Link to Project Gallery of the Neural Engineering and Human-Robot Systems
Neural engineering seeks to extend, develop, and apply basic knowlege of nervous systems, from the molecular to the systems level, into useful technology. Technologies under active development by faculty members in Neural Engineering span a wide range, from the restoration of human function (neuroprosthetics, novel motor system therapies for stroke victims, assistive technologies for victims of neuropathologies), to bio-inspired technologies for robotics (artificial sensor arrays, locomotion systems, sensory-feedback control algorithms).
Neural engineering is by nature interdisciplinary, drawing upon the fields of computational and experimental neuroscience, clinical neurology, robotics, signal processing, electrical and computer engineering, tissue engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology. As such, the faculty members in the Neural Engineering program have a diverse skill set and a broad range of collaborations throughout the University. Students in the Neural Engineering program are exposed to this diversity through regularly scheduled seminars and workshops as well as through relevant courses offered throughout the University. The breadth of these opportunities was greatly expanded through a recent Special Opportunity Award from the Whitaker Foundation.
A unifying theme behind the Neural Engineering research in the Department of Biomedical Engineering is the restoration of human function via direct interactions between the nervous system and artificial devices. Current research efforts are focused on understanding the coding and processing of information in the sensory and motor systems (Hartmann, MacIver, Tresch, Troy), quantifying how this processing is altered in the pathological state (Dewald, Murray, Mussa-Ivaldi, Linsenmeier, Perreault, Rymer) and how it can be manipulated through interactions with artificial devices including brain-computer interfaces (Mussa-Ivaldi). Our goals are to integrate these studies to provide practical near-term solutions for improving sensory and motor function in individuals with a broad spectrum of disabilities.
Research programs in rehabilitation focus on the biomechanics and control of human movement. For instance, using electromyographic analysis, dynamic modeling, and systems identification, we quantify the mechanisms of muscular spasticity, determine how subjects compensate for neuromuscular fatigue, and investigate control strategies used to execute limb movements (Dewald, Murray, Mussa-Ivaldi, Perreault, Rymer, Tresch).Other investigations use three-dimensional computer graphics models of the musculoskeletal system to study the biomechanical consequences of surgical reconstructions that are performed to improve patient function (Murray). Insights gained in these studies will help us understand and treat patients suffering from cerebral palsy, stroke, head trauma, spinal cord injury, and a variety of other disabilities. A number of investigators conduct projects to develop advanced prosthetic devices for both the upper and lower limbs and also studies of the biomechanics of gait. In collaboration with orthopaedic surgeons, we study biomechanical actions and load sharing of individual muscles undernormal and pathological conditions, compensatory mechanics for knee injuries, and new rehabilitation treatments. Rehabilitation work is centered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), on our Chicago campus, with affiliated faculty of the Sensory Motor Performance Program.
Affiliated faculty working in Neural Engineering and Rehabilitation include Peter Dallos, Steve Gard, James Houk, Todd Kuiken, Todd Parrish, and Li-Qun Zhang.
Link to Project Gallery of the Neural Engineering and Human-Robot Systems
