Hemiparesis, Muscle Spasticity and Impaired Range of Motion”
Marshall Trout (ECE Ph.D. Student): “Design and Validation of a Low-Cost Noninvasive Neural Stimulator for Functional Electrical Stimulation of Peripheral Nerves and Muscles”

Utah NeuroRobotics Lab at Hi-GEAR Summer Camp

This week, about two dozen high school students from across the country participated in the College of Engineering’s Hi-GEAR Summer Camp. The camp celebrates women in engineering and exposes the students to various engineering and computer science topics, projects, and careers. Utah NeuroRobotics Lab members held a showcase of many current projects, including exoskeletons, bionic arms, EMG control methods, wearable sensors, and dexterity assessments. The attendees witnessed first-hand the role of electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, computer science, neuroscience, and more from our lab.