SEMINAR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

From Human-in-the-Loop Simulations to the Design of Robotic Assistive Devices

Prof.  Xianlian Alex Zhou, PhD

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)

Abstract

Design and evaluation of exoskeletons is often a time consuming and costly process that involves prototyping, human testing, and multiple design iterations. For active exoskeletons, the primary challenge is to detect the wearer’s movement intent and provide potent assistance, which often requires sophisticated control algorithms. The goal of this study is to integrate human neuromusculoskeletal models with robot modeling and control for the human-in-the-loop evaluation of exoskeleton design and controller. We will present potential strategies for assisting various human motions such as lifting, walking, and running. Several exoskeleton designs (for hand, back, upper extremity, and lower extremity) and their control methods will be evaluated with an integrated human-in-the-loop simulation approach to study their functionalities and biomechanical effects on the wearer’ musculoskeletal system. We hope this simulation paradigm can be utilized for virtual design and evaluation of exoskeletons and pave the way to build or optimize exoskeletons. 

Biography

Dr. Zhou joined NJIT in 2018 and is currently an Associated Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the director of the BioDynamics lab. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa in 2007. Before joining NJIT, he was a principal research scientist and lead the Human Performance and Biodynamics group at the CFD Research Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama. He has been PI for many DoD sponsored projects on human performance, injury protection, and treatment. Currently, his research focuses on computational biomechanics, wearable robots, digital human modeling, and personalized medicine.