In this episode of "Gears of Progress," we dive into the fascinating world of fashion science with Dr. Martha Hall (website, LinkedIn), a pioneer in integrating fashion design with health sciences and engineering. Discover how Dr. Hall's unique interdisciplinary approach is transforming wearable technology and adaptive fashion, enhancing the quality of life for diverse populations. From innovative smart materials to user-centered design, explore the cutting-edge projects that are redefining the boundaries of fashion and function. Join us for an inspiring conversation that challenges conventional design paradigms and celebrates the power of collaboration across disciplines.
Josh Caputo(LinkedIn, Google Scholar, personal website) is the founder and CEO of Humotech, a company that specializes in wearable robotic systems for biomechanics research, rehabilitation, and assistive device development. In this episode, we discuss his journey from mechanical engineering to the field of assistive technology and rehabilitation robotics. Josh shares insights into his PhD research on prosthetic ankles, the challenges and motivations behind starting Humotech, and the company's current focus on developing innovative solutions for the research field. The conversation also explores the open-source leg project, an initiative aimed at making advanced robotic prosthetic legs more accessible for research and development. In this conversation, Josh emphasizes the need for platform solutions in control systems and shares insights into the company's growth and customer base. He also reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, the purpose of the Humotech podcast, and his excitement for the future of wearable robotics.
Please note that this is the last episode of season 1 and Gears of Progress is going on break.
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In this conversation, Sasha interviews Jay Lee (website, LinkedIn, Google Scholar), an HCI researcher from Makeability Lab at the University of Washington focused on augmented reality and accessibility for low vision individuals. They discuss Jay's journey into HCI, the importance of accessibility in technology, and various projects he has worked on, including AR applications for sports and cooking. The conversation highlights the growing interest in accessibility research within the HCI community and the potential for AR technologies to enhance daily life for individuals with disabilities. Jae expresses his vision for creating accessible AR solutions that cater to diverse populations, aiming to shape a future where technology is inclusive for all.
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Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
In this episode, Sasha speaks with Andres Guerrero, a rehabilitation engineer, and Jean Marie Florkowski, an occupational therapist, about their work at Blythedale Children's Hospital. They discuss the integration of rehabilitation engineering with clinical practices, the role of assistive technology in pediatric therapy, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. The conversation also touches on the challenges of communication between engineers and clinicians, the impact of adaptive toys on child development, and the future of assistive technology, including brain-computer interfaces and gaming.
Useful resources:
This conversation features a group of assistive technology professionals (ATPs) from Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, NY, discussing their roles, experiences, and the evolution of assistive technology in pediatric care. They are:
They share personal journeys that led them to Blythedale, the importance of assistive technology in enhancing children's potential, and the challenges faced in accessing and delivering these technologies. The discussion also highlights the advancements in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and the need for better tracking of assistive technology delivery to ensure children receive the necessary support. The speakers emphasize the need for more research in pediatric assistive technology and the potential of advancing technology to enhance independence for children with disabilities.
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Dr. Max Ortiz-Catalan (LinkedIn, Google Scholar, website) shares his journey from electronics engineering to becoming a leading expert in neuroprosthetics. He discusses the challenges of medical device regulation across the world, the advancements in control mechanisms for prosthetics, and the role of machine learning in decoding user intentions. The conversation also touches on cultural perspectives regarding prosthetic acceptance and the importance of neuroplasticity in enhancing sensory feedback for users. Max discusses the complexities of neural interfaces and sensory feedback in prosthetics, the challenges of treating phantom limb pain, and his humanitarian efforts in Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict.
A few important links:
In this conversation, Dr. Mark Hasegawa-Johnson (LinkedIn, Google Scholar), professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois, and Clarion Mendes (LinkedIn), a professor of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois, discuss the Speech Accessibility Project, which aims to improve speech recognition technology for individuals with speech impairments. They explore the evolution of speech recognition, the variability of speech impairments, the role of clinicians, the recording process, collaborations with tech giants, data privacy challenges, and the diverse populations involved in the project. They emphasize the importance of communication in daily life and express excitement about the future of speech recognition technology.
Useful links from the episode:
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Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
Dr. Susanna Engdahl (Google Scholar, LinkedIn) shares her journey from a physics background to becoming a researcher in upper-limb prosthetics. She emphasizes the importance of user perspectives in prosthetic design and the need for a balanced approach to technology and patient care. She also highlights her post-PhD work in advocacy and the development of new prosthetic control systems, such as sonomyography. Susannah emphasizes the importance of considering user performance, device reliability, and the need for participatory design in research.
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Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
In this conversation, Dr. Rory Cooper (LinkedIn, Google Scholar) shares his journey into rehabilitation engineering, discussing the evolution of wheelchair design, to which he contributed a tremendous amount, the importance of designing with people with disabilities, and the challenges of accessibility in assistive technology. At the University of Pittsburgh, he heads the Human Engineering Research Laboratory. He emphasizes the need for evidence-based solutions and the impact of societal changes on the perception of disabilities. The discussion also touches on his experiences in the Paralympics as both an athlete and a sports scientist. The conversation also touches on the significance of community and personal achievements in sports, culminating in a discussion about future trends in assistive technology and the importance of communication in advancing the field. He also shared where he stores all his medals :)
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In this conversation, Sasha and Anni Kern, Staff of Community & Outreach at ETH Zurich, discuss the CYBATHLON, an event that promotes the development of assistive technology through friendly competition. Anni shares insights on the event's evolution, the importance of user-centered design, and the various disciplines involved in the competition. They also explore the impact of CYBATHLON on accessibility and inclusion, as well as future innovations in assistive technology, particularly in the realm of brain-computer interfaces.
