Clinical Engineering
BME’s clinical engineers design technologies, devices and strategies for people with chronic disease, traumatic injury, disabilities and mobility limitations to help them integrate more fully with their environment.
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Neural Rehabilitation
Accessing the right to communication for children and youth with complex disabilities
Professor Tom Chau helps young people with complex disabilities connect with the world around them.
As a senior scientist and vice-president of research at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Chau leads the Paediatric Rehabilitation Intelligent Systems Multidisciplinary (PRISM) Lab to develop sensing, signal processing and machine-learning methods that enable children and youth with various disabilities to communicate and interact with their environment.
One of his recent foci is to use a non-invasive technique known as near-infrared spectroscopy — to decode brain patterns in young people with severe neurological disability. The signals can then be articulated through various access technologies to enable communication between the patient and their caregivers.
Prosthetics
Enabling mobility for those with physical disabilities
A typical artificial limb costs several thousands of dollars. Professor Jan Andrysek’s All-Terrain Knee (AT-Knee), developed at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, is high-functioning, durable, and costs a fraction of that price.
As a clinical engineer and scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Andrysek leads the Paediatrics, Rehabilitation, Orthotics, Prosthetics, Engineering and Locomotion (PROPEL) Lab. Its study of human biomechanics allows them to develop and innovate affordable treatments and assistive technologies that enable mobility for individuals with severe physical disabilities.
Today, his spinoff company, LegWorks, is producing the AT-Knee to help amputees around the world regain their mobility and independence.
Interactive Technology
Video games: a new therapeutic frontier
As a clinical engineer and scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Professor Elaine Biddiss leads the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL) to develop interactive technologies that assist young people with disabilities to accomplish rehabilitation goals.
One area of PEARL’s research focus is virtual reality therapy — an interactive, low-cost series of video games that impose virtual constraints to encourage therapeutic movements and can be customized to an individual’s rehabilitation needs. This particular innovation, along with several other developments from her lab, engages children with disabilities and mobility challenges to complete repetitive therapy tasks and foster social interactions through multiplayer options.
Read more news about clinical engineering
Professor Daniel Franklin Receives 2024 Innovation Fund Award
With a mission to support novel approaches to managing and preventing heart failure, the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research uses its Innovation Fund to propel emerging research with great potential. The 2024-25 Innovation Fund Seed Grants are currently open and you can learn more here.
Professor Milos R. Popovic Named Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada
Professor Milos R. Popovic has been named a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC). He is one of 23 distinguished engineers selected this year for their outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and their service to society.
Developing biodegradable brain stimulation electrodes for neural repair
Researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Toronto have developed a flexible, biodegradable electrode capable of stimulating neural precursor cells (NPCs) in the brain. This device delivers targeted electrical stimulation for up to seven days before dissolving naturally, eliminating the need for surgical removal.
Three U of T biomedical engineers awarded Canada Research Chairs for innovations in synthetic biology, neurodiversity health, and nanobioengineering
Three faculty members at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) have been awarded Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
New insights into sudden unexpected death in epilepsy through advanced brain wave analysis
Researchers from University of Toronto have developed a new approach to studying brain wave patterns that may offer vital clues into the mechanisms behind Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). By using a method called wavelet phase coherence, the team has uncovered significant differences in brain activity during epileptic seizures that could lead to better prevention strategies.
What’s your story? – Professor Tom Chau
As a child, Tom Chau’s engineering journey began by dismantling toys to discover how they worked. Now, Chau and his team are developing technologies to give children with disabilities the ability to communicate better with others.