Intelligent Human-Robot Fusion: The Horizon of Assistive Robotics
Speaker:
Farokh Atashzar, PhD
Assistant Professor
Depts. of Mechanical & Aerospace and Electrical & Computer Engineering
Center for Urban Science and Progress
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Abstract:
Society aging has raised significant concerns regarding the balance between available resources and the needs of citizens in urban environments. Over the last decade, robotic systems have increasingly been seen as a technological bridge that can deliver a wide range of medical services to patients. Interactive robotic technologies have started to revolutionize the field of neurorehabilitation and have been successful in accelerating neural recovery and motor restoration for patients living with neural damages (such as those caused by stroke) through promoting brain plasticity. In addition, interfaces with the human neural system have been successfully utilized to augment the motor capabilities of individuals living with the lack of mobility or a biological limb. Although such systems have shown a great potential for delivering rehabilitation and assistance, there still exist several challenges that have led to active research in the fields of neurorobotics, AI, and biosignal processing. This talk aims to report on recent developments from Dr. Atashzar’s MERIIT lab and will cover multiple topics related to human-robot integration in the context of (tele)robotic rehabilitation and smart bionics.
Dr. Atashzar came to NYU in 2019. Prior to that he held a position of senior postdoctoral scientist in the Dept. of Bioengineering at the Imperial College London, UK, sponsored by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. From February 2017 to August 2018, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) center in London, ON, Canada. From 2015 to 2018, he conducted research for the Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) of Canada program “Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life (AGE-WELL)". He was ranked among the top "5" applicants in Canada for the 2018 NSERC PDF competition in the Electrical and Computer Engineering sector.
