Student Projects
Project Descriptions
Additional projects are always available. Please consult our list of ongoing research projects and contact the involved people listed on the top right to enquire about additional projects.
Special projects/internships:
Development of a (gamified) finger training software for a clinical setting
This project focuses on developing an innovative software solution to enhance finger individuation training in neurorehabilitation. Building on an existing device that measures precise finger forces and is currently used for assessments, the goal is to extend its capabilities into an interactive training platform. The project involves designing and implementing the software, transitioning to modern frameworks like Unity or Python for improved performance and usability. With the freedom to create engaging, gamified training experiences and intuitive user interfaces, this project provides a unique opportunity to apply software development skills to a meaningful, real-world application.
Keywords
software development, gamified therapy, neurorehabilitation training
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Semester Project , Internship , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-12-19 , Earliest start: 2025-01-13 , Latest end: 2025-09-30
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Knill Anna
Topics Information, Computing and Communication Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Understanding the influence of motor, sensory, and cognitive factors on manual dexterity
Manual dexterity, the ability to move our hands skillfully, is essential for daily tasks such as eating, writing, and dressing. Neurological conditions like stroke or brain injury can severely impair dexterity, which depends on sensory, motor, and cognitive factors. While impairments in finger individuation and strength are known, the relationships between these components remain unclear. This project aims to measure dexterity-related factors in patients with neurological conditions and healthy individuals in a neurorehabilitation clinic in Switzerland (cereneo). Using standardized clinical assessments and novel (robotic) technologies, the study will provide detailed insights into the contributions of these factors, supporting the development of innovative rehabilitation strategies.
Keywords
Neurorehabilitation, manual dexterity, assessment, hand & finger, robotics, clinic
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Semester Project , Internship , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-12-02 , Earliest start: 2025-02-03 , Latest end: 2025-12-19
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Knill Anna
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences
High dose high intensity proprioception training for neurological patients using a robotic device
Proprioception, often called the "sixth sense," is vital for coordinating movements and maintaining balance, especially in the hands and fingers. In neurological patients, impaired proprioception in the upper limbs can hinder daily tasks and reduce quality of life. Traditional rehabilitation often lacks the intensity and precision needed for optimal recovery of fine motor skills. This project leverages high-dosage training with the ETH MIKE, a validated one-degree-of-freedom robotic device designed for precise, repetitive movements to enhance proprioception and motor function. By promoting neuroplasticity and functional recovery, this research aims to advance rehabilitation practices. Participants will gain hands-on clinical experience, train with neurological patients, and collaborate with therapists, engineers, and researchers.
Keywords
Proprioception, training, neurology, patients, clinic, rehabilitation, neurorehabilitaiton, hand
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Semester Project , Internship , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-12-02 , Earliest start: 2025-04-28 , Latest end: 2025-10-31
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Knill Anna
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Multisensory assessment of physiological markers during neural stimulation for stroke rehabilitation
Project goal is to assess outcomes of a non-invasive brain stimulator for future application in stroke rehabilitation. This will involve using an exciting novel method of brain stimulation together with simultaneous multisensory recordings of various physiological parameters, including heart rate, galvanic skin response, pupillometry and electroencephalogram (EEG). The results of the project will help develop brain stimulation protocols that elicit meaningful neural responses in healthy subjects, and in stroke patients.
Keywords
neural stimulation, neural biomarkers, neurophysiology, physiology, neuroscience, EEG, pupillometry
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Semester Project , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-11-11 , Earliest start: 2023-06-01
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Viskaitis Paulius , Donegan Dane
Topics Engineering and Technology
Real-time control of neural stimulation for stroke patients.
Real-time analysis of movement kinematics can benefit multiple different strategies in rehabilitation after stroke, including allowing closed-loop brain stimulation. Use of inertial measurement units (IMUs) allows detection of movement and extraction of kinematic features, but application in real-time remains challenging. This project will develop algorithms for real-time movement data analysis and feature extraction in typical rehabilitation tasks and general real-life movements. In turn, these algorithms will be applied to control novel brain stimulation approaches in stroke neurorehabilitation.
Keywords
Inertial measurement unit, IMU, movement tracking, machine learning, real-time, signal processing
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Semester Project , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-11-11 , Earliest start: 2023-05-09
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Viskaitis Paulius , Donegan Dane
Topics Engineering and Technology
Mechanistic Evaluation of taVNS in Motor Adaptation for Stroke Rehabilitation
This study aims to evaluate the mechanisms by which transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) may facilitate motor learning and adaptation, focusing on reticulospinal tract (RST) activation. A set of assessments will be used to build a comprehensive neurophysiological profile, providing insights relevant to developing taVNS-based clinical interventions. In this role, you will engage in study design, data collection, and analysis, gaining hands-on experience in mechanistic neurophysiological research with direct clinical applications.
