Facilities & Equipment

Major Equipment:

The Healthcare Ergonomics Analytics Lab (HEAL), directed by PI Dr. Denny Yu currently has eight undergraduates and five graduate students who conduct human factors and usability studies. Available equipment in the laboratory includes:

Ergonomics and biomechanics:

  • Photo of 2 students manipulating wearables softwareMotion tracking: Two sets of wireless 6-sensor wearable motion sensors (inertia measurement units) capture kinematics in the field; skin-conductance sensor (wrist and gold-standard finger form factors)
  • Physiological sensing: heart rate sensors (form factors include: wrist, upper-arm, and chest); wireless 8-sensor electromyography (EMG) system; 14-channel and 32-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) system
  • Prolonged Standing: Tekscan Strideway 2 with two tile sensors plates
  • Eyetracking: Tobii Pro Glasses 2
  • Grip dynamometer, pinch gauges, and push/pull gauges are available for strength measurements.

Mobile data collection: Two Microsoft Surface Pro tablets are available to run the aforementioned sensor systems in the field, including all necessary equipment for video capturing (2 GoPros and 1 video camera with associated accessories) and image processing is available at the HEAL lab.

Custom sensing: Arduino microcontrollers; circuit boards; Arduino-compatible sensors, etc.; for custom wearable device development

Support technology: Mobile data collection tablet- and mobile phone-based software; multiple PC stations, 6 desk spaces; collaborative meeting space, and rapid 3D-printing prototyping technology

Surgical simulation: Drs. Denny Yu and Juan Wachs are co-PIs on an equipment grant of Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci Research Kit. 

Photo of daVinci arms manipulating triangles

This kit includes the full da Vinci Surgical Robot System with robotic arms, equipment cart, and surgeon console. 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of closeup of daVinci arms manipulating triangles

The da Vinci Research Kit is housed in Purdue's School of Industrial Engineering in Grissom Hall, enabling custom surgical skills simulation tasks modeled after the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surger).

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of student at daVinci controller

A student researcher uses the surgeon console.