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Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Kazerooni is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as the director of the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. With more than 30 years of mechanical engineering experience and a doctorate degree from MIT, he is a leading expert in robotics, control sciences, exoskeletons, human-machine systems and augmentation, bioengineering, mechatronics design, intelligent assist devices, and power and propulsion. Prior to his more well-known research on lower extremity exoskeletons, Dr. Kazerooni led his team at Berkeley to successfully develop robotics systems that enhanced human upper extremity strength. The results of this work led to a new class of intelligent assist devices that are currently used by workers in distribution centers and factories all over the world. These intelligent assist devices are currently marketed worldwide by Ingersoll- Rand and Gorbel. Dr. Kazerooni’s later work has focused on the control of human-machine systems specific to human lower extremities. Dr. Kazerooni has won numerous awards including Discover Magazine’s Technological Innovation Award, the McKnight-Land Grant Professorship, and has been a recipient of the outstanding ASME Investigator Award. His research was recognized as the most innovative technology of the year in New York Times Magazine. He has served in a variety of leadership roles in the mechanical engineering community and is notably the editor of two journals: ASME Journal of Dynamics Systems and Control and IEEE Transaction on Mechatronics. A recognized authority on robotics, Dr. Kazerooni has published more than 200 articles to date, delivered over 130 plenary lectures internationally, and is the inventors of numerous patents. More information can be obtained in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homayoon_Kazerooni.
Dr. Goldfarb directs the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics at Vanderbilt University, which specializes in the development and assessment of robotic technology to improve the quality of life and/or quality of care for people with physical disabilities. The Center’s research includes the development and assessment of robotic lower limb prostheses that offer improved gait biomechanics across a wide range of activities to transtibial and transfemoral amputees; the development and assessment of multigrasp hand prostheses that offer enhanced dexterity to upper extremity amputees; the development and assessment of lower limb exoskeletons to provide legged mobility to individuals with paraplegia; and the development of lower limb exoskeletons as a therapeutic intervention to provide overground gait retraining for individuals with lower limb hemiparesis following stroke. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; his M.S., Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a B.S., Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona. He has published numerous articles and white papers and is best known for his work in developing the Indego lower-limb exoskeleton. General Session Speakers: Stephane Bedard, CEO, B-Temia
Dr. Gery Colombo has 25 years of experience in the field of rehabilitation. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the Institute for Biomedical Technology of ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Zurich. Dr. Colombo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hocoma, the worldwide-leading company in rehabilitation robotics, active in the field of neurorehabilitation with robotic and sensor-based devices for functional movement therapy. He is the creator of the Lokomat, a driven gait orthosis for functional robotic gait therapy. The Lokomat was built for rehabilitation of patients after stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury or other neurological diseases who have the potential of regaining independent walking again. Dr. Colombo holds patents in the field of rehabilitation robotics and is an expert in technology transfer. During his research career he contributed to more than 40 peer reviewed journal articles. He is one of the founders and president of the International Industry Society of Advanced Rehabilitation Technologies (IISART) and member of WFNR, AAATE. He won several prizes, among others the “Entrepreneur of Year 2004” and the “Red Herring 100 Global.”
Achilleas Dorotheou earned a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University, fully funded through a Fulbright Scholarship. He went on to obtain a MS degree in Control Systems from the same university with a focus on robotics. Then he worked as a project manager for mechanical and control systems for the BAe Tornado aircraft ground facilities at a military air base project in Saudi Arabia. He went on to attend Columbia Business School where he earned his MBA degree in Finance, after which he spent a decade in strategic management consulting with Arthur D. Little Inc. and Charles River Associates. During his consulting career, he focused on business and technology strategy, market entry and organizational development for government departments, large companies and notable investors in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Over the past 12 years, Achilleas has held senior roles at Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) in the areas of corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and venturing reporting to the company's COO, CTO and several presidents. In 2013, he co-founded the Human Motion & Control (HMC) business unit of Parker and has since served as Vice President and Head of the unit. HMC has the mission to develop and commercialize intelligent mechatronic devices to address human functional impairments. HMC has developed a pipeline of intelligent, powered exoskeletal devices starting with the Indego device which received FDA clearance in March 2016 for both personal and clinical use. First revenue was attained in less than three years from inception. Achilleas also leads the market access/reimbursement activities of the unit and the requisite evidence development and payer engagement. Since 2014 Achilleas has served as Board Member for Freedom Innovations LLC, an advanced lower-limb prosthetics company based in Irvine, California.
