Ph.D. Students – BiRD Lab

Cristiana Pinheiro

I completed Integrated Master Degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2019 by University of Minho. My MSc involved the user-centered design, implementation, and preliminary validation of an innovative wearable biofeedback system to complement gait rehabilitation driven by an active ankle-foot orthosis during trajectory tracking control. The system aimed to increase the patient’s and therapist’s effective participation during gait training, improving human-orthosis interaction. Currently I am a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at BiRDLab under the supervision of Cristina Santos (professor at University of Minho), João Cerqueira (neurologist at Braga Hospital), and Joana Figueiredo (junior researcher at CMEMS). The PhD aims the development and validation of a biofeedback system with multimodal sensor and actuation capabilities, and corresponding control strategies for personalized poststroke gait rehabilitation. Moreover, the system will foster physiotherapists’ involvement for patients’ additional support.

id9383@alunos.uminho.pt

www.linkedin.com/in/cp6

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cristiana-Pinheiro-2

Joana Alves

Joana Alves started her work in BiRDLab at her Master’s Degree (2015-2017). During that time Joana worked on the ASBGo Smart Walker project, designing its mechanical structure and initiated the project that later become her PhD thesis project: Lower-Limb prosthesis for ankle-foot amputation. Joana started her PhD project in 2018, continuing the work she developed in her Master’s thesis (Dynamic Model of a Transtibial prosthesis). For her PhD work she will plan, design and develop a lower-limb prosthesis while implementing the sensorial and control strategies for a complete bionic and intelligent device, able to mimic the missing human limb.

jalves@dei.uminho.pt

www.linkedin.com/in/joana-alves93

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joana_Alves19

João André

João André received the MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering (University of Minho, Portugal).

joaocandre@gmail.com

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joao_Andre4

João Lopes

João M. Lopes received the MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2019 at University of Minho (U.Minho), Portugal. His dissertation was under the SmartOs project, giving the first steps towards integrating human-in-the-loop control through energy cost estimation and personalised assistance strategies. Currently, João is a PhD student at the Centre for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (CMEMS) from U.Minho, in the Smart Walker project, under the scientific supervision of Professor Cristina Santos (BiRDLAB, U.Minho), Professor João Cerqueira (School of Medicine, U.Minho & 2CA-Braga) and Researcher Joana Figueiredo (BiRDLAB, U.Minho). His research involves algorithms development for continuous monitoring and assessment of the user’s state, as well as assistance strategies to make the Smart Walker compliant to the user’s intentions and needs.

id9480@alunos.uminho.pt

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaomendeslopes

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joao-Lopes-20

Luís Moreira

Luís Moreira received a MSc Degree in Biomedical Engineering, with specialization in Medical Electronics, in 2019, at the University of Minho. His master thesis was centered on the development of the first steps of an Assist-As-Needed (AAN) control strategy for an active orthosis in order to provide an assistance as much as needed, considering the user motion intentions detected with electromyography (EMG) signals. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho. His Ph.D. plan intends to explore the potentialities of SmartOs, an active ankle-foot-orthosis interconnected to a wearable motion lab, to tackle the emergent need for personalized strategies that deliver multifunctional assistance levels according to a) the disability level of each patient; and b) the real-time evaluation of the user’s needs and motion intentions. This patient-centered design will encourage the user’s participation in the therapy session, accelerating their motor learning process.

luis.lihts@hotmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lu%C3%ADs-moreira-be/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luis_Moreira9

Sara Cerqueira

Sara received an M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering, specialized in medical Electronics, from the University of Minho, Braga. She became student member of the IEEE in 2019. She has a h-index of 4, and authored 7 ISI/Scopus conference publications, 2 journal article in IEEE ACESS journal and Scientific Data – Nature. Also, she peer-reviewed for IEEE ACCESS and for ROBOT2023 and UCAmI2023.

Since 2018, she is researcher at BiRDLAB from the Centre for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (CMEMS), University of Minho. Currently, she is doctoral student for Eletronics and Computers Engineering, in the specialization field of Control, Automation, and Robotics, at University of Minho. She was granted with a MIT’s MPP2030-FCT PhD Grant to conduct research in Human-Robot Collaboration for improved workspace ergonomics, specifically in the development of Human-aware and Human-care control strategies. Her PhD is being conducted under the supervision of Professor Cristina P. Santos, Professor Alexandre Silva, and Professor Leonardo Gizzi (University of Stuttgart), with the support of Elazer Edelman (MIT-Boston) and BOSCH (Ana Pombeiro, Eurico Damásio).

Her Research interests include human-robot Collaboration&Interaction, Human modelling, Artificial Intelligence, Reinforcement Learning, and wearable sensors for ergonomics , fatigue monitoring and physical limitations recognition.

Luís Martins

Luís received an M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering, specialized in medical Electronics, from the University of Minho, Braga. Since 2022, he is a Doctoral student for the Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Program, with an FCT’s PhD Grant. His work aims at creating strategies for Multifactorial Fall Risk Assessment, developing Artificial Inteligence-Based algorithms for Daily Activity Recognition and Gait Analysis from Wearable Sensor’s data. His Research interests include Signal Processing, Human modelling, Artificial Intelligence, Reinforcement Learning, and wearable sensors-based Devices for Daily Activity Recognition and Gait and Balance Analysis.

Diana Rito

Diana is a PhD Student in Biomedical Enginnering at BiRDLab (CMEMS). Scientific and technological production on robotics, virtual/mixed reality tools, user-centred design, biofeedback strategies, balance rehabilitation, and stroke. Completed 1 non-degree course in Specialized Training in Fundamentals for Scientific Research. Completed Integrated Master Degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2022 by University of Minho. Participated as a Research Fellow in 1 projet. Published 1 conference paper, and 1 book chapter. Integrated the Biomedical Engineering Students’ Association for 4 years, being in its leadership as president for almost 2 years. Participated and organised several academic events, such as Biomedical Engineering Journeys. Received 3 distinctions. Knowledge in 3 languages. Aims to contribute to the technological evolution of society, using its passion for knowledge, ambition to overcome scientific challenges, persistence, methodical approach, and responsible attitude.)

Ricardo Andrade

Ricardo is a dynamic, creative, and hard-working PhD student on the project of “Exosuit with a Bioinspired and Textile-Based Active Actuation for Daily Assistance”. Ricardo has a Bachelor’s and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), after writing his Master thesis on the development of a wearable active exoskeleton at the University do Minho.

Sara Monteiro

Sara completed an integrated master’s in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho in 2023, specializing in Medical Electronics. She is now in a PhD program in Biomedical Engineering at the same university, under an FCT PhD grant. She is working towards developing new control strategies for an industrial lower limb exoskeleton, aiming at adapting the exoskeleton’s assistance according to the users’ physiological effort. Her work will shape the future of occupational health by promoting workers’ well-being. She is knowledgeable in the fields of human biomechanics and physiology, exoskeleton control and human-exoskeleton interaction, and machine- and deep-learning algorithms.

Miguel Armada

Miguel holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Biomaterials, Rehabilitation Devices and Biomechanics from the University of Minho. Since 2024, he has been pursuing a PhD in Electronics and Computer Engineering, specializing in Control, Automation, and Robotics, supported by an FCT PhD Grant.
His research focuses on developing fall prevention strategies by leveraging user biomechanical data to enable a robotic cane to autonomously reposition itself for optimal support when a potential fall is detected. His areas of interest include biomechanics, rehabilitation devices, robotics, human-robot interaction, assistive technology, and machine learning for fall prevention.

Diogo Martins

Diogo Martins received the MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering, specialized in Medical Electronics, from the University of Minho, in 2023. He is currently a researcher in BiRDLab, included in the Center for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (CMEMS), University of Minho. Since 2024, he is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Program, supported by an FCT’s PhD Grant. His research aims to leverage wearable sensors and collaborative robots to promote productive, safe, healthier and inclusive work, via Human-Robot Collaboration. His work, in the ErgoAware project, has focused on Deep Learning models to assess human factors, such as posture assessment, musculoskeletal pain detection, and fatigue monitoring, to be integrated in assistive human-care control strategies. He has published a conference paper (ICARSC2023), 2 journal papers (in Q1 journals, including a literature review) and 2 datasets.

His research interests include Artificial Intelligence, biosignals processing, wearable sensors for human factors (ergonomics, fatigue and pain) perception, human-centered robotics, and human-robot collaboration.