Category: Presentation

Utah NeuroRobotics Lab Commends Exceptional High School Researchers

The Utah NeuroRobotics Lab recently welcomed two exceptional high school students, Mingchuan Cheng from West High School and Sophie Nelson from Murray High School, as participants in the College of Engineering’s Summer Research Internship program. Cheng and Nelson made impressive strides in their research project titled “Classification of Activities of Daily Living from Muscle Activity,” with the culmination of their efforts showcased at a symposium on August 4th, 2023.

Their innovative study focused on the classification of activities of daily living (ADL) based on muscle activity data collected from the wrist, forearm, and bicep. This research could have far-reaching implications for fields such as assistive technology and rehabilitation medicine.

 

Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research

Three undergraduate research fellows from the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, Jeremi Godbout, Rebecca Urban, and Nathan Wallace, presented their research at the Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research (UCUR) held at the University of Utah. UCUR is an annual conference celebrating and highlighting undergraduate research. This event demonstrates and celebrates undergraduate research and creative work from 10 colleges and universities in Utah. Students of all disciplines from around the state share the results of their investigations with other students, faculty, field specialists, and the public. Jeremi’s, Rebecca’s, and Nathan’s presentations were:

  • Jeremi Godbout – Developing a Vibrotactile Sensory Feedback for Adaptive Skiing
  • Rebecca Urban – Engineering a Sense of Touch: Time Cues in Frequency Enhance Intensity Discrimination
  • Nathan Wallace – Low-cost, Multiarticulate, Upper-limb Exoskeleton

Research on Capitol Hill

Two undergraduate research fellows from the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, Nathan Wallace and Rebecca Urban, presented their research at the Utah state capitol today. Utah’s Research on Capitol Hill (ROCH) is an annual celebration of undergraduate research. This event demonstrates and celebrates undergraduate research and creative work from the top two research universities in Utah: Utah State University and the University of Utah. Students of all disciplines from around the state share the results of their investigations with legislators and the public. Nathan's and Rebecca's presentations were:

  • Nathan Wallace - A Low-Cost, Multiarticulate, Upper-Limb Exoskeleton
  • Rebecca Urban - Timing Cues Enhance Intensity Discrimination at Low Electrocutaneous Pulse  Frequencies

Dr. George Presents at Brain and Medicine

Brain and Medicine (BAM) is a united effort to build a conversation around the emergence of technology in the Life Science Industry. At the BAM 2022 panel, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators were invited to join in to hear the deep knowledge that the BAM speakers and attendees have.

The BAM 2022 lineup of industry professionals included some of the brightest in their respective fields.

The Guest Panelist asking inquisitive questions was Steven Christiansen a doctoral candidate in Biochemistry at BYU.

Speaker #1
Founder and Ceo of Vistim Labs, James Hamet covered the growth of AI and Machine Learning/ Diagnostics.

Speaker #2
Assistant Professor and Director of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, Dr. Jacob A. George covered brain interfacing technology and industry advancements.

Speaker #3
Reid Robison covered his 30+ years of experience in the psychology industry as well as the study and use of plant based Nootropics / Psychedelics.

If you are, or have ever been interested in the field of Medtech, Biotech, Health Tech, BAM is the place for you.

Dr. George Presents at NIH NCMRR Seminar

Dr. George recently gave a presentation to the National Center of Medical Rehabilitation Research. The purpose of the series is to highlight the great rehabilitation research by NIH grantees. This Fall edition featured AI/ML. Dr. George gave a 15-minute talk about his ongoing NIH-funded work involving AI/ML. The audience for his talk was a unique mix of NIH staff and attendees from the rehabilitation research community. You can watch the talk here: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=48519

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”

Dr. George Presents at BioHive Summit

Dr. George recently presented at the Biohive summit. This was a full-day, in-person event that featured a line-up of incredible speakers. BioHive records more of our popular “BioHive Talks” which highlights thought-provoking and inspiring conversations for our community. Biohive amplifies voices for stakeholders around the state including industry and those outside life sciences. Biohive seeks to share the Utah story and highlight issues that need to be addressed.

Dr. George Presents at Covergence Conference

The lack of true early-stage capital and innovation developmental support is a major challenge in advancing promising university technology from the lab to commercial and investment partners. Research institutions are leading through the implementation of university gap funding (proof of concept, startup, venture) and accelerator programs to bridge this “valley of death”. Over the past 15 years, these programs have evolved into sophisticated investment, evaluation, development, and commercialization support mechanisms to nurture the most promising opportunities in emerging, high-growth technology areas. Smart companies and investors are taking notice and making it a strategic, external innovation and investment priority to partner with these university gap fund and accelerator programs through applied research, proof of concept projects, corporate venture investments, and advisory/mentorship in return for insights, competitive positioning, and access to future technology and start-ups. COVERGENCE is where we meet, learn, and talk about what we can do together to catalyze innovation through university gap fund and accelerator programs. Dr. George presented at COVERGENCE this year, highlighting his successes bridging academic research and entrepreneurship.

Myoelectric Controls Symposium 2022

The first in-person conference for our lab was a huge success! Our Lab had four podium presentations and two posters at the Myoelectric Controls Symposium (MEC) in New Brunswick, Canada. We took home both 1st and 2nd place student awards! We’re very proud of all our students and their hard work!

MEC is a mix of researchers, companies, patients, therapists, and clinicians dealing in upper-limb prosthetics, and it is always an enjoyable conference! Special thanks go to the University of New Brunswick (UNB) for hosting the conference!

Click here to view the conference proceedings

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”