The CYBATHLON competition will take place on Oct 25-27 in Zurich, Switzerland. It can also be streamed live here.
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Drew Redepenning (University of Pittsburgh profile) is a physical medicine and rehabilitation resident physician, biomedical engineer, and certified assistive technology specialist, with a passion for adaptive gaming. In this episode, we discuss the evolution and importance of adaptive gaming, the challenges of funding and accessibility, and the creation of Gaming Readapted, a resource for adaptive gaming equipment. Drew shares insights on evaluating adaptive controllers, the growing field of adaptive e-sports, and the role of assistive technology specialists. You can find other useful resources on adaptive gaming here.
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HuskyADAPT is a student organization at the University of Washington that supports accessible design and inclusive play technology. It started as a toy adaptation club and grew into a larger organization that focuses on universal design and includes design teams that work on projects that address specific needs of individuals with disabilities with the goal to create usable and workable solutions. The organization also hosts toy adaptation events with partners like Microsoft and Google. The adapted toys are donated to individuals and organizations in the community. The main aim of HuskyADAPT to make play accessible for all children and promote inclusive design.
Useful resources:
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In this episode, Dr. Megan O'Brien (LinkedIn, Google Scholar, personal webpage) discusses her journey to becoming an Associate Director at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, her work in wearable technology for improving and tracking movement in people with disabilities, and the role of neuroeconomics in movement research. The conversation covers the challenges and opportunities of using wearable technology in rehab engineering, focusing on data accuracy, privacy concerns, and the role of AI.
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Dr. Mohanraj Thirumalai (LinkedIn) is an assistant professor at the University of Birmingham, Alabama, and a director of the NIDILRR-funded Rehab Engineering Research Center on Recreational Technologies (RERC RecTech). In this episode, he discusses the work being done in the field of recreational assistive technology at the RecTech center. Founded in 2002, it focuses on developing and adapting technologies to increase access to exercise, sports, and recreation for people with disabilities. Examples of projects include the development of a low-cost, portable frame running device and an active video gaming controller that can be used with any game. The center also works on developing industry standards for inclusive fitness centers and other recreational equipment.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
In this episode of Gears of Progress, Drs. Hanna O'Day (Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn) and Melissa Boswell (Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn), former PhD students of Scott Delp at Stanford University, discuss their journey into biomechanics, the creation of the podcast 'Biomechanics on Our Minds' (BOOM), and the impact of the International Society of Biomechanics on their work. They also share insights into their favorite episodes, the evolution of the podcast, and the role of the biomechanics community in supporting their endeavors. The conversation covers the journey of the 'BOOM' podcast, including its inception, growth, challenges, and future aspirations. It also delves into the experiences and career paths of the hosts after the podcast.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Beth Halsne (website, Google Scholar, LinkedIn) is a certified prosthetist/orthotist and a principal investigator at the Center for Limb Loss and MoBility (CLiMB) at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. Her major research project includes work on patient-centered prosthetic feet prescription, utilizing Humotech's emulator. In this episode, we discussed the winding road she took from the P&O school and to getting a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Chu Li (Twitter, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, personal website) is a PhD student in Makeability Lab at the University of Washington. Her work lies at the intersection of urban science and accessibility. In this episode, we talked about her journey into the field of human-computer interactions, Project Sidewalk and Chu's involvement in it, and pondered on what it would take to improve the perspectives on urban accessibility across the world.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Benjamin Conner (Google Scholar, LinkedIn) got an MD/PhD in clinical translational sciences from University of Arizona, shares his journey from studying biology and anthropology to biomechanics and exoskeleton implementation. He discusses the importance of mentors and the impact of movement as medicine. Ben explains the role of an MD/PhD in bridging the gap between basic science research and clinical care. He highlights the challenges of the translational valley of death and the disconnect between research priorities and patient needs. Ben also provides an overview of his PhD work on using an exoskeleton device as a training system for children with cerebral palsy. During his PhD, Ben also designed No Limits mobile app, a resource for paraplegic and quadriplegic athletes.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Rita Stanely (LinkedIn) is a long-time advocate for making assistive technology more accessible. She has worked in and around the policy-making world for several decades and dedicated her life understanding how science can influence policy. In this episode, we have covered the topics of policy making in the spaces of rehab engineering and assistive tech, what researchers in AT should know about reimbursement codes and policy when developing new tech to ensure its accessible to the intended population, and how our government's view has changed about the importance of providing rehab and assistive tech in the last 20 years.
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.
Ben Schouten (Google Scholar, personal webpage) is a proffessor of Playful Interactions in Smart Environments at Eindhoven University of Technology and a lector of Play & Civic Media Research at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. His work focuses on play and design for social innovations, citizen empowerment, and culture as well as toy development for the purpose of rehabilitation.
In this episode, Ben and I covered what serious games are, his work in incorporating playful interactions in medical settings, the powerful use of mixed-reality games to "step into someone's shoes", and the importance of participatory design.
Links to some of his work:
Assessing Children’s Fine Motor Skills With Sensor-Augmented Toys: Machine Learning Approach (link)
Magic Monster (link)
Mixed-Reality Work (link)
Participative societies creating new challenges for the water sector (link)
Sept 2016 "Games and Playful Interaction" talk (link)
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The transcript for this episode can be found here.