Invited Speakers

Professor, Chair for Optimization & Biomechanics for Human-Centred Robotics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) for Human-Centred Robotics & Machine Intelligence, University of Waterloo, Canada 

• Title: Human-centred assistive technology for geriatric patients and carers  

• Abstract: Human-centred robotic technology can have a significant societal impact, in particular in the heavily understaffed care sector. In addition to robots that take over specific care tasks such as washing or feeding patients, mobility assistance robots play a crucial role. They make patients more independent while keeping them safer and preventing falls, but other kinds of devices directly target  the carers to support their motions in very demanding conditions and under high loads. In this talk, I will present our latest research on developing and validating mobility assistance robots for geriatric care. On the one hand, I will show latest results of the clinical evaluation of our robotic walkers and sit to stand devices with geriatric patients and the lessons learned for the design and control of the robots. On the other hand, I will discuss the requirements for back exoskeletons for care personnel in order to prevent them from back injuries in their daily routines. This research is performed in interdisciplinary collaborations with hospitals, psychologists and other stakeholders.  

Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering & Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Australia

• Title: Rehabilitation Technology: from the lab to the clinic 

• Abstract: In this talk, I will describe our experiences developing and clinically validating three rehabilitation technology projects:  (1) motion measurement, assessment and feedback for joint replacement surgery rehabilitation, (2) Parkinson's disease (PD) symptom assessment using wearable sensing, and (3) cueing for PD gait rehabilitation.  I will describe our development and evaluation process, including collaboration with clinicians, patients and industry partners, and share the lessons we have learned about developing human-centred rehabilitation technology. 

Associate Professor,  Mechatronics, Oslo Metropolitan University & Honorary Research Fellow, The University of Queensland, Australia 

• Title: A Tale of Two Engineers 

• Abstract: The world is undergoing major changes due to the growing elderly population and the rising prevalence of disabilities. These demographic changes represent significant challenges for health systems aiming at delivering inclusive healthcare services. Advances in robotics and related disciplines, ranging from motion sensors that encourage physical activity to complex prosthetic systems, have shown promise in supporting these societal efforts. In this talk, I will discuss the challenges research groups face when attempting to generate both novelty in rehabilitation engineering and impact on people's lives. I will use as examples stories of success and failure from my projects in wearable systems, particularly using Functional Electrical Stimulation for applications targeting people with Spinal Cord Injury. By sharing these tales, I hope to resonate the voices of end-users, clinicians and colleagues in robotics and biomedical engineering from different regions of the world.  

Professor, Sensory-motor systems, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (Creator of Cybathlon)  

• Title: Taking Rehabilitation Technology Home  

• Abstract: Robots can restore movement abilities of upper and lower limbs. As training devices, they can promote neurorehabilitation after neurological injuries such as spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury, or stroke. However, these stationary devices are bulky, heavy, and expensive, which limits the intensity of their use. Therefore, the current trend in rehabilitation is to provide mobile devices that can be worn and used at home. Another trend is to provide telerehabilitation technologies that allow us to link the clinical expert with the patient staying at home. Those assistive devices, that can be used outside of the hospital environment can also assist people with sensorimotor impairments in daily life situations. This talk will give an overview of stationary rehabilitation devices, wearable exoskeletons, and novel telerehabilitation technologies that have the potential to change rehabilitation service efficiently and sustainably.  

Postdoc, Assistive Intelligent Robotics,  Department AIBE – Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

• Title: Human-robot-co-adaption for assistive systems  

• Abstract:  Assistive devices like an active prosthesis or orthosis require to adapt depending on the user and his/her input. Over time a user might learn how to handle an assistive device more proficiently or uses other features than at the beginning, which means that he also adapts to the system. In short-time use, as well as in long-term-use, this is a process of both interactors. The presentation covers the issues which might occur if no co-adaption takes place, different ways of co-adaption, why feedback matters for co-adaption and how it enhances the usability and safety. Different studies with human subjects will be presented and underline the importance of this aspect for getting assistive devices to the patients. 

Professor of Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan

• Title: Synergy-based Quantification of Personalized Motor Performance and Human-like Motion Generation 

• Abstract: Recently, emerging technologies are being used to solve state-of-the-art problems in rehabilitation and physiotherapy. The increasing power of portable sensors is making a great choice for the analysis of movements during daily activities. We previously developed a method to personalize the measure of balance only using kinematic data from Kinect. This talk presents the results of simultaneous quantification for the postural balance, motion classification, and its quality with Synergy Probe. Previously, it was not possible to verify what happens when the motion balance is unstable. With the motion quality index along with the stability, we can quantitatively evaluate the balance stability considering the motion class and its intensity during whole-body exercise. A related topic is also presented for human-like motion generation through the synergy emergence process. 

Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Cornell University, USA

• Title: Towards Robotic Caregiving: Building robots that work alongside human stakeholders

• Abstract: How do we build robots that can assist people with mobility limitations with activities of daily living? To successfully perform these activities, a robot needs to be able to physically interact with humans and objects in unstructured human environments. Through this talk, I will cover various projects in my lab that showcase fundamental advances in the field of robotic caregiving. Specifically, I will show you how we can build caregiving robots to perform activities of daily living such as feeding and bed-bathing. Both tasks require a robot to reason about the safety of complex physical interactions with humans in the presence of uncertainties due to perception and planning in cluttered assistive environments as well as complexities due to disability conditions (spasms and involuntary movements). Using insights from human studies, I will showcase algorithms and technologies that leverage multiple sensing modalities to perceive varied object properties and determine successful control policies for these tasks. Using feedback from all the stakeholders, I will show how we built autonomous robot-assisted feeding and bed-bathing systems that use these algorithms and technologies, and how we deployed them to work with real users.