Dr. Mohanraj Thirumalai (LinkedIn) is an assistant professor at the University of Birmingham, Alabama, and a director of the NIDILRR-funded Rehab Engineering Research Center on Recreational Technologies (RERC RecTech). In this episode, he discusses the work being done in the field of recreational assistive technology at the RecTech center. Founded in 2002, it focuses on developing and adapting technologies to increase access to exercise, sports, and recreation for people with disabilities. Examples of projects include the development of a low-cost, portable frame running device and an active video gaming controller that can be used with any game. The center also works on developing industry standards for inclusive fitness centers and other recreational equipment.

In this episode of Gears of Progress, Drs. Hanna O'Day (Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn) and Melissa Boswell (Google Scholar, Twitter, LinkedIn), former PhD students of Scott Delp at Stanford University, discuss their journey into biomechanics, the creation of the podcast 'Biomechanics on Our Minds' (BOOM), and the impact of the International Society of Biomechanics on their work. They also share insights into their favorite episodes, the evolution of the podcast, and the role of the biomechanics community in supporting their endeavors. The conversation covers the journey of the 'BOOM' podcast, including its inception, growth, challenges, and future aspirations. It also delves into the experiences and career paths of the hosts after the podcast.

Beth Halsne (website, Google Scholar, LinkedIn) is a certified prosthetist/orthotist and a principal investigator at the Center for Limb Loss and MoBility (CLiMB) at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. Her major research project includes work on patient-centered prosthetic feet prescription, utilizing Humotech's emulator. In this episode, we discussed the winding road she took from the P&O school and to getting a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences.

This episode was powered by:

• Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)

Benjamin Conner (Google Scholar, LinkedIn) got an MD/PhD in clinical translational sciences from University of Arizona, shares his journey from studying biology and anthropology to biomechanics and exoskeleton implementation. He discusses the importance of mentors and the impact of movement as medicine. Ben explains the role of an MD/PhD in bridging the gap between basic science research and clinical care. He highlights the challenges of the translational valley of death and the disconnect between research priorities and patient needs. Ben also provides an overview of his PhD work on using an exoskeleton device as a training system for children with cerebral palsy. During his PhD, Ben also designed No Limits mobile app, a resource for paraplegic and quadriplegic athletes.

This episode was powered by:

• Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)

Rita Stanely (LinkedIn) is a long-time advocate for making assistive technology more accessible. She has worked in and around the policy-making world for several decades and dedicated her life understanding how science can influence policy. In this episode, we have covered the topics of policy making in the spaces of rehab engineering and assistive tech, what researchers in AT should know about reimbursement codes and policy when developing new tech to ensure its accessible to the intended population, and how our government's view has changed about the importance of providing rehab and assistive tech in the last 20 years.

This episode was powered by:

• Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)

Ben Schouten (Google Scholar, personal webpage) is a proffessor of Playful Interactions in Smart Environments at Eindhoven University of Technology and a lector of Play & Civic Media Research at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. His work focuses on play and design for social innovations, citizen empowerment, and culture as well as toy development for the purpose of rehabilitation.

In this episode, Ben and I covered what serious games are, his work in incorporating playful interactions in medical settings, the powerful use of mixed-reality games to "step into someone's shoes", and the importance of participatory design.

Links to some of his work:

Assessing Children’s Fine Motor Skills With Sensor-Augmented Toys: Machine Learning Approach (link)

Magic Monster (link)

Mixed-Reality Work (link)

Participative societies creating new challenges for the water sector (link)

Sept 2016 "Games and Playful Interaction" talk (link)

Spero Koulouras is a computer engineer by training and an entrepreneur by heart. One of his latest ventures is Auli.Tech, a company that designs open-source applications and devices enabling individuals to overcome intramuscular and vocal impairments.

In this episode, Spero discusses his journey in the tech industry and his experience with ALS diagnosis 5 years ago, which got him on the path of developing assistive technologies like Cato. Cato is a small device that uses motion recognition and AI to enable control of things such as computer mouse, keyboard, game controller, and even a harness.

**If you're a qualified Assistive Tech professional interested in giving Cato a try for FREE, please fill out this form **

The accessible transcript of this episode is available here.