At a glance:
- Faculty: Physical Education & Physical Therapy
- 31 researchers
- Main areas of expertise:
- Assessment of cortical activity during robot-assisted walking
- Cognition and electro-cortical processes in the brain
- Brain measurements during human movement
- Mental and physical fatigue
- Energy expenditure studies
Excercise and the brain in health & disease: the added-value of Human Robotics.
The research in the dept. of Human Physiology (MFYS) is focused on ‘Exercise and the Brain in Health & Disease’ where the interaction of exercise on neurochemistry and neurophysiology is explored. The research is concentrated at 3 different levels:
The fundamental research includes work:
The Applied – Clinical aims at examining the value of the study findings of the fundamental research at the applied/clinical level. MFYS performs multiple clinical research on this domain and it is focused on studying effects of exercise and training on cognition and the brain in different (patient) populations.
One of the current bottlenecks in the field of robotics with the aim of assisting human movement is the effectiveness of exoskeletal devices. The department MFYS is specialized in the assessment of psycho-physiological measurements during rest and movement, which can help to determine the effectiveness of robot-assisted human movement. In the past, this resulted in pioneering work regarding brain images during robot-assisted walking. Recently, research of the department focussed on measuring brain electrocortical activity using electro-encephalography (EEG). This is relevant to the field of robotics, since one of the main goals is to enable the control of robotic parts with brain-computer interfaces (using EEG).
With climate and altitude chambers and cognitive rooms, MFYS disposes of top notch infrastructure. Using this infrastructure, the department provides scientific support to professional cyclists.
In het kort: Het departement Menselijke Fysiologie focust in haar onderzoek op het brein in gezondheid en ziekte. Zo onderzoekt ze ondermeer de toegevoegde waarde geboden door robotica.
ALTACRO rehabiliation exoskeleton: Automated Locomotion Training using an Actuated Compliant Robotic Orthosis
EU FP7 project Cyberlegs: Cybernetic Lower-Limb cognitive Ortho-Prosthesis. Image: (c) Massimo Brega
IWT SBO MIRAD: an integrated Methodology to bring Intelligent Robotic Assistive Devices to the user, with a lower-limb exoskeleton as demonstrator.
INTERREG EXSKALLERATE: Boosting SME adoption of exoskeletons in construction and manufacturing industries
EU H2020 SOPHIA: Three BruBotics research groups joining forces to improve our work
The AidWear project aims to develop the artificial intelligence frameworks that are necessary to enable Robotic Assistive Devices (active prosthetics and lower-limb exoskeletons) that give Parkinson’s patients and individuals with an amputation a better quality of life. Building on the results of the AI4exo project and taking advantage of existing hardware, AidWear will advance three areas of interest: intention detection, mid-level optimization, and dynamic simulation.
The project will generate international exposure for Belgian AI and robotics through participation in the 2024 CYBATHLON competition. Furthermore, there are concrete paths to provide a return to society, such as technology transfer to existing Belgian start-ups, reduced healthcare costs for two large patient groups, and dissemination activities to showcase the potential of AI and robotics in healthcare.
This project is made possible by the Federal Public Service for Policy and Support.
