Technology at the service of amputee workers: portrait of an IID student, Ulysse Côté-Allard
When a long period of time is required for someone to return to work after having suffered from an accident, a rehabilitation process is necessary. In 2016, Ulysse Côté-Allard, IRSST scholarship holder, undertook, under the direction of our researcher François Laviolette, Ph.D. studies on the design of high-performance tools to facilitate the return to work of hand amputees, with the aim of preventing or reducing the risk of prolonged disability.
For many years, these workers have been able to benefit from a myoelectric hand prosthesis. However, although laboratory tests demonstrate the surprising performance of this technology, the reality can be quite different when humans are involved in an environment where many variables must be considered.
“Performance drops dramatically in real-time control. First, the transition between movements is poorly recognized since they are not explicitly trained. In addition, the point of contact of the electrodes on the skin continually evolves and muscle signals change over time. To maintain performance, periodic recalibration of the computer is required”, says Ulysse Côté-Allard.
À propos d’Ulysse Côté-Allard
Ulysse Côté-Allard fait son doctorat en génie électrique à l’Université Laval, sous la supervision des professeurs Benoit Gosselin et François Laviolette.
Avec déjà une dizaine de publications à son actif, il a, à plusieurs reprises, été remarqué par la communauté scientifique. Sa curiosité, son esprit d’initiative et ses qualités de pédagogue lui ont également permis d’obtenir des postes d’assistant de recherche et d’auxiliaire d’enseignement.
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