Gears of Progress

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. This episode was powered by:  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 :) This episode was powered by:  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, 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00

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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00

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: Fisher-Price Sensory Bright Light Station Electronic Learning Activity Table"Let's Adapt for Everyone!" bookSWITCHED Adapted Toys Youtube Channel"Affordable Adaptations" bookSwitch adapted toys shop on EtsyAdaptedDesign3D on EtsyHuskyADAPT adaptable toy listRePlay for Kids - toy adapting organizations near you This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00

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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00

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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 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) This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spero Koulouras is a computer engineer by training and an entrepreneur by heart. One of his latest ventures is Auli.Tech, a company that designs open-source applications and devices enabling individuals to overcome intramuscular and vocal impairments. In this episode, Spero discusses his journey in the tech industry and his experience with ALS diagnosis 5 years ago, which got him on the path of developing assistive technologies like Cato. Cato is a small device that uses motion recognition and AI to enable control of things such as computer mouse, keyboard, game controller, and even a harness. **If you're a qualified Assistive Tech professional interested in giving Cato a try for FREE, please fill out this form ** This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The accessible transcript of this episode is available here.

Nataliya Rokhmanova (Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Scholar) is a PhD student in the joint program between Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany and Carnegie Mellon University in the US. In this episode, we discussed the role of haptics, specifically vibro-tactile feedback, in helping humans improve the way they walk, the benefits of participating in an international PhD program, and her incredible work teaching researchers how to make their scientific figures more readable, engaging, and appealing to improve science communication. Resources: SciFig repository for the workshop on explaining scientific findings through figures in publications, presentations, and posters - linkPaper "Comparing preference of ankle–foot stiffness in below-knee amputees and prosthetists" - linkPaper "Remotely delivered, individualized, and self-directed gait modification for knee osteoarthritis: A pilot trial" - linkDAAD scholarships aimed primarily at graduates, doctoral students and and are awarded for study and research visits to universities and non-university research institutions in Germany - link This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Dr. Alyssa Spomer (LinkedIn, Google Scholar) got her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. Her work focused on biofeedback technology to improve motor control in children with cerebral palsy and worked on understanding how interpretable machine learning methods can be used to identify factors of response to a resistive ankle exoskeleton (Biomotum). In this episode, we discussed what it takes to write a winning NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application, how common emulation of disabled gait patterns are in rehab engineering research, and how different doing science in a hospital in comparison to academia. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found ⁠here⁠.

In this episode, I talked with Maureen Linden, an executive director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation at Georgia Tech and a former president of Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). The topic of our discussion was RESNA's Guidelines and Priorities for Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Research. We discussed several aspects of how research in rehab engineering and AT should be pursued, such as user involvement, universal design approach, science translation, and performance standards. We also went over what areas RESNA identified as research priorities to be pursued back in 2014 when the last version of the guidelines was created. This episode is powered by: ⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Jessica Garries (LinkedIn) received her BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. During her undergraduate capstone project for the Engineering Innovation in Health class, she and her classmates got to work on transforming an existing exoskeleton for individuals with stroke from Cadence Biomedical into a pediatric solution for children with cerebral palsy - PlayGait. Jessica’s capstone team later patented the exoskeleton and she continued to develop it during her Master’s degree, receiving $95,000 in funding to support her work. Her work with PlayGait didn’t stop even after Jessica joined Orthocare Innovations, a Seattle-based R&D company focused on developing providing prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation solutions. In this episode, we covered her path to assistive technologies, doing research in an industry setting, and various aspects that go into making an innovation successful. This episode is powered by: ⁠CREATE ⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠RESNA ⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠NIDILRR ⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found ⁠here⁠.

Dr. Kim Ingraham (LinkedIn, Twitter) is an assistant professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Electrical &Computer Engineering. Kim has an extensive research background creating personalized controllers for lower-limb assistive robotics, such as exoskeletons and prosthetics, and evaluating powered mobility devices for children with disabilities. In this episode, we discussed her winding path to academic research, from an internship at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to a faculty position and leading her own lab (Ingraham Lab) at the University of Washington. This episode is powered by: ⁠CREATE ⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠RESNA ⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠NIDILRR ⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Dr. Fatma Inanici (LinkedIn, Twitter) is a research faculty at the University of Washington’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, who has started her academic career back in Turkey, studying fibromyalgia. In this episode, we talked about how she has been applying the spinal stimulation technology to restore hand function in individuals with spinal cord injury and stroke, the opportunities of noninvasive interventions, and cultural differences that affect how research is conducted in different countries. We also discussed unexpected yet positive effects of spinal stimulation on individuals with disabilities, such as improving thermoregulation, heart rate, and so much more. List of Resources: New therapy helps some regain motion lost to spinal injury New treatment allows some people with spinal cord injury to regain hand and arm function This episode is powered by: ⁠CREATE ⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington⁠RESNA ⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)⁠NIDILRR ⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00 The transcript for this episode can be found ⁠here⁠.