Graphics enhanced version of this site

Pedram Afshar
PhD Student, RI/Bio Med

No longer a member of RI.

Jump to: Biography | Research interests | Keywords | Additional Interests and Responsibilities | Labs & Groups | Projects | Publications

control, humanoid robotics, manipulation, bioengineering, medical applications

I am interested in building and controlling human-like robotic prosthetics. In my current work, I have created a general model for the neural control of the musculoskeletal system. The model has made novel predictions about how human nervous system controls the human hand. In addition, it is being integrated into the robotic hand currently being developed in the lab.

In general, my research interests include computational models of the nervous system, brain-machine interfaces, machine learning, and neurally controlled prosthetics. I hope to design devices and algorithms that are able to decode neural information from the central nervous system in order to diagnose and treat human medical conditions.

bioengineering, control, humanoid robotics, and medical applications

Concurrently enrolled in University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

• Neurobotics Laboratory - Investigating neural control of movement, brain-machine interface, and devices for rehabilitation, motor enhancement, and entertainment.

• Anatomically Correct Testbed (ACT) Hand - We are building a dynamic model of the human hand that is anatomically correct.
• Neuromuscular Hand Control - We are quantifying the development of motor synergies in the human hand.

Note: This list may not be comprehensive. It contains only those publications in the RI publications database. Entries are listed in reverse chronological order.

• On the design of robotic hands for brain-machine interface
  Y. Matsuoka, P. Afshar, and M. Oh
  Neurosurgical Focus, Vol. 20, No. 5, May, 2006, pp. 1-9. [Abstract]

• Neuromuscular Strategies for Dynamic Finger Movements: A Robotic Approach
  Y. Matsuoka and P. Afshar
  In The 26th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Vol. 2, September, 2004, pp. 4649 - 4652. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [682 KB] copyrighted

• Neural-Based Control of A Robotic Hand: Evidence for Distinct Muscle Strategies
  P. Afshar and Y. Matsuoka
  Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA '04), May, 2004. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [882 KB] copyrighted