Hyunglae Lee
Featured mentor, MORE
Associate Professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Hyunglae Lee is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy at Arizona State University. He directs the Neuromuscular Control and Human Robotics Laboratory at ASU. Lee's research interests include physical human-robot interaction, neuromuscular control of human movement, and robot-aided neurorehabilitation.
Lee received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of Professor Neville Hogan. Then, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Sensory Motor Performance Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Previously, Lee also worked at Korea Institute of Science and Technology and LG Electronics. He received his BS (Ranked 1st in the class of 2002) and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University (SNU). He is a recipient of the Top 5% Teaching Award at ASU Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (2020, 2021), New Investigator Award from the Arizona Department of Health Services (2021), Winner of the Innovation Challenge in WearRAcon (2020, 2021), NSF CAREER Award (2019), Outstanding Paper Award in International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots (2018), Sarah Baskin Award (2014), Finalist for the Best Student Paper Award in IEEE BioRob (2012), Samsung Scholarship (2008-2013), and Top Graduation Award in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at SNU (2002).
Dr. Lee is by far the most instrumental professor I have met during my time at ASU. He is the reason that I became interested in robotics and decided to pursue a masters in robotics and autonomous systems. I greatly respect Dr. Lee’s work ethic and willingness to help. In addition to his work ethic, Dr. Lee is also very friendly and supportive. All of these positive qualities of Dr. Lee, along with my great experience working in his lab, are why he is an outstanding advisor.
Spring 2024
Suhrud Parag Joglekar
Robotics and autonomous systems
Development of a Modular Actuator for Hip and Ankle Joint
Developing a modular actuator (device) for hip and ankle joints to control and assist in respective movements.
Program: MORE
Mugdhasrija Desai
Biomedical engineering
Effects of Parkinson’s Disease and a Secondary Cognitive Task on Postural Sway and Reactive Balance
Studying the impact of external stress on the balance of Parkinson’s disease patients allows for better development of treatments.
Program: FURI
Ellory Rose Oleen
Biomedical engineering
Patient-Adaptive Robotic Balance Training for Lower-Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation
Assessing the use of robotic balance training to improve post-stroke stability will verify its advantages as a rehabilitation method.
Program: FURI
Spring 2023
Sidhant Das
Robotics and autonomous systems
Gait Entrainment Using a Soft Robot Hip Exoskeleton
Implementing a soft robot hip exoskeleton will help improve the existing rehabilitation processes for post-stroke patients with asymmetrical walking.
Program: MORE
Wid Alsabah
Biomedical engineering
Sex Differences in the Bilateral Frontal Plane Ankle Stiffness During Standing with Different Weight Bearings
Studying the sex difference in bilateral ankle stiffness can aid in targeted interventions and better medical devices for lower extremity disabilities.
Program: FURI
Soe Lin Paing
Mechanical engineering
Bilateral Ankle Stiffness Characterization in Frontal Plane for Different Weight Loadings
The baseline bilateral ankle stiffness model will help with the clinical assessment and diagnosis of patients with chronic ankle instability.
Program: MORE
Fall 2022
Aditya Saxena
Mechanical engineering
Quantification of Shoulder Joint Impedance Based on Various Arm Postures
Studying shoulder impedance allows for the development of control systems for assistive devices to enhance performance during human-robot interaction.
Program: MORE
Spring 2022
Kevin Abishek
Robotics and autonomous systems
Variable Stiffness as Control Scheme for Enhancing Active Ankle Foot Orthosis
Studying the effectiveness of various stiffness controller schemes will improve the performance of ankle orthosis devices.
Program: MORE
William Peter Noll
Biomedical engineering
Characterizing Postural Stability During Smartphone Use on Dynamically Unstable Environments
Studying how standing balance is affected while doing common smartphone tasks on various ground surfaces will help find means for fall prevention.
Program: FURI
Kwanghee Jo
Robotics and autonomous systems
Effectiveness of Waist Vibrotactile Feedback for Improving Posture Balance
This study verifies the effectiveness of improving posture stability through vibrotactile biofeedback in ocean-like circumstances.
