Category: News

News

HGN Lab Team Recognized by U Innovation Awards

The HGN Lab Team, led by Professor Tommaso Lenzi, received a U Innovation Award for Breakthrough of the Year in recognition of their work on The Utah Bionic Leg. The leg represents a revolutionary advancement in prosthetic technology. It is build for lower-limb amputees and uses motors, processors, and advanced artificial intelligence to give users greater power and control. This helps amputees achieve new levels of mobility through reduced physical strain. The Utah Bionic Leg was developed by Lenzi and a team of graduate students including: Lukas Gabert, Brendan Ortolano, Marissa Cowan, Liam Sullivan, Grace Hunt, Clare Severe, Vishnu...

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UWR Lab received an R03 grant ($150k) from NICHD

Professor Zhang’s UWR lab received a small research grant (R03) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. This 2-year, $150K award will help build a new neck exoskeleton device for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using a carbon-based fabrication method. This project is expected to generate preliminary data to support clinical translation of the neck exoskeleton technology to homes of patients with limited head-neck mobility. This award will be used to support a graduate student to conduct the proposed research. The details regarding the project can be found here: https://reporter.nih.gov/search/mVjRrUYz1U-V3Fs-WAGBvg/project-details/10811000...

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IEEE Conference in Japan

University of Utah Robotics faculty Alan Kuntz and John Hollerbach, with Robotics students, attended the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Yokohama, Japan this spring. UofU students, alongside these professors, were able to engage in talks, exhibits, workshops and technical training with researchers all over the world. The conference's aim was to help build relationships and potential collaborations with participants within and outside their field of study. ICRA brings together robotics researchers, students and industrial partners from around the world to discuss the latest innovations and breakthroughs, highlighting the role of robotics and automation in...

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UWR Lab Published in TNSRE

Dr. Haohan Zhang and the Utah Wearable Robotics Lab have published in the IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering (TNSRE) journal entitled “Preliminary Study on Effects of Neck Exoskeleton Structural Design in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”. ABSTRACT: Neck muscle weakness due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can result in dropped head syndrome, adversely impacting the quality of life of those affected. Static neck collars are currently prescribed to hold the head in a fixed upright position. However, these braces are uncomfortable and do not allow any voluntary head-neck movements. By contrast, powered neck exoskeletons have the...

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U Student Robotics Club Scores Bronze at National Competition

The Utah Student Robotics club from the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering is returning home from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with awards in tow. The U team started in a field of 58, and made it to the University of Central Florida’s Lunabotics Qualifying Event held at the Florida Space Institute’s Exolith Lab alongside 41 other teams. Placing second at the Qualifying event, the U Team moved on to the Kennedy Space Center to compete in the challenge’s Finals. Read the full story here....

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Prof. Jacob George Recognized as Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor

Robotics Center Professor Jacob George was recognized as an Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor at the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering 2024 convocation ceremony. George is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he actively involves undergraduates in research activities. Since becoming a faculty member in 2020, he has mentored over 30 undergraduates, including many UROP-supported students. Students have been engaged in all aspects of research on topics related to neurorobotics, bionics, and brain-computer interfaces. His undergraduate mentees have been first author on five journal manuscripts, co-author on 18 more, and have authored...

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UWR Lab Publishes in Nature Scientific Reports

Dr. Haohan Zhang and the Utah Wearable Robotics Lab has published a paper in Nature Scientific Reports titled “A six degrees-of-freedom cable-driven robotic platform for head–neck movement”. This paper introduces a novel cable-driven robotic platform that enables six degrees-of-freedom (DoF) natural head–neck movements. Poor postural control of the head–neck can be a debilitating symptom of neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Current treatments using static neck collars are inadequate, and there is a need to develop new devices to empower movements and facilitate physical rehabilitation of the head–neck. State-of-the-art neck exoskeletons using lower DoF mechanisms with...

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