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...
Read MoreJake George Awarded College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher
Robotics faculty, Jake George received the 2024 Price College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher award from Dean Musgrave....
Read MoreUtah Neurorobotics Lab Wins Proposal Grant
Utah Neurorobotics Lab members win proposal grant at the RAC Grand Challenge...
Read MoreIEEE 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...
Read MoreUWR 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...
Read MoreU 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....
Read MoreProf. 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...
Read MoreUWR 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...
Read MoreLenzi Named U Presidential Scholar
Congratulations to University of Utah mechanical engineering associate professor Tommaso Lenzi, who was one of four faculty members names as Presidential Scholars at the University of Utah for 2023. This award recognizes excellence and achievement for faculty members at the assistant or associate professor level and comes with $10,000 in annual funding for three years to support their scholarship and enrich their research activities. Dr. Lenzi is among the top researchers of prosthetics in the country and is well known as the designer of the Utah Bionic Leg, which was selected as one of the Best Inventions of 2023 by Time...
Read MoreZhang and Brown Receive NIH Trailblazer Award
University of Utah mechanical engineering assistant professor Haohan Zhang and Kahlert School of Computing assistant professor Daniel Brown have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer Award in a multi-PI proposal. This 3-year project will develop a new neck brace for patients with dropped head syndrome that use gaze tracking to help restore head-neck mobility. The Trailblazer Awards program is a prestigious opportunity for new and early-stage faculty to pursue research programs that “integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences.” Dropped head syndrome is a condition most commonly associated with neuromuscular disorders where...
Read More