Program: MORE
Fall 2021
Ian Chandra
Mechanical engineering
Curved Implementation in a Variable Impedance Controller for a Robotic Ankle Joint
Expanding the applicability of an ankle robot controller onto curved paths will allow for improved lower-limb rehabilitation.
Program: FURI
Kwanghee Jo
Robotics and autonomous systems
Combined Effect of Variable Stiffness and Damping Controller to Correct and Augment Ankle Motion
Gait robots that introduce impedance (stiffness and damping) will help reduce muscle fatigue and correct gait deviation while walking.
Program: MORE
Summer 2021
Connor Phillips
Mechanical engineering
Towards the Development of a Longitudinal Rehabilitation Study for Postural Stability in Children with Cerebral Palsy
Studying how children with cerebral palsy balance under certain circulstances will inform future rehabilitation methods.
Program: GCSP research stipend
Lily Catherine Baye-Wallace
Robotics and autonomous systems
A Soft Robotic Hip Exosuit (SR-HExo) to Enable Entrainment during Human Locomotion
A wearable, soft robotic exosuit could provide rehabilitative assistance and benefit the 7 million Americans who live with disabilities from stroke.
Program: MORE
Spring 2021
Joshua B. Russell
Robotics and autonomous systems
Factors that Influence Ankle Stiffness During the Stance Phase of Walking
Predicting the stiffness of the human ankle joint will add to the toolkit that clinicians use for assessing patients.
Program: MORE
Emily Christine Tanner
Biomedical engineering
Modulating Gait Symmetric Adaptation via Split-Belt Treadmill Distortion and Explicit Visual Feedback Distortion and Evaluating the Aftereffects of Adapted Step Length Symmetry
Researching the effects of gait modulation training will help develop more effective rehabilitation therapies for stroke patients.
Program: MORE
Matthew Ryan Auer
Mechanical engineering
Development of a Wearable Hybrid-PassiveAnkle-Foot Orthosis for Rehabilitative and Assistive Applications
Developing an efficient ankle-foot orthosis will help the elderly and those with neuromuscular disorders to walk.
Program: FURI
Vu Nguyen Phan
Mechanical engineering
The Use of a Virtual Cane for Improving Standing Postural Stability
Developing and verifying a new virtual cane assistive device will improve human standing balance in real-life challenging environments.
Program: MORE
Lauren Berrett
Mechanical engineering
Study Examining Human Postural Stability with Perturbations Applied Utilizing Dual-Axis Robotic Platform
Studying human stability under 2D perturbations will aid the development of assistive devices and rehabilitation methods to improve balance.
Program: FURI
Fall 2020
Joshua B. Russell
Robotics and autonomous systems
Characterization and Modeling of Ankle Impedance During the Stance Phase of Walking
Understanding why ankle stiffness properties change the way they do will help aid in the creation of new medical assistive devices.
Program: MORE
Vu Nguyen Phan
Mechanical engineering
Study on Human Postural Stability During Upright Standing Using Novel Two-Axis Robotic Platform
Studying human postural stability under unstable environments enables the development of therapeutic training and assistive devices.
Program: MORE
Matthew Ryan Auer
Mechanical engineering
Replication of a Two-Axis Robotic Platform for Improved Ankle Characterization and Postural Stability Studies
Replicating a multi-axis robotic platform for medical applications will help study human ankle impedance and postural stability.
Program: FURI
Connor Phillips
Mechanical engineering
Muscle Response During Multidirectional Interaction with a Variable Damping Controlled Ankle Robot
Studying user effort during interaction with a variable damping controlled robot will inform the development of more efficient exoskeletons.
Program: GCSP research stipend
James Arnold
Mechanical engineering
Variable Impedance Control of the Robotic Ankle Joint
Designing a controller for wearable robots that is safe and stable, but does not require the human user to move slowly with high effort, will improve robotic ankle joints.
Program: MORE
Summer 2020
Jason Zhang
Biomedical engineering
Understanding the Effects of Gait Adaptation from the Combination of Visual and Split-Belt Distortion
Understanding the effect of visual feedback on gait will improve the effects of treadmill rehabilitation on stroke patients.
Program: FURI
Spring 2020
Tiffany Alexandria Hertzell
Mechanical engineering
Design and Characterization of Variable Stiffness Soft Actuators for Lateral Ankle Support
Designing a soft robotic exosuit with inflatable fabric-based actuators will provide better lateral support for the ankle in walking rehabilitation.
Program: FURI
Stanton Maxwell Burnton
Mechanical engineering
Design Optimization of the Active Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AAFO)
Optimizing a motorized ankle-foot orthosis will assist in the rehabilitation process for people suffering from neuromuscular conditions.
Program: FURI
Clayton Bliss
Mechanical engineering
Modeling of Environment Dependent Modulation of Ankle Impedance During Walking
Modeling the human ankle during walking in variable environments will help design better controllers for lower-extremity wearable robotics.
Program: FURI
Omik Milind Save
Mechanical engineering
Variable Impedance as Control Scheme for Enhanced Performance and Stability of Active Ankle Foot Orthosis
Investigating the effect of user-determined variable resistance control of active orthosis will reduce muscle fatigue and improve gait correction.
Program: MORE
Connor Phillips
Mechanical engineering
Quantifying Muscular Response During Physical Human-Robot Interaction With a Variable Damping Controller
Testing the ability of a robotic controller to reduce human muscle activation will increase the efficiency of human-robot interfaces.
Program: KEEN
Jason Zhang
Biomedical engineering
Understanding the Effects of Gait Adaptation from the Combination of Visual and Split-Belt Distortion
Studying the effects of combining visual and tactile modulation of gait will help increase efficacy and retention in stroke patient rehabilitation.
Program: FURI
James Arnold
Mechanical engineering
2D Variable Damping Control of the Robotic Ankle Joint to Improve Trade-off between Agility and Stability and Reduce Effort
Designing and testing a controller for wearable robots that is safe and stable will help improve their performance in stability, agility and effort.
Program: MORE
Fall 2019
Ermyntrude Adjei
Biomedical engineering
Investigation of Sex Differences in 2-Dimensional Ankle Stiffness During Upright Standing
Understanding of sex differences in ankle biomechanics will serve as basis to develop risk assessment tools for ankle injury.
Program: FURI
Elliot Nester
Computer systems engineering
A Force-Tracking Restraint System for Novel Movement and Sensation in Virtual Reality
Force tracking could make virtual reality more immersive and interactive, allowing it to have wider uses in health care and other fields.
Program: FURI
Spring 2019
Eric Richard Slovak
Mechanical engineering
Variable Damping Control of Robotic Ankle Joint to Improve the Tradeoff Between Performance and Stability in the Frontal Plane
Exploring the use of robotic damping control will improve the performance and stability of physically interactive robots.
Program: FURI
Lee Evan Stadem
Biomedical engineering
Investigation of Underlying Mechanisms for the Modulation of Multi-dimensional Ankle Stiffness
Improved characterization of ankle stiffness will help design orthotics and prosthetics and improve understanding of neuromuscular diseases.
Program: MORE
Abraham Rosengard
Biomedical engineering
Sex Differences in Voluntary Control Dynamics of the Knee and Ankle
Knowing the difference between how men and women voluntarily control their knees will help educate us in preventing athletic injuries.
Program: MORE
Fall 2018
James Arnold
Mechanical engineering
Cory Jernigan
Mechanical engineering
Voluntary Response Mechanics of the Human Ankle
Program: FURI
Subhrajyoti Chaudhuri
Mechanical engineering
Spring 2018
Andrew Cook
Mechanical engineering
Azza Amer
Mechanical engineering
James Arnold
Mechanical engineering
Tanner Bitz
Mechanical engineering
Modeling the Voluntary Reflex of the Human Ankle
Program: MORE
Kishen Mahadevan
Electrical engineering
Implementation of Self Adjustable Treadmill
Program: MORE