The ICNR2024 program will be composed of regular, special and poster sessions, and workshops. Furthermore, plenary lectures will be given by well-known scientists in the field of neurorehabilitation. The program will aim at enriching the knowledge of the participants, widening their point of view on specific topics related to neurorehabilitation, and getting in closer contact with experts in this field.
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Plenary Speakers
Research Director
INRIA
Montpellier, France
Title: Restoring Grasping Functions via Epineural Electrical Stimulation: A Journey from Conceptualization to Near-Future Solution Availability for Individuals with Tetraplegia
Abstract. Assisting individuals with impaired upper limb movement due to sensory-motor deficiencies presents significant scientific and technical hurdles in terms of providing practical daily solutions that enhance independence and quality of life of users. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) stands as a promising avenue. Within our research team, we have explored for twenty years various approaches to develop FES for rehabilitating paralyzed upper limbs in everyday tasks, spanning from surface stimulation to implanted stimulation, as well as hybrid methods combining FES and mechanical orthoses.
In the recently initiated European project AI-Hand, we aim to integrate some of these prior findings to deliver an innovative solution for individuals with complete tetraplegia. This presentation will detail the origin and progress of the AI-HAND project, which entails implanting epineural electrodes around upper limb nerves to restore grasping capabilities. Four individuals with arm paralysis have participated in testing an interim version, with efforts currently underway to develop a complete implant together with our partners.
Short Biosketch. Dr. Christine Azevedo-Coste serves as a Research Director at INRIA, University of Montpellier, France. She earned her engineer degree in automatic control from Polytech Marseille, France, in 1997, and completed her Ph.D. in robotics and automatic control at the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble in 2002. Since 2004, Dr. Azevedo-Coste has been actively engaged as a Researcher at INRIA. She leads the CAMIN Research Team in Montpellier, France, focusing on assistive technologies. Her research interests encompass movement control, functional rehabilitation, and assistive devices, with a primary emphasis on functional electrical stimulation (FES).
Physician-Scientist at the Center for Bionic Medicine
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Northwestern University
Chicago, IL USA
Title: Foundation Models for Gait Analysis to Power Precision Rehabilitation
Abstract. Wider access to gait analysis in becoming much more feasible due to both technological and methodological advances. High-performance differentiable biomechanical models allow integrating biomechanics tightly into modern machine learning pipelines. This enables end-to-end optimization of biomechanical trajectories in both multiview and single-camera markerless motion capture system along with skeleton scaling, which both outperforms multistage approaches and allows us to joint compute confidence estimates over trajectories. This allows us to collect gait data in clinical settings at unprecedented scales. This enables us to use self-supervised learning to discover gait representation that capture clinically meaningful information and to begin training multi-modal, multi-task foundation models for gait analysis to further improve our understanding of gait in the wild. Finally, we will discuss a causal framework for precision rehabilitation, designed to link these now-accessible measures of gait and movement impairments to long term outcomes at the ICF level of activity and participation and identify the optimal dynamic treatment regime to maximize long-term function.
Short Biosketch. I am an electrical engineer, neuroscientist, and physiatrist working as a physician-scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Assistant Professor in the Northwestern University Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. I completed my residency in PM&R at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) where I remained as faculty. Prior to that I obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University followed by an MD and PhD in systems neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine.
My lab works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, wearable sensors, computer vision, causal and biomechanical modeling, and novel technologies to more precisely monitor and improve rehabilitation outcomes. In particular, we focus on methods that can be easily translated and disseminated at scale into the clinic or real world. To enable this, we developed a wearable sensor and smartphone-based platform as well as a multicamera markerless motion capture system, both of which make it easy to acquire precise measurements of movement in clinical settings. Applications of this platform currently being tested include gamified electromyographic biofeedback using electromyography acquired from wearable sensors to improve muscle activation after SCI, and video- and sensor-based gait analysis from data acquired using a smartphone in clinic to enable precision rehabilitation interventions.
