About ME
I received my B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2015. I received my M.Sc. degree from the University of Alberta, Canada, in 2018. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Hossein Rouhani and Dr. Albert H. Vette at the Neuromuscular Control and Biomechanics Lab, University of Alberta.
To see my experiences, please see my LinkedIn profile.
To see my publications, please see my Google Scholar profile.
Supervisors:
Dr. Hossein Rouhani
Dr. Albert Vette
Research Interests:
· Wearable Inertial Sensors and Biomedical Instrumentation
· Nonlinear and Adaptive Controls
· Assistive robotics and autonomous robots
· Machine Learning
Projects
During my B.Sc. at K. N. Toosi University of Technology, I worked on cardiovascular biomechanics with the main focus on aortic valve finite element modelling. A model of human aortic valve was implemented in an FE software to simulate its dynamic behaviour in response to high G acceleration, to simulate possible mechanisms of human injury.
My M.Sc. thesis research at the University of Alberta was about using optimization techniques to estimate an accurate set of body segment parameters for kinetic assessment of the human trunk and how different seated postures contribute to intervertebral interactions (Link).
The first part of my Ph.D. thesis research is focused on assessing the dynamics of standing balance, understanding the underlying mechanisms of how postural control is regulated, and how rehabilitative interventions affect postural control in individuals with neuromuscular impairments. This research aimed to develop and validate a wearable technology for reliable assessment of standing balance with the capability of being integrated into clinical tests for individuals with neuromuscular impairments such as those with incomplete spinal cord injury and the elderly with degraded balance.
The second part of my Ph.D. thesis research is focused on characterizing the relationship between the dynamic posture of the trunk and sitting balance as well as a mechanistic understanding of the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms involved in seated stability. We quantified the relationship between the dynamic posture of the trunk and fall risk during sitting by obtaining a feasible stability region. We developed a wearable biomedical device for assessing seated stability. We identified the roles of the passive and active neuromuscular control mechanisms involved in seated stability.
I commonly use in my research:
· Optoelectronic motion capture system to analyze the kinematics of the body segments obtained via infrared cameras and reflective skin-mounted markers
· Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) composed of a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope to design devices that are capable of assessing human motion via wearable easy-to-use sensors
· Force plate to measure ground reaction forces and center of pressure
· Electromyography (EMG) electrodes to measure the activity of the muscles during various movements
Awards
BMO Financial Group Graduate Scholarship (2021)
Andrew Stewart Memorial Graduate Prize (2021)
Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (2020)
Sadler Graduate Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering (2020)
Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship for Doctoral program (2019-2021)
University of Alberta Graduate Student Fellowship (2019)
GSA Graduate Student Rising Star Award (2019)
Graduate Students' Association Academic Travel Award (2019)
University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering Entrance Scholarship (2018)
Graduate Students' Association Academic Travel Award (2018)
Best posters award, Spotlight on Innovation, Glenrose Rehab. Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada (2018)
Finalist for doctoral student presentation competition, The 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) Rochester, Minnesota, USA (2018)
Awarded as the 2nd team (ME-ECE-CS) at the University of Alberta Programming Contest (Winter 2018)
Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship for M.Sc. program (2017)
University of Alberta's chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society (2016)
Concordia University Entrance Scholarship (2015) (Declined)
Member of Iran's National Elites Foundation due to elite academic and research records
Distinguished B.Sc. student, Mechanical Engineering Department, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Awarded the Graduate School Scholarship by the Council of K. N. Toosi University of Technology for Exceptional Talents (2015)
publications
Journal Articles:
J1. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, (2022), “Nonlinear Response of Human Trunk Musculature Explains Neuromuscular Stabilization Mechanisms in Sitting Posture,” Journal of Neural Engineering, Vol 19, Number 2.
J2. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, (2022) “Instrumented Functional Test for Objective Outcome Evaluation of Balance Rehabilitation in Elderly Fallers: A Clinical Study,” Gerontology, pp 1-13.
J3. A. Noamani, K. Agarwal, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, 2021, "Predicted Threshold for Seated Stability: Estimation of Margin of Stability Using Wearable Inertial Sensors," IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Vol 25(9), pp 3361-3372
J4. J.F. Lemay, A. Noamani, J. Unger, D. J. Houston, H. Rouhani, K. E. Musselman, 2021, "Using wearable sensors to characterize gait after spinal cord injury: Evaluation of test-retest reliability and construct validity," Spinal Cord, pp 1-9A.
J5. A. Noamani, J.F. Lemay, K. E. Musselman, H. Rouhani, 2021, "Characterization of Standing Balance after Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Alteration in Integration of Sensory Information in Ambulatory Individuals," Gait & Posture, Vol 83, pp 152-159
J6. A. Noamani, J.F. Lemay, K. E. Musselman, H. Rouhani, 2020, "Postural Control Strategy after Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Effect of Sensory Inputs on Trunk-Leg Movement Coordination," 2020, Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, 17, 141.
