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.
Check out the case studies below to learn about the exciting research done here at BME:
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
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.
BME Director elected as fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Dr. Milos Popovic was elected as one of the 49 fellows to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). CAHS brings together Canada’s top-ranked health and biomedical scientists and scholars to make a positive impact on the urgent health concerns of Canadians.
Three BME faculty members awarded Connaught New Researcher Fund
Professors Aereas Aung, Daniel Franklin, and Caitlin Maikawa were awarded the Connaught New Researcher Awards, which support early-career faculty members in establishing their research programs. They are among 8 researchers from the U of T Engineering who received support in the latest round.
Five BME faculty members & collaborators receive a combined $2.6mil+ funding from CIHR
Professors Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng, Leo Chou, Daniel Franklin, Naomi Matsuura, and Cari Whyne and their collaborators have received a combined funding of $2.6mil+ from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) as a part of the 2024 Spring CIHR Project Grant. The CIHR Project Grant program funds innovative health research projects with the potential to significantly advance health knowledge, healthcare, health systems, and health outcomes.
11 BME faculty members receive a combined $500,000+ funding from NSERC
The Discovery Grant program is dedicated to supporting researchers as they venture into new territories to find solutions to pressing issues such as environmental protection, food security, and sustainable construction in cold climates. It aims to promote and maintain a diverse and high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering at Canadian universities, foster research excellence, and provide a stimulating environment for research training.