Hands-on workshops or interactive activities will allow students to understand the basic principles of the technologies, plan clinical interventions and experiments and use the devices and tools in real applications.
Students will complete two tracks of workshops (one in the early afternoon and one during the late afternoon) on June 8 (Monday), June 9 (Tuesday), and June 11 (Thursday), based on selected preference and workshop availability. The content of each workshop will span all three days, so it is necessary to attend the three days to make the most of the workshop.
WS1 – Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling Pipeline Training Workshop
This hands-on workshop will introduce the Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling (NMSM) Pipeline (https://nmsm.rice.edu), which is open-source Matlab-based software that adds Model Personalization and Treatment Optimization toolsets to the OpenSim musculoskeletal modeling software. Attendees will learn how to use the four tools available in the Model Personalization toolset and the three tools available in the Treatment Optimization toolset. Starting with a scaled generic OpenSim model and experimental motion capture, ground reaction, and EMG data, the Model Personalization toolset allows users to personalize 1) joint functional axes, 2) muscle-tendon model properties, 3) neural control model properties using muscle synergies, and 4) foot-ground contact model properties. Next, starting with this personalized model and the same experimental data, the Treatment Optimization toolset allows users to perform 1) Tracking Optimizations that closely reproduce a subject’s experimental joint motion, ground reaction, joint moment, and EMG data simultaneously using muscle synergy and/or joint torque controls, 2) Verification Optimizations that verify the muscle synergy and/or joint torque controls found by a Tracking Optimization can reproduce all available experimental data without tracking it, and finally, 3) Design Optimizations that perform predictive simulations to design a clinical intervention. For the first day of the workshop, participants will complete beginner tutorials covering all seven NMSM Pipeline tools. For the second day, they will work through an intermediate tutorial utilizing six of the seven NMSM Pipeline tools to optimize a three-dimensional soccer kicking motion. For the third day, they will complete an advanced tutorial involving the design of a synergy-based functional electrical stimulation prescription to improve walking function for an individual post-stroke.
Hosted by: Prof. B.J. Fregly, Rice University
Relevant populations: Stroke
Techniques involved: Modeling, simulation
WS2 – From Non-Invasive Spinal Neuromodulation to Multimodal Neurorehabilitation
This workshop introduces participants to transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) as an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation approach for enhancing recovery after central nervous system injury. The session will explore the neurobiological and neurophysiological principles underlying spinal neuromodulation, including the role of spinal interneuronal circuits, interactions between supraspinal and spinal networks, and activity-dependent plasticity mechanisms that contribute to functional recovery.
Building on these foundations, the workshop will discuss how spinal neuromodulation can be integrated with advanced rehabilitation technologies, such as upper- and lower-limb robotic systems, to create multimodal therapeutic strategies. Particular attention will be given to how mechanical assistance and neuromodulatory stimulation can interact to promote motor relearning and neuroplasticity.
Through interactive discussions and hands-on group activities, participants will translate these concepts into practical clinical and research scenarios, learning how to design personalized, technology-assisted neurorehabilitation interventions.
Hosted by:
- Eleonora Guanziroli. Biomedical engineer. Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center
- Natacha León. MD. Hospital Universitario Los Madroños
- Franco Molteni. MD. Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center
- Vanesa Soto. Biomedical engineer. Hospital Universitario Los Madroños
Relevant populations: Upper motor neuron syndrome
Techniques involved: Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS)
WS3 – Ultrasound and Surface Electromyography for Human Machine Interfaces: From Principles to Application
This workshop explores how surface electromyography (sEMG) and ultrasound (US) can be used, both independently and together, as sensor modalities for human–machine interfaces. Participants will learn, from first principles, how sEMG and US work, how these signals can be recorded, and how they can be processed for control and interaction. The workshop includes hands‑on activities in which students will record, visualize, and process sEMG and US signals using specialized hardware, then implement simple Machine Learning models in Python to build prediction models. By the end of the workshop, participants and organizers will have developed a working prototype in which both sEMG and US signals are recorded and processed in real time, enabling participants to control and play a simple interactive game.
Hosted by:
- OT Bioelettronica: Mr. Simone Posella
- Imperial College London: Prof. Dario Farina, Dr. Bruno Grandi Sgambato, Mr. Matteo Pizzil
Relevant populations: Multiple
Techniques involved: Ultrasound, sEMG, Machine Learning
WS4 – Dynamic Simulations of Neuromechanics
In simulated environments we can design, test, and evaluate novel concepts for robotic devices and their control in an accessible and iterative way. This workshop will introduce neuromechanical modelling, from the single neuron level to full musculoskeletal simulations, as well as the fundamentals of constructing virtual scenes of human motion and robotic devices. Through a series of hands-on programming exercises, participants will build neuronal models, simulate motor unit pools, synthesise surface EMG, and construct and control virtual systems in both upper and lower limb settings.
Hosted by: Imperial College London (ICL) – Dr. Dario Farina’s lab: Claudia Sabatini, Balint Hodossy
Relevant populations: Amputees, stroke
Techniques involved: Biomechanics, Python, Modelling, Signal processing, Control