J7. A. Noamani, M. Nazarahari, J. Lewicke, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, 2020, "Validity of Using Wearable Inertial Sensors for Assessing the Dynamics of Standing Balance," Medical Engineering and Physics, Vol. 77, pp 53-59.
J8. J. F. Lemay, A. Noamani, J. Unger, D. Houston, H. Rouhani, K. Musselman, 2019, "Comparison of walking characteristics in functional ambulators individuals with spinal cord injury and able-bodied individuals as measured by parameters extracted from wearable sensors," Neurophysiologie Clinique, Vol. 49(6), pp 449-450.
J9. M. Nazarahari, A. Noamani, N. Ahmadian, H. Rouhani, 2019, "Sensor-to-Body Calibration Procedure for Clinical Lower Limb Motion Analysis Using Inertial Measurement Units," Journal of Biomechanics, Vol 85, pp 224-229
J10. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, R. Preuss, M. R. Popovic, H. Rouhani, 2018, "Quantification of Multi-Segment Trunk Kinetics during Multi-Directional Trunk Bending," Gait & Posture, 64, pp 205–212.
J11. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, R. Preuss, M. R. Popovic, H. Rouhani, 2018, "Optimal Estimation of Anthropometric Parameters for Quantifying Multi-Segment Trunk Kinetics," Journal of Biomechanical Engineering (Transactions of the ASME), 140(10), pp 101003: 1-10.
J12. A. Noamani, V. Dehghan Niestanak, M. Asgari, 2017, "A 3D Unpressurized Model for Non-Linear Dynamic Analysis of Human Aortic Valve in Dynamic Condition", Journal of Modares Mechanical Engineering, 16(3), pp 263-272.
Conference Publications:
C1. A. Noamani, S. B. Riske, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, "Balance Evaluation of Elderly Fallers Using Wearable Inertial Sensors: A Clinical Study, Alberta Biomedical Engineering Conference 2019, Banff, AB, Canada.
C2. A. Noamani, M. Nazarahari, H. Rouhani, 2019, "Evaluation of Wearable Inertial Sensors for Quantification of Standing Balance," International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), Calgary, AB, Canada
C3. M. Nazarahari, A. Noamani, H. Rouhani, 2019, "Accurate and Repeatable Sensor-to-Body Calibration of Inertial Measurement Units for Lower Limbs Motion Analysis," International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), Calgary, AB, Canada
C4. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, Justin Lewicke, H. Rouhani, 2018, "Validity of Using Wearable Inertial Sensors for Assessing the Dynamics of Standing Balance," Spotlight on Innovation 2018, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada
C5. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, R. Preuss, M. R. Popovic, H. Rouhani, 2018, "Optimized Body Segment Parameters for Multi-Segment Trunk Kinetics Assessment," The Canadian Society for Biomechanics, Halifax, Canada
C6. A. Noamani, J. F. Lemay, D. Houston, J. Unger, G. Schock, K. Musselman, H. Rouhani, 2018, "The Influence of Spinal Cord Injury on Long-term Gait Variability," 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), Rochester, MN, USA
C7. J.F. Lemay, A. Noamani, J. Unger, H. Rouhani, K. Musselman, 2018, "Preliminary evaluation of the reliability and validity of gait stability parameters as measured with wearable sensors in individuals with spinal cord injury," 57thInternational Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), Sydney, Australia
C8. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, R. Preuss, M. R. Popovic, H. Rouhani, 2018, "Kinetics Analysis of Multi-Segment Trunk After Experimental Errors Minimization, The Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering International Congress, Toronto, Canada
C9. A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, R. Preuss, M. R. Popovic, H. Rouhani, 2016, "A multi-segment analysis of spine kinetics during seated, directional trunk bending, 17th Annual Alberta Biomedical Engineering Conference, Banff, Canada
C10. A. Noamani, R. McAllister, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, 2016, "3D Gait Assessment and Temporal Events Detections Using Inertial Sensors, Spotlight on Research and Symposium, Edmonton, Canada
C11. S. Ngan, A. Noamani, A. H. Vette, H. Rouhani, 2016, "Wearable Sensors to Monitor Shoulder Motion, Spotlight on Research and Symposium, Edmonton, Canada
C12. A. Noamani, V. Dehghan Niestanak, M. Asgari, 2016, Comparison of Linear and Nonlinear Human Aortic Valve FE Model Behavior, The 24th Annual Inter-national Conference on Mechanical Engineering, Iranian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME), Iran
C13. A. Noamani, V. Dehghan Niestanak, M. Asgari, 2015, "Non-Linear Dynamic FE Model of Human Aortic Valve Using a New-Developed Unpressurized Model," 2015 International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Automation Science (ICMEAS), Hong Kong, Paper ID: M039