Keynote Speakers

Rehabilitation Robotics: on Efficacy and Efficiency of Clinic-Based Technology and transition to the Home

Hermano Igo Krebs, PhD

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering Department, The77Lab, Cambridge, MA, USA 02139

Short bio

Dr. Krebs is the Director of MIT’s The77Lab. He holds affiliate positions at Fujita Health University; at University of Osaka; and at Keio University. He is a Fellow of the IEEE (2014) “for contributions to rehabilitation robotics and the understanding of neuro-rehabilitation,” Life Fellow (2026), and received the 2015 IEEE-INABA Technical Award “for contributions to medical technology innovation and translation into commercial applications for Rehabilitation Robotics.” He was one of the founders and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Interactive Motion Technologies from 1998 to 2016. He successfully sold it to Bionik Laboratories. He later founded 4Motion Robotics.

Abstract

A foundation of contemporary neurorehabilitation is recovering function and harnessing brain plasticity through practice. Emergent technology can be used as a therapeutic tool by rehabilitation clinicians, where an increasing range of products enable engaging and quantifiable therapy. When the nature of prescribed therapy using technologies matches the clinical therapeutic goals, and can be used with clinical progression and oversight, such tools offer a new horizon for access to therapy that has historically been under-dosed and uninspiring. With the rapid acceptance of telecommunication (including the elderly) over the recent past, together with new clinical trial evidence in support of remotely supervised therapy benefit and cost-effectiveness, an opportunity exists to promote smooth transition to community care and increase the dose of therapy. Here we will discuss the efficacy and the efficiency of clinic-based robotics and then discuss transition from bedside to home.

Clinical and Functional Benefits of Prosthetics with Multimodal Feedback

Solaiman Shokur, PhD

Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Neuro-X Institute, EPFL, Geneva, Switzerland
The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Italy
Modular Implantable Neuroprostheses Laboratory, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Milan, Italy

Short bio

Solaiman Shokur is a PI and lecturer at EPFL (Switzerland) and Assistant Professor at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, where he leads the Sensorimotor Neurotechnology Lab. His research focuses on restoring sensory feedback in neuroprosthetics, with a particular emphasis on touch and thermosensation in amputees. By combining neuroscience, engineering, and clinical translation, his work aims to develop next-generation bionic systems that feel more natural and intuitive to users.

Abstract

Somatosensory feedback in prosthetics has advanced considerably, with invasive and non-invasive approaches now capable of evoking touch and proprioceptive sensations. Yet modalities have largely been studied in isolation, and thermotactile feedback — the simultaneous combination of touch and temperature — remains unachieved. This is a critical gap: natural touch is inherently multimodal, and temperature is not merely a tool for object interaction but a continuous signal through which we monitor our own body. Its absence from prosthetic feedback represents a fundamental impoverishment of the sensory input the brain expects. In this talk, I will present recent advances in multimodal sensory feedback and discuss its benefits not only for improving prosthetic function and dexterity, but also for addressing key clinical consequences of amputation — including phantom limb pain and body perception distortion.