Biomechanical Engineering Lab

The Biomechanical Engineering Lab (BIOMEC) is a research group of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and one of the seven areas of the Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CREB). The mission of the lab is twofold. We develop multibody biomechanical models to analyse and simulate the dynamics of human movement, for clinical and sport applications; and we design personalised robotic devices for movement assistance and rehabilitation.

The lab has a fully equipped motion analysis laboratory that includes an 18-camera motion capture system, 2 force plates, a 16-channel electromyography (EMG) system, and an in-shoe pressure measurement system. The lab also has a complete workshop where researchers and students design and build in-house all the developed mechatronic prototypes.

Current research projects focus on the development of personalised robotic exoskeletons to assist the gait of spinal cord injured subjects, as well as on the analysis of human movement to assess the outcomes of clinical interventions and treatments. The group also does research in other fundamental topics of mechanical engineering and robotics. Lab members are mechanical and biomedical engineers that work closely with clinical and industrial partners to translate the developed technologies into products that meet real world needs.

The BIOMEC Lab actively collaborates with international institutions like McGill University, Rice University and TU Darmstadt. Moreover, we have recently founded our first spin-off ABLE Human Motion, which is focused on transferring to market the first lightweight, easy-to-use and affordable exoskeleton for people with spinal cord injury that restores the ability to walk naturally and intuitively.