Scott Schneider is the Chief Future Development Officer and President, MedicalCare at Ottobock Healthcare LP. In this role, Scott is responsible for exploring opportunities in partnerships, technology, managing integration and political relationships in North America. Ottobock is a privately-owned Germany-based company, founded in 1919, with its North American headquarters in Austin, Texas. Ottobock designs, develops and sells medical technology products and fitting solutions for people with limited mobility in the fields of prosthetics, orthotics, mobility solutions (wheelchairs, rehab solutions), neurorehabilitation and medical care. Scott joined Ottobock in 2003 with the acquisition of his company TEC Interface Systems and has held assignments in both Ottobock North America and Germany. Prior to joining the company, Scott was a partner at Northwestern Artificial Limb & Brace and co-founder of TEC Interface from 1988-2002. While there, the organizations were awarded the 1995 Small Business of the Year from the US Small Business Administration, the 2002 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year regional award and 2002 Fast Company’s ‘Fast 50’ Most Innovative Companies.
Roland Auberger is responsible for technology transfer and acts as an innovation scout at Ottobock. He is located in Vienna, a major R&D hub for Ottobock mechatronic products. Roland joined the Ottobock R&D team in 2004 and was the developer of the C-Brace Orthotronic Mobility system. He studied mechatronics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria and wrote his master thesis in the field of surgical robotics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). After his graduation, Roland worked as a research assistant in the Institute for Robotics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. In addition to his professional activities Roland is currently working on a Ph.D. project at the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab of the ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Crispin Simon has a 25-year track record in industry, predominantly in the commercialization of Medical Technology products. Following a career which included NM Rothschild, McKinsey, Rexam and Smith & Nephew, where he was latterly President of the Endoscopy Division, Crispin was Chief Executive of Biocompatibles International Plc (“Biocompatibles”) until its sale to BTG Plc in early 2011. While there, he led a team that developed three medical products businesses: The Cardiovascular Stent business, sold to Abbott Laboratories Inc. for £145 million; the Contact Lens business, sold to Cooper Industries Inc. for £80 million and the Drug-eluting Bead business, which was sold as part of the disposal of the whole company to BTG for £165 million. In addition, £123 million cash was returned to shareholders. Crispin was appointed CBE in 2015
Breakout Speakers:
Roger Bostelman has managed the Intelligent Control of Mobility Systems Program and many NIST and military technology research and development projects throughout his 39 years at NIST. Roger has designed, built, and tested mechanical systems and their interface electronics on robot cranes, robot arms, and autonomous vehicles, including the RoboCrane®, deployed as the manipulator at Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear disaster sites, HLPR (Home Lift, Position, and Rehabilitation) Chair, and several other technologies. He is Chairman of ASTM Committee F45, Chairs F45.91 Subcommittee, and serves as an expert on ANSI/ITSDF B56.5, TC 299 Robotics/WG2 ISO 13482, ASTM E57, and ASTM AC220. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the George Washington University, a M.S. in Technology Management from the University of Maryland University College, and is seeking a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Bourgogne, France. He has over 100 publications in books, journals, and conference proceedings and he holds seven patents.
Tommaso Lenzi earned a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Pisa in 2008, and a Ph.D. degree in BioRobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in 2012. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Utah, and a Core Faculty in the Utah Robotics Center, where he directs the Bionic Engineering Lab. Previously, he was a Research Scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (2015-2016), and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University (2013-2014). He is a member of IEEE, the Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), and the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society(EMBS). Dr. Lenzi has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications, three book chapters, and nine patents applications. He serves as Associate Editor for the IEEE International Conferences on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) and Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BIOROB). His main research interests include robotics, mechatronics, and rehabilitation medicine with a major emphasis on the design and control of wearable robots for human assistance and rehabilitation.
