Learners | Technology for Assisted Living University of Manitoba

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6 team members volunteering at Variety Childrens iCan bike program

Summer 2024

In the summer of 2024, summer students Karisma Vyas from biomedical engineering, Eve Alexiuk from occupational Therapy and Zenash Woldeyes from mechanical engineering were all working in our lab on different projects.

Minoo Golchin Dabiri

PhD, MSc, BSc (OT)

I am a lucky post-doctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba with a Ph.D. in occupational Therapy! I have had exceptional experiences between two departments of Occupational Therapy and Computer Science, with an involvement in a range of exciting projects all related to assistive technology. My journey started from my primary passion: play!

I learned within a scoping review of potential technologies that can promote playing as a human right for children with disabilities, and then I got involved in social robot studies, power mobility on children, use of adapted bikes and modified controllers for playing games, leading to my post-doctoral project on developing a Dice Model of Play. I am lucky enough to have worked with amazing people from different disciplines in the Epic Lab, and I enjoy working as playfully as you can imagine!

Monire Nobahar Ahari

PhD, MSc, BSc (OT)

I am a post-doctoral fellow in Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba, where I work under the supervision of Dr. Jacquie Ripat on the Bannatyne campus. My research primarily focuses on assistive technology assessments for adults and older adults and the development of scales designed to enhance participation using assistive technologies.

I earned my Ph.D. in Occupational Therapy from the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. Currently, I am actively involved in the Enhancing Participation in the Community (EPIC) lab, where I collaborate with a team dedicated to improving community engagement and participation for individuals with diverse needs

Abraham Gonzalez

MEng, EIT, BSc (Biomedical Engineering)

I have experience in medical equipment maintenance, research, and assistive technology design. I’ve worked on projects involving 3D-printed assistive devices for people with disabilities and have collaborated with teams in Mexico, France, and Canada. I’m skilled in equipment diagnostics, project management, and using 3D printing technologies.

I helped develop a framework for co-designing custom 3D-printed assistive devices with occupational therapists.

I am passionate about improving healthcare outcomes through innovative medical technology solutions.

Daniel De La O

BSc (Biosystems Engineering)

I am a fifth-year Biosystems Engineering student at the University of Manitoba, specializing in Biomedical Engineering, and I had the opportunity to work as a student research assistant with Dr. Jacquie Ripat and her team on different projects involving assistive technology.

I have experience with CAD design and 3D printing, and I have had the opportunity to apply this knowledge towards designing adaptive bikes and a mobile smart suite at the EPIC lab. I am expecting to graduate in December 2025 and would love to continue working with CAD and 3D printing in the Biomedical Engineering field.

Karisma Vyas (former student)

BSc (Biosystems Engineering)

Hi, my name is Karisma Vyas, and I am a fifth-year Biosystems Engineering student at the University of Manitoba, specializing in Biomedical Engineering. This summer, I had the opportunity to work in Dr. Jacquie Ripat’s lab at the Bannatyne Campus, focusing primarily on adaptive bicycles* for children with disabilities. My work involved exploring adaptations for these bikes, examining the physical and psychosocial effects of cycling, and analyzing data collected from the bike components. Further work was done working on markerless motion capture devices that can be used to measure range of motion.

I expect to graduate from the University of Manitoba in June of 2025. Following graduation, I aim to apply my skills and knowledge in the biomedical engineering field, with a focus on improving assistive technologies and enhancing the quality of life for all individuals.

Zenash Woldeyes (former student)

BSc (Mechanical Engineering)

I am a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student with a major in Biomedical Engineering. This summer I worked as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Ripat. Throughout the summer I was involved in various projects. I oversaw distributing a survey to get input from Occupational therapists in order to develop a tool to better help them conduct and write assessment reports. It was a great experience learning to distribute surveys on the REDcap application and gathering data to analyze and interpret the data in which I was able to present findings to the rest of the team.

I also looked into and researched potential apps that could be helpful to traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients to perform daily tasks. When researching different apps for TBI patients I learned the different ways that apps can be efficient in helping patients with daily activities.

I consistently researched to better showcase the assistive technology equipment within the Smart Suite, through posters and catalogues of the assistive technology equipment. This allows for smart suite visitors to find the assistive technology equipment easily by simply scanning the QR code. Doing this project has allowed me to be creative in ways I otherwise would not have thought of.

I expect to graduate from the University of Toronto with a bachelor's in applied science and engineering in June 2025