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
Rebuilding the injured brain | Cindi Morshead Lab
The human brain has only a limited ability to repair itself after injury, but scientists are working to change that. In Professor Cindi Morshead’s lab, researchers study neural stem cells: the rare cells capable of generating new neurons and support cells in the brain. Her team investigates how these stem cells grow, migrate, and specialize, and how they can be guided to help repair damage caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, and childhood brain injuries.
Advancing musculoskeletal research at the Holland Bone and Joint Research Program
The Holland Bone and Joint Research Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute continues to drive progress in musculoskeletal science through collaborative, translational research. Drs. Cari Whyne and Michael Hardisty are contributing to meaningful advancements in patient care.
Improving mobility after spinal cord injury | Kei Masani Lab
In the Motion and Adaptation Science Laboratory at the University of Toronto, Professor Kei Masani and his team study new ways to improve balance and movement for people with neurological impairments. By combining functional electrical stimulation with real-time visual feedback and motion tracking tools such as depth cameras, the lab is developing better ways to assess and support standing, walking, and adapted exercise.
PhD Researcher Samantha Unger Helps Drive Cross-Border Health Innovation
As part of a cross-sector collaboration between U of T Engineering, the Reach Alliance, and Mexico-based GSE Biomedical, BME PhD student Samantha Unger contributes to a social impact market analysis aimed at improving access to self-sampling diagnostic devices across regions with limited health infrastructure. Her work helps bridge research and practical implementation, an essential step in closing critical care gaps.
Advancing pediatric rehabilitation through technology | Elaine Biddiss Lab
Discover how the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL), led by Professor Elaine Biddiss, is advancing pediatric rehabilitation through innovative, evidence-based technologies. Leveraging gamified therapy systems like Bootle Blast to interactive platforms such as ScreenPlay and Bootle Band, PEARL’s interdisciplinary team develops tools that make rehabilitation more engaging, accessible, and personalized for children and youth with disabilities.
Decoding the brain’s hidden rhythms | Berj Bardakjian Lab
Discover how Professor Berj Bardakjian and the Neural Systems Lab at the University of Toronto are uncovering the electrical “alphabet” of the brain. This research explores the hidden rhythms behind how we think and move, with a focus on predicting seizures, improving diagnosis, and advancing machine learning tools for brain disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression.