Human-Systems Engineering

Human-Systems Engineering in the UC Davis MAE Department is situated at the complex interface of engineered systems and neuroscience, cognitive learning, and human physical abilities. Through collaborative research, we strive to restore lost human capability through prosthetics and assistive robotics, and to extend human performance through sensory and physical augmentation, human/automation integration, and human-guided machine learning. We want to understand collaborative, assured autonomy for human-partnered robotic systems and to understand how the brain encodes sensory information to produce intelligent human motor output. We are interested in the effects of micro-gravity on the human spinal column and in radiation protection for deep- space astronauts. Our efforts include research in human/robotics/vehicle integration and performance, in cyber-human-physical systems, and in neural encoding, and neuro-engineering. Another research example in this area is bio-sensing. Bio-sensing makes use of micro-fluidic devices and novel nanoscale materials to detect signatures that arise from diseases, or from toxins and pathogens in our environment. Our research is highly multi-disciplinary and includes collaborations with scholars in biomedical engineering, psychology, electrical engineering, neuroscience, and medicine.