BIONIC NEUROTECH AND AI

Project Leader: Professor Susannah Tye, Queensland Brain Institute

Team: Professor Michael Berk, Professor Abbas Kouzani, Professor Pankaj Sah and Professor Peter Silburn

Project: Intelligent closed-loop neuromodulation

This project will develop innovative bionics technology integrating central (brain) and peripheral control of neurostimulation (via a wearable) to promote personalised rehabilitation and recovery from road accident injuries and/or trauma.

This builds on our established closed-loop brain stimulation technologies targeting motor and non-motor circuits, with new emergent synergistic multimodal feedback capabilities.

BIONIC MOBILITY

Project Leader: Bradley Cornish, Griffith University (Gold Coast)

Team: Bradley Cornish, Dr Claudio Pizzolato, Matthew Worsey, Nathan Lyons and Dr Laura Diamond

Project: Pairing smart garments and AI for personalised rehabilitation

This project combines new smart garments and AI to provide personalised rehabilitation to those who have experienced injuries or disease of the upper and lower limbs. The integration of AI with smart garments enables tissue level mechanics to be measured in real-time. Related data enables the clinician to modify and personalise exercise and movement therapies to optimally treat diseased or injured tissues.

BIONIC NEUROTECH AND AI

Project Leader: Professor Aileen McGonigal

Team: Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri, Dr Stephane Dufau, Dr Chris Dougherty, Denny Giguere, Justin Fong

Project: Investigating neurobiological and physiological changes of stress in epilepsy: towards personalised detection and management

To improve understanding of the brain correlates of stress-induced physiological changes in people with epilepsy to reduce epileptic seizures we are refining methods of seizure detection, forecasting and treatment.

A pilot study using smartwatch devices will initially be used to record physiological changes related to stress in patients with epilepsy and monitor their brain rhythm correlates.

BIONIC IMPLANTS AND ORGANS

Project Leader: Dr Babak Bagheri

Team: Pouyan Bagheri, Yeu Chun Kim and Sachin Subhash Surwase

Project: NuroMat – a game-changer in nerve regeneration for motor accident injuries

Research shows that 25% of motor vehicle collisions lead to nerve entrapment and nerve damage. NuroMat is a liquid scaffold that forms an adhesive and biomimetic scaffold for neural tissue engineering that matches the geometry of skin defects.

This product innovation is expected to provide an optimal environment for cell infiltration and blood vessel in-growth to complement the healing process across different tissues delivering a trustworthy regenerative platform.

NuroMat does not rely on human or animal-derived material, ensuring cost-effective and scaled manufacturing in large quantities.

BIONIC MOBILITY

Project Leader: Dr Shou-Han Zhou

Team: Dr Liza van Eijk, Dr Jonathon Connor, Dr Sara Brice, Dr Kenji Doma, Dr Omer Shareef

Project: A novel home-based rehabilitation system to combat apathy in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients

Recent control trials have shown strong evidence of apathy reduction from cognitive retraining. Here, a novel rehabilitation system that simultaneously treats apathy is set to transform the lives of road-accident survivors.

Virtual reality software is combined with a robotic exoskeleton to deliver novel cognition and motor exercises to motivate TBI patients and improve treatment success while also informing clinicians about patient progress and compliance.

BIONIC MOBILITY

Project Leader: Dr Vanesa Bochkezanian

Team: Dr Antonio Padilha Lanari Bo, Dr Camila Quel de Oliveira, Leanne O’ Neill and Lana Popovic Maneski

Project: To accelerate access to E-Stimulation therapies for people living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) via a suite of innovative E-Stimulation Training and Technology Take-Up modules for allied health practitioners and clinicians.

The project will benefit people living with SCI. A key success factor is the creation of a culture of medical bionics technology adoption among allied health professionals.

BIONIC MOBILITY

Project Leader: Dr Alejandro Melendez-Calderon

Team: Dr Camila Shirota, Denny Giguere, Dr Justin Fong and Hang Chung Ling

Project: Enhancing neurorehabilitation and functional recovery after brain and spinal cord injury with integrated use of robots, AI and end-user co-design.

Restoring mobility is critical to maintain independent living after traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. This project leverages robotics, AI, neuromechanical modelling and a co-design/co-creation framework to deliver a highly personalised approach to exoskeleton assistance and related gait training.

BIONIC NEUROTECH AND AI

Project Leader: Dr Joe Dusseldorp

Team: John Paul McKeown, Alistair McEwan and James Fallon

Project: Anti-spasticity micro-implants

Syncricity’s novel micro-implants will deliver real-time controllable relief from muscle spasticity and return functional muscle control to people with traumatic brain and spinal injuries.

The micro-implants will reduce pain, increase limb mobility and independence, remove need for repeated Botox injections or permanent nerve severing surgery and cost significantly less.

BIONIC MOBILITY

Project Leader: Lucy Armitage

Team: Gurcel Alici, Emre Sariyildiz and Lauren Kark

Project: Eliminating a major stumbling block in lower limb prostheses: A pressure and temperature responsive prosthetic socket liner

To develop a smart socket sensing pad that can sit between the prosthetic socket and the user’s residual limb. This sensing pad will be capable of simultaneously measuring pressure and temperature at this interface and will also be capable of volume adjustment based on these measurements via a smart phone application.

This will enable the user to respond in real time to changes at the socket limb interface, protecting the limb from pressure induced injury. Data will also be logged and accessible to the clinician enabling remote monitoring and liaison with the user being informed with real-time objective data.

BIONIC NEUROTECH AND AI

Project Leader: Dr Mehrnaz Shoushtarian, Bionics Institute, Melbourne

Team: Professor James Fallon and Dr Elaine Saunders

Project: Objective measurement of tinnitus using brain imaging and machine learning

Force of impact from road accidents or loud sounds due to airbags being deployed are a leading cause of tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) suffered by millions worldwide.

The team’s Tinnitus Measurement System will, for the first time ever, enable clinicians to objectively assess tinnitus, an important step in guiding treatments for this debilitating condition.