Keywords
Transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) Reticulospinal tract (RST) Motor learning StartReact paradigm Stroke rehabilitation Neurophysiology Multisite EMG Motor pathway activation Clinical neurostimulation
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Semester Project , Internship , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-11-11 , Earliest start: 2024-11-24 , Latest end: 2025-10-26
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Viskaitis Paulius
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Development of flexible, biocompatible electrodes for vagus nerve stimulation therapy
Stroke is the most common cause of disability and as many as 14 million people suffer a stroke every year. Typical therapy today is focused on physical exercises and rarely combats the core of the problem - the interactions between the motor actions and the activity patterns of the injured brain. Therefore, we are developing a cutting-edge medical device that helps combine physical therapy with a non-invasive brain stimulation. This is expected to boost recovery after stroke and make this advanced neuro-therapy accessible to millions of people who need it.
Keywords
Biocompatibility Conductive Materials Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) Stroke Rehabilitation Therapy Medical Device Engineering Electrode Design and Prototyping Materials Science Biomedical Engineering Neurorehabilitation Clinical Usability Patient-Centred Design
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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-11-11 , Earliest start: 2024-11-24 , Latest end: 2025-10-31
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Viskaitis Paulius
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Efficient data processing and reporting in stroke neuro-rehabilitation
Project goal is to optimise existing and develop new algorithms into an efficient system for signal pre-processing, data storage, analysis and visualization in motor-neurorehabilitation. This data is generated by stroke patients wearing motion sensors during their therapy sessions. Key endpoint of the project is to display real-time and longitudinal therapy results, which can aid therapists and patients. The results of the project will help develop a more efficient therapy and is a key part of a larger project that seeks to develop an intelligent and closed-loop neural stimulation system for stroke rehabilitation.
Keywords
health biomarkers, data science, computer science, data visualization, data processing, real-time, internet of medical things, IoMT, healthcare internet of things, healthcare IoT
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Semester Project , Internship , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-09-18 , Earliest start: 2023-05-09
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Donegan Dane , Viskaitis Paulius
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Information, Computing and Communication Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Embedded algorithms of IMUs in a neurorehabilitation device
The goal of this project is to help develop embedded firmware for a imu based rehabilitation device. This project is part of the SmartVNS project which utilizes movement-gated control of vagus nerve stimulation for stroke rehabilitation.
Keywords
electrical engineering PCB Embedded systems neurorehabilitation
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Semester Project , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-08-27 , Earliest start: 2024-01-06 , Latest end: 2024-12-31
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Donegan Dane , Viskaitis Paulius
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Analysis and modelling of Neurophysiological Data from Multisensory Recordings during aVNS Experiments
Join our research project focused on analysing complex neurophysiological data collected during non-invasive brain stimulation experiments. This project aims to optimise brain stimulation protocols for future stroke rehabilitation by investigating neural responses to various stimulation parameters. The data includes electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), photoplethysmography (PPG), inertial measurement unit (IMU) readings, pupilometry, and galvanic skin response (GSR). We aim to model brain states based on these measurements to define brain circuitry outcomes from stimulation and movement interactions, using advanced techniques like connectivity-based biomarkers. This modeling will help generalise findings to broader brain states, such as valence, attention, and stress.
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Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-08-15 , Earliest start: 2024-08-18 , Latest end: 2025-04-30
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Viskaitis Paulius
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Mathematical Sciences , Information, Computing and Communication Sciences
iMove: instrumented Movements (mobile & low budget)
Neurological patients frequently experience upper limb sensorimotor impairment, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies to restore functionality. Accurate assessments of patient movements are integral to these strategies, requiring precise measurement tools. The rapid advancements in AI pose estimation and biomechanical modeling offer a promising solution: a low-budget, user-friendly tool for accurately measuring patient movements in diverse settings. We are developing such a tool, iMove, which leverages video-based AI technology to provide clinical-grade precision.Your role will involve improving iMove's graphical user interface (GUI) and algorithms, as well as testing its performance and usability in collaboration with researchers, clinicians, and potentially patients.
Keywords
neurorhebilitation, computervision, biomechnical modelling, frontend, backend, ai, usability, GUI, webcams, cameras, stroke, assessments
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Semester Project , Course Project , Collaboration , Internship , Lab Practice , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-08-06 , Earliest start: 2024-08-12
Organization Rehabilitation Engineering Lab
Hosts Unger Tim
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Information, Computing and Communication Sciences , Engineering and Technology
If you would like to carry out a Studies on Mechatronics project in our group, please contact the assistant working on, or closest to, the research topic you are interested in.
We currently have an open studies on mechatronics project aiming to evaluate and compare mechatronic designs for sensory/mechanical stimulation and massage of the feet. If interested, please contact .
Your Own Project Ideas?
It is always possible to find a project for motivated students with innovative ideas in the fields of rehabilitation, assistive and healthcare technology as well as haptics and motor learning. Please contact us if you would like to pursue a project which is not on the list above.