Category: Presentation

Presentations at the Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference

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

    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.

    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.