Director and Scientific Chair of the Regenstein Center for Bionic Medicine
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, IL USA
Title: The Struggle is Real: Development and Translation of Bionic Limb Technology
Abstract. Amputation is a leading cause of disability, and prosthetic devices are commonly accepted treatment options to restore functional capabilities. However, current prosthetic devices still cannot fully match the functionality of their natural counterparts. This talk focuses on the progress made in the development and control of bionic limbs for individuals with limb loss. The first portion of the talk provides an overview of the development and commercialization of pattern recognition control systems for prosthetic arms. A significant emphasis of this work has been on evaluation based on real user feedback, ensuring that the developed technologies meet the actual needs and preferences of end users. The second portion focuses on the application of these approaches to controlling powered leg prostheses, highlighting the different challenges presented by the two applications. Finally, I will discuss ongoing work to incorporate connected health systems with advanced machine learning approaches to address some of the remaining challenges, with continued focus on user feedback to refine and improve bionic limb technologies.
Short Biosketch. Levi J. Hargrove, PhD, P.Eng, earned his MScE and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in 2005 and 2008, respectively. He is currently the Director and Scientific Chair of the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.
As a leading figure in the prosthetics industry, Dr. Hargrove oversees a research portfolio valued at approximately $25USD, which encompasses cutting-edge projects aimed at developing clinically-realizable myoelectric control systems for individuals with limb loss. With over 200 peer-reviewed articles published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Hargrove is widely regarded as a respected thought leader in the field.
Dr. Hargrove’s key projects include developing advanced and adaptive control systems for bionic legs, improving the control of robotic hand prostheses, and evaluating intramuscular EMG signals collected using biocompatible implants. In 2012, he co-founded Coapt, a company that translates machine-learning-based prosthetic limb controllers. The company has sold over a thousand systems to amputees worldwide, helping them regain their independence and improve their quality of life.
Neuroscience Center (CINCAC)
Madrid, Spain
Title: Symptomatic vs curative therapies in neurological disorders – An outstanding challenge for neurosciences
Short Biosketch. Dr. Obeso graduated in Medicine and also obtained his PhD at the University of Navarra, specializing in neurology and neurophysiology in 1976-1979. He was trained as a neurologist and collaborative researcher in Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders with Professor C. David Marsden at the Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College Hospital, London (United Kingdom) during 1980 and 1981. He has developed much of his career at the University of Navarra but in 2014 moved to south Madrid to lead CINAC, Center for Integrative Neurosciences, located at the Puerta del Sur hospital (Móstoles) as part of HM Hospitals group.
He heads one of the most significant laboratories in the world on the pathogenesis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), recently focused on the origin of cell’s vulnerability. For years, he has worked with experimental models of PD to understand various aspects of the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia. Currently, his team is mainly dedicated to define the factors that determine selective neuronal death in the ventro-lateral region of the substantia nigra pars compacta, as well as developing new therapeutic approaches, among which focused ultrasound and the controlled opening of the blood-brain barrier arise as an effective tool to supply neurorestorative molecules in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
In the past, Dr. Obeso pioneered (along with Tom Chase and Fabriccio Stochi) the development of the concept of “continuous dopaminergic stimulation” for Parkinson’s Disease. He has defined the mechanisms associated with myoclonus, tics and dystonia and he played a significant role in revitalizing surgical treatments for Parkinson’s Disease in the 1990s. He has been editor-in-chief of the Movement Disorders Journal, the leading publication in the field of Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, since 2010 until 2020.
Dr. Obeso has published more than 350 articles on the pathophysiology of basal ganglia and dyskinesias, therapeutic advances in Parkinson’s disease, mechanisms of surgical treatment, and, more recently, the action of focused ultrasound on the basal ganglia. He has published in journals of the greatest importance and high impact such as The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Neurology, Nature Medicine and, particularly in neurology/neuroscience, journals such as Annals of Neurology, Brain, Trends in Neuroscience, etc. His current H index is 87 (Google Scholar, 113). He has participated as a guest in more than 450 national and international conferences and he has organized more than 60 congresses, including more recently (2020) the Marsden Lecture at the European Academy of Neurology. In 2017, he was elected to occupy the chair (#48) of Neurology at the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain.
