Conference will show advances in tech for amputees

WATERLOO, Ont. – The Ontario Association for Amputee Care will be holding a two-day conference at the Delta Hotel Marriott Waterloo (May 3 & 4) that will include tours of the world-leading RoboHub and Neural and Rehab Engineering Lab at the University of Waterloo. The conference will examine the current state-of-the-art in brain-machine interfaces, technologies that give amputees greater control over the prosthetics attached to lost limbs.

Speakers will also offer a window into the future, discussing in-progress innovations that will revolutionize the lives of amputees through the use of cutting-edge technologies.

“Attendees will learn about what is available now, and some of the incredible changes that are up and coming,” said Dr. Doug Dittmer (pictured), president of the OAAC and former Team Canada physician for three Paralympic Games and several Canada Games events and an adjunct assistant professor in the Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering Departments at the University of Waterloo.

“It’s an opportunity for engineers, researchers and innovators to meet with clinicians and discuss real-world problems and solutions,” said Dr. Dittmer.

Highlights of the two-day conference include:

• John Sensinger, PhD, Professor, Advanced Prosthetics Lab, Faculty of Engineering, UNB, Fredericton NB. “Prosthetics 2.0: How Technology, Algorithm, and Ideas are changing the landscape of clinical practice.”
• Jonathan Lau, MD, Neurosurgeon, Western University, London, Ont. “The role of the Neurosurgeon in Brain-Machine interface.”
• Alex Vaskov, PhD. Postdoctoral research fellow in Biomedical Engineering and Section in Plastic Surgery, U Michigan, Ann Arbor. “Realizing Upper Extremity Bionic Limbs: Leveraging Neuroprosthetic Control Strategies.”
• Panel Discussion: Ethical Considerations on Brain-Machine Interfaces for Prosthetics, including a patient perspective.

For more information, see www.onampcare.com, or email us at onampcare@gmail.com.