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
Engineering brain therapies with deep brain stimulation and neurotechnology | Luka Milosevic Lab
At the Krembil Brain Institute, Dr. Luka Milosevic is developing data-driven approaches to neuromodulation and brain stimulation that help clinicians better understand, target, and influence the brain’s complex neural circuits.
Five BME faculty members receive promotions
Five faculty members affiliated with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Toronto have been promoted through the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, effective July 1, 2026. These promotions recognize their outstanding contributions to research, education, clinical innovation, and service across the biomedical engineering community.
Two BME professors receive 2026 Connaught Innovation Awards
Two professors from the University of Toronto Institute of Biomedical Engineering have received 2026 Connaught Innovation Awards, a competitive internal research funding program. Professors Paul Yoo and Daniel Franklin are among 14 award recipients selected this year for innovations with strong potential for societal impact.
Improving rehabilitation through neurotechnology | José Zariffa Lab
At the Adaptive Neurorehabilitation Systems Lab, Professor Jose Zariffa and his team are developing technologies to support recovery after spinal cord injury and stroke. Using wearable sensors, neural interfaces, deep learning, and computer vision, the lab studies movement and nervous system activity to improve rehabilitation therapies and assistive technologies.
Professor Luka Milosevic awarded $1.65 million NSERC CREATE grant to advance neuromodulation training
Professor Luka Milosevic awarded $1.65 million NSERC CREATE grant to advance neuromodulation training Professor Luka Milosevic has received a $1.65 million […]
Professor Elaine Biddiss Awarded Kids Brain Health Network Funding to Advance Innovative Supports for Children and Youth with Neurodisabilities
Professor Elaine Biddiss, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Senior Scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, is among the project leads for one of 14 initiatives receiving national funding from Kids Brain Health to improve outcomes for children and youth with neurodisabilities and their families across Canada.