Professor of Bioengineering
Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering
NEARLab – Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory
We-Cobot – Wearable Collaborative Robotics – Interdepartmental Laboratory
Politecnico di Milano
Milan, Italy
Title: Advancements and Implementation Challenges of Robotics and FES in Neurorehabilitation
Abstract. Technologies in rehabilitation have shown significant clinical potential. Unfortunately, the effective clinical implementation is still jeopardized. There is a huge demand for trans-disciplinary education to ensure technicians understand and respond to real clinical needs and clinicians learn to exploit the best technologies. Understanding neuropathological mechanisms and how technologies interact with brain remapping and functional recovery is essential for device design in neurorehabilitation.
Robotic assistance and Electrical Stimulation have both seen significant technological advancements and studies exploring their central effects. Emerging key requirements include goal-oriented actions shared by the patient, where technologies amplify the patient’s residual capabilities and ensure high-intensity exercise, with enriched feedback. In this context, hybrid systems combining robots and FES are promising, offering the high-intensity and complex exercises of robotic therapy, along with muscle training, cardiovascular benefits, and augmented proprioception activation essential for motor relearning. Different modes of hybrid robotics and FES systems can be used based on technological constraints and maximizing patient benefits, with promising clinical evidence under discussion.
Short Biosketch. Alessandra Pedrocchi (MSC in Electronics Eng.; PhD in Bioeng) is currently full professor at the Department of Electronics, Computer Science, and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches Neuroengineering and Biomedical Instrumentation and contributes to the Medical Device Regulation class for PhD students.
She is one of the founders of the Nearlab, the NeuroEngineering And Medical Robotics lab, where, she has overseen the Neuroengineering section (www.nearlab.polimi.it). Since 2019 she has been one of the founders of the interdepartmental laboratory “WE-COBOT LAB Wearable and collaborative robotics Laboratory”.
Alessandra’s research interest is neuroengineering, including biomechanics in motor control, new technologies for neurorehabilitation, with particular emphasis on exoskeletons, Functional Electrical Stimulation, and the study of the correlation between brain plasticity and functional recovery, computational neuroscience, and eXplainability of Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in Medicine.
She has coordinated various research projects funded by national private foundations (Fnd. Cariplo and Fnd. Telethon), European Commission (H2020; Horizon Europe), NIH, national ministry of research (MUR), and Regione Lombardia, and in collaboration with INAIL.
She is director of the POLIMI international master on “RehabTech: Technologies for innovation in Rehabilitation Medicine and for assistance” (www.rehabtech.polimi.it).
She is one of the founders, participates on the executive board, and holds shares of Agade srl (www.agade.eu) and AllyArm srl, which are start-up companies working in the field of exoskeletons for industrial applications and biomedical applications, respectively.
Professor for Assistive Neurotechnology
Head of the Experimental Neurorehabilitation Section
Spinal Cord Injury Center
Heidelberg University Hospital
Heidelberg, Germany
Title: Neurotechnology versus user needs – A perfect match?
Abstract. A spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to paralysis of lower and in people with cervical SCI also upper extremities. Although recent studies on neuroregeneration of damaged spinal axons show promising results in people with incomplete SCI, neurorehabilitative approaches based on assistive (neuro)technology (AT) are and continue to be an important part of motor rehabilitation. In incomplete SCI, robotic exoskeletons provide the training intensity necessary for neuroplastic changes. Spinal cord stimulation holds promise to boost the outcomes beyond the current limits. A complete loss of function particularly of the upper extremity can be compensated by neuroprostheses based on functional electrical stimulation.
For successful application of innovative AT, its individualization to the needs and priorities of end-users is necessary. AT solutions have to prove their usability and meaningfulness in everyday settings, for which early tests with end-users are mandatory. However, the current legal constraints introduced with the European Medial Device Regulation represent a major barrier for systematically collecting feedback from clinical- and end-users participating in pilot experiments and evaluations.
