“Our collaboration with Queen’s has the potential to make a huge difference to the lives of children living with sight loss, right from birth. The data that the research provides will be used to inform our work with children and young people, helping us to provide more targeted support for children with sight loss and their families.”

Fiona Brown
Head of Mobility Services at Guide Dogs NI

SMART Arm Pty Ltd was launched in July 2012 to further develop, manufacture and market the technology. The company is currently raising funds to complete the transition of the system through a Phase 1 controlled release. A provisional patent for the invention was filed in September 2016. Pre-commercial prototypes have been in use for several years in two clinical stroke units located in Queensland, Australia. Several hundred patients have used the devices. Funds for the purchase of further units have already been raised by a charitable organisation based in Southern Queensland.

Roberta Shepherd and Janet Carr, authors of ‘Neurological Rehabilitation: Optimising Motor Performance included the device, with photographs, in their widely used text. It is compulsory in all Australian Physiotherapy programs, and in those of many other countries. It is used in most Departments of Rehabilitation. Further evidence of impact upon clinical training is indicated by the extensive coverage extended to the SMART Arm – including imbedded video, photographs, and illustrations of clinical outcomes, in Kleim, J. A. (2012). Neural plasticity: foundations for neurorehabilitation. TANAS, Scottsdale.

The group has used their virtual reality-based goalkeeping simulator to address many scientific and practical questions. The research showed that when a defending wall obstructs the goalkeeper’s vision in free kick scenarios it negatively affects the goalkeeper’s performance. This result should motivate goalkeepers and trainers to critically evaluate the balance between benefits and downsides of placing the wall—possibly with the aid of a virtual reality goalkeeping simulator—and consider omitting it in extreme cases. Another line of investigation focused on how attacking rugby players perceive opportunities–passable gaps between defenders–and how defending rugby players perceive or are tricked by deceptive passing movements of attackers. These applications readily extend to penalty kick scenarios, which Dr Dessing is pursuing in his current work.

Our research investigates Dance for PD’s effectiveness in improving balance, mobility, mental health, and quality of life by conducting two randomized controlled trials. The project is run by Anna Carapellotti, PhD student and Dance for PD instructor.

This research is designed with impact and community engagement at its core. In January 2018, we won the Parkinson’s UK Research Involvement Award, which allowed us to engage with the local community, conduct a survey, host a focus group, and form an advisory group involving PwP.

We are currently running weekly dance classes for PwP which show acute and long term improvement in balance, mobility and quality of life in PwP.

Within this lab we conduct both fundamental and applied research into human perception and action, and we contribute to applications of this research in real-life situations (e.g., development of cutting edge training and intervention programmes), as well as to a range of outreach activities.

• Dr Johann Issartel – Dublin City University
• Dr Chris Benton – University of Bristol
• Professor Julie Harris – University of St Andrews
• Professor Paul Hibbard – University of Essex
• Professor Rose Anne Kenny – Trinity College Dublin
• Professor Orla Hardiman – Trinity College Dublin
• Dr. Alexander Leemans - University Medical Center Utrecht
• Dr. Timothy Carroll – University of Queensland
• Professor Sandra Brauer – University of Queensland
• Dr. Ruth Barker – James Cook University
• Dr. Kathryn Hayward – University of Queensland
• Dr. David Lloyd – University of Queensland
• Dr. David Bolton – Arizona State University
• Dr. Kathy Ruddy – Trinity College Dublin
• Dr. Bahman Nasseroleslami – Trinity College Dublin
• Dr. Alison Buick - BrainWaveBank Ltd
• Dr Alan Wing – University of Birmingham
• Dr Chesney Craig – Manchester Metropolitan University
• Dr William Young – Brunel University
• Dr Luis A. Teixeira – University of Sao Paulo
• Dr Maayan Agmon – Uiniversity of Haifa
• Prof. Vassilia Hatzitaki – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Dr Daniel J. Goble – Oakland University
• Dr Ralf Th. Krampe – KU Leuven
• Professor Sile O'Modhrain - University of Michigan
• Professor Paola Cesari - University of Verona
• Dr Lorena Lobo - Open University Madrid
• Professor David Travieso - Autonomous University of Madrid
• Professor David Jacobs - Autonomous University of Madrid

• Róisín Devlin
• Olivia Bonnie Smith