James L. Patton is a Professor of Bioengineering and an Adjunct in Computer Science at The University of Illinois at Chicago, and is a senior research scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). He also holds affiliate positions in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. He was educated in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science (dual BS, University of Michigan) Theoretical Mechanics (MS, Michigan State University), and Biomedical Engineering (Ph.D., Northwestern University). He worked for Ford Motor Company and as a cyclotron operator before turning his attention to academia and human movement. His general interests involve robotic teaching, balance and gait, arm control, haptics, modeling, human-machine interfaces, and neurorehabilitation following brain injury. He is Editor in Chief of the IEEE-Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMB) conference, associate Editor of Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, a member of the Advisory Committee for the EMB society, and has chaired the technical committee on biomedical robotics. He is also the Director of the NIDRR National Center for Rehabilitation Robotics (MARS-RERC.org), which has fostered more than 16 major research projects and numerous initiatives that further the cause of using technology for restoring function.
Dr. Rouse is the Director of the Neurobionics Lab in the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, as well as the Departments of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. The vision of the Neurobionics Lab is to discover the fundamental science that underlies human joint dynamics during locomotion and incorporate these discoveries in a new class of wearable robotic technologies. The Lab uses technical tools from mechanical and biomedical engineering applied to the complex challenges of human augmentation, physical medicine, rehabilitation and neuroscience. Dr. Rouse and his research have been featured at TED, on the Discovery Channel, CNN, National Public Radio, Wired Magazine UK, and Business Insider.
Dr. Zev Rymer, earned his medical degree from Melbourne University and his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from Monash University, both in Australia. After postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University Medical School, he became an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Physiology at the State University of New York, Syracuse. In 1978, he came to Chicago as an Assistant Professor of Physiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and he remained as a primary faculty member in Physiology until his appointment at the RIC. He currently serves as Director of the Sensory Motor Performance Program and is Director of Research Planning at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). In addition to his research roles at RIC, Dr. Rymer holds appointments as Professor of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Rymer is currently researching regulation of movement in normal and neurologically disordered human subjects including sources of altered motoneuronal behavior in hemispheric stroke survivors, using electro-physiological, pharmacological, and biomechanical techniques.
Dr. Jan Veneman received a M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering, another M.Sc. in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society, and his Doctorate in Biomechatronics, all from the University of Twente, The Netherlands. Currently Dr. Veneman is project manager and senior researcher in the Medical Robotics Department in the Health Division of Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain. He is active in the fields of exoskeleton robotics, gait rehabilitation, gait assessment, haptic devices, exoskeletons and smart orthotic materials, and especially active in the topics benchmarking and standardization for wearable exoskeletons related to assistance and training of walking. Since 2002 he has been active in R&D related to Wearable Robots, when he started the development and evaluation of a robotic exoskeleton for interactive gait rehabilitation (LOPES) in the University of Twente. In this research and at the Roessingh’ Research and Development (NLD) centre he worked on using gait assessment techniques to evaluate exoskeletons and rehabilitation tools. He is Action Chair of the European COST Action CA16116 on Wearable Robots. He is also active in the working group, “Benchmarking of Bipedal Locomotion,” co-organizing workshops in this field. Currently he is coordinator and PI of the FP7 ICT research project “BALANCE” on postural balancing supportive control of leg exoskeletons, as well as Topic Group Leader Wearable Robotics in the context of euRobotics. He currently serves as Spanish international expert in the ISO/IEC supporting the working groups | Sponsors |
Dr. Homayoon Kazerooni, Professor, University of California at Berkeley / Founder and Chief Scientist, suitX
Michael Goldfarb, Ph.D., Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University and Creator of the Indego
Gery Colombo, CEO, Hocoma
Achilleas Dorotheou, Head, Human Motion Control, Parker Hannifin Corp.
Scott Schneider, President, North America, Ottobock
Roland Auberger, Innovation Expert, NeuroOrthotics, Ottobock Healthcare Products
Crispin Simon, CEO, REX Bionics
Roger Bostelman, Advanced Mobility Engineer, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Tommaso Lenzi, Ph.D.,
James L. Patton, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago
Elliott J. Rouse, Ph.D., Director, Neurobionics Lab, Center for Bionic Medicine, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
W. Zev Rymer, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Sensory Motor Performance Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC)
Dr. Jan Veneman, Project Manager and Senior Researcher, Rehabilitation Department, Health Division, TECNALIA Research & Innovation