Short Biosketch. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rüdiger Rupp received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering with focus on biomedical engineering and his Dr.-Ing. degree from the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1994 and 2008, respectively. He received his venia legendi in 2018 in Experimental Neurology from Heidelberg University and since 2021 he has a professorship for Assistive Neurotechnology at Heidelberg University.
After working at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Biocybernetics (Prof. G. Vossius) until 1996, since 1997 he is with the Spinal Cord Injury Center (Head: Prof. N. Weidner) of Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany, where he holds the position as the head of the section Experimental Neurorehabilitation.
His main research interests are in the field of rehabilitation engineering for people living with spinal cord injury. This includes neuroprosthetics mainly of the upper extremity, man-machine interfaces, gait analysis, development and clinical validation of novel methods and devices for locomotion therapy and realization of software projects for standardized documentation of rehabilitation outcome.
He is author of more than 320 journal, book chapter, textbook and conference publications and holds two patents. He has been awarded several times for his work and is a member of IEEE, IFESS, VDE, DMGP, DGOOC, NervClub, ISCoS and ASIA. Since 2017, he is chair of the ASIA International Standards Committee. He is member of the Board of Directors of ASIA and DSQ and president-elect of the DMGP.
Keynote Speakers
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Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Northwestern University
Chicago, USA
Abstract. The main goal of this presentation is to show how using engineering approaches allows for the study of neural mechanisms underlying the loss of independent joint control or synergies and flexor hypertonia in the paretic arm/hand following a unilateral brain injury. Novel interventions using a combination of neurophysiological and engineering techniques to reduce the effects of especially the flexor synergy will also be discussed. Evidence for the loss of independent joint control in the paretic limb of individuals with adult-onset stroke will be presented during movements in haptic environments generated by admittance-controlled robots. Furthermore, the relationship between the loss of independent joint control and cortical reorganization using high-resolution EEG combined with peripheral robot-mediated quantitative measures of losses of independent joint control will be shown. The possibility of increased reliance on bulbospinal pathways, especially the corticoreticulospinal pathway, following the loss of brain injury-induced corticospinal projections will be discussed. My colleagues and I are also working on man-machine interfaces and on pharmacological interventions that seek to alter brain, spinal and/or brainstem neuronal excitability.
Short Biosketch. Julius (Jules) P. A. Dewald received a B.S. degree in physical therapy and rehabilitation medicine and an M.S. degree in neurophysiology and rehabilitation medicine from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, in 1978 and 1980, respectively, and a Ph.D. degree in neurophysiology and biophysics from Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA, in 1992.Dr. Dewald became Chair and Tenured Associate Professor in Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences (PTHMS) and Associate Professor in BME and PM&R, in 2006. In 2010, he became a full Professor in PTHMS, BME, and PM&R. He is the Director of the neuroimaging and motor control laboratories. His research interest encompasses the characterization of neural mechanisms underlying motor impairments following a unilateral brain injury due to cerebral palsy and stroke by using a combination of neuroscientific, engineering, and clinical sciences techniques. In addition to his active research on device development and brain plasticity following unilateral brain injury in children and adults, he is the PI on an NIH-T32 training grant and an Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering K12 NIH training program. Dr. Dewald has a record of more than 30 years of continuous NIH research funding.
Dr. Dewald is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and IEEE. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a recipient of the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy from the APTA.
Research Director of Prometei Pain Rehabilitation Center
Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Affiliate Professor at the BioRobotics Institute
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Pisa, Italy
Title: Highly integrated bionic limbs and neurorehabilitation of pain
Abstract. Technology has the potential to allow patients to reintegrate into society after traumatic events leading to amputations. In addition to the functional challenges associated with amputation, chronic neuropathic pain can further hinder these patients’ quality of life. Similarly, children born with congenital limb malformation face functional challenges to overcome what are otherwise lifelong handicaps.
