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The Rehabilitation Engineering Center of Excellence (REC), located within the Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, is committed to improving the independence and quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their caregivers and clinicians through device design and development. Close proximity of Madonna's patients, clinicians and researchers with the REC team facilitates collaborative generation of creative, yet practical solutions. The ability to create custom, novel devices in a timely manner for both patients and research team sets Madonna apart from many health care facilities.
Our work focuses on:
The Rehabilitation Engineering Center (REC) fosters innovation and creation of new rehabilitation and assistive devices. The Center possesses state-of-the-art rapid prototyping systems, as well as common shop tools and materials. Workstations integrate robust 3D modeling software as well as electronics prototyping software for printed circuit board design and software development. Mechatronics supplies and soldering equipment are also available for the design and prototyping of custom electronic devices. Close collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln allows for access to a wide variety of knowledge, software, tools and other resources. The REC also maintains a membership with the Nebraska Innovation Studio within Nebraska Innovation Campus for the use of several advanced machines to efficiently manufacture more unique prototypes.
Dr. Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi, PhD, leads the Rehabilitation Engineering Center within the Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. He holds a PhD in Exercise Science and Biomechanics from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and bachelor's and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of Semnan, Iran. Dr. Gonabadi has extensive experience in modeling, designing, and analyzing humans and machinery. He works collaboratively with patients, clinicians and researchers to design hardware and software technology innovations that address the immediate clinical needs of adults and children recovering from various injuries and illnesses including COVID-19. Dr. Gonabadi’s research spans assistive devices, exoskeletons, human movement variability, and artificial intelligence methods. His ongoing projects include optimizing wearable sensors and robots (e.g., hip exoskeletons), waist tethers, human-in-the-loop optimization, and estimating metabolic costs.