Daniel P. Ferris, Ph.D.
Robert W. Adenbaum Professor of Engineering Innovation, University of Florida
Friday, Jan. 20th at 3pm
Room 3550 MEK
Sid & Marian Green Classroom
ABSTRACT: Wearable robotic technologies are becoming more common in research laboratories as the technology advances. The main limiting factor in their adoption in real world use is the control interface between humans and machines. Robotic lower limb exoskeletons and bionic lower limb prostheses are difficult to control in a rapid and coordinated manner. One option to improve control of wearable robotic devices is to use feedforward neural commands from the user. Research in the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory focuses on using electromyography and electroencephalography as tools to better understand how humans adapt to robotic devices and leverage them as control inputs to improve human-machine agility, embodiment, and efficiency.
BIO: Daniel Ferris is the Robert W. Adenbaum Professor of Engineering Innovation at the University of Florida. His research focuses on the biomechanics and neural control of human locomotion, specifically in regard to human-machine interactions (mechanical and electrical). Dr. Ferris moved to the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida in summer 2017 after starting his faculty career at the University of Michigan. He is Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.