Prof. Ortiz Catalán will lecture on novel but clinically viable technologies to restore quality of life to patients with limb loss. Using direct skeletal attachment via osseointegration, neuromuscular interfaces, and machine learning, his work resulted in the first artificial arm integrated directly into the patient’s bone, nerves, and muscles. In addition to direct skeletal attachment, this technology provides the unique opportunity to chronically record and stimulate the neuromuscular system in freely behaving humans, thus allowing to investigate complex limb motions and somatosensory perception. Prof. Ortiz Catalan will also discuss how motor decoding technology in combination with virtual reality can be used to treat Phantom Limb Pain, along with a novel theoretical framework for the condition and its treatment. He will also described how such technologies have been used for the functional and pain rehabilitation of severe sensorimotor impairments.
Short Biosketch. Prof. Max Ortiz Catalán, Ph.D., is the Research Director of Prometei Pain Rehabilitation Center, Vinnytsia, Ukraine; the Research Director of the Center for Complex Endoprosthesis, Osseointegration, and Bionics, Kyiv, Ukraine; the International Program Manager of Remedi Ukraine, Vinnytsia, Ukraine; and an Affiliate Professor at the BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Prof. Ortiz Catalán has created several biomedical innovations, including the first bionic limb connected to the user’s skeleton, nerves, and muscles, and novel treatments for neuropathic pain due to sensorimotor impairments that are currently used worldwide. He has authored 100+ scientific publications, including articles in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and others in the Nature and Science families. He has been the Keynote Speaker in the most important conferences in his field (10+), and guest speaker in 100+ international conferences and universities worldwide. Several documentaries and 100+ popular science articles in over a dozen languages have featured his work. He has received several honors for his work, notably the “Swedish Embedded Award” by the Swedish Electronic Association in 2018, the “Brian & Joyce Blatchford Award” by ISPO in 2017, the “Delsys Prize” by Delsys in 2016, and the “European Youth Award” by the European Council in 2014.
Prof. Ortiz Catalán’s research includes bioelectric signals acquisition electronics (analog and digital); bioelectric signal processing and machine learning algorithms for decoding motor volition and control; neuromuscular interfaces; neurostimulation for sensory feedback; bone-anchored prostheses and osseointegration; and virtual and augmented reality for neuromuscular rehabilitation and the treatment of phantom limb pain.
Full Professor at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
The BioRobotics Institute
Pisa, Italy
Co-founder & Advisor, IUVO S.r.l.
Title: Wearable robotics for movement assistance and rehabilitation: challenges and trends
Abstract. Ageing population affects society welfare sustainability. The ageing of the population is one of the most critical challenges current industrialized societies will have to face in the next years and threatens the sustainability of our social welfare. In 40 years from now, nearly 35% of the European population will be older than 60, hence the urgency to provide solutions enabling our ageing society to remain active, creative, productive, and – above all – independent. Among many diseases, gait disorders and upper-limb impairment are common and often devastating companions of ageing, leading to reductions in quality of life and increased mortality.
In the next years, ageing-related upper- and lower-limb impairment and disability will lead to a tremendous increase of the number of people needing assistance in their fundamental activities of daily living. In this scenario, people will become increasingly reliant on technology to meet their own needs to live active, fulfilling, and independent lives. Wearable robotics can be an enabling technology for establishing a sustainable welfare.
This presentation will introduce to the major challenges and trends of wearable robotics, with a particular focus to the results achieved by the team of Wearable Robotics of The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in the last years.
Short Biosketch. Nicola Vitiello is a Full Professor at The BioRobotics Institute, located within the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA) in Pisa, Italy, where he co-leads the Wearable Robotics Laboratory. He has co-authored over 110 papers indexed in ISI/Scopus and contributed to over 25 patents and patent applications. Previously, he held positions such as Scientific Secretary for the EU FP7 CA-RoboCom project and Scientific Coordinator for both the EU FP7 CYBERLEGs project and the H2020-ICT-CYBERLEGs Plus Plus projects. Additionally, he has served as the scientific project coordinator or partner for various national and international research initiatives. In addition to his academic pursuits, he is a co-founder of IUVO Srl, a spin-off company of SSSA, and holds a position on the Board of Directors of euRobotics AISBL.
TBD