Hwan Choi

Dr. Hwan Choi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF), affiliated with the College of Engineering. He leads the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Device Lab, focusing on advancing prosthetic and exoskeletal technologies to enhance mobility for individuals with disabilities. His work integrates biomechanical analysis, neural control strategies, and assistive device design to address challenges in rehabilitation engineering.

Education: Dr. Choi earned his Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Washington (2016), a Master of Engineering (2006), and a Bachelor of Engineering (2004) from Korea University. He completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2018.

Research Interests: His studies prioritize prosthetic device optimization, exoskeleton system development, musculoskeletal modeling, and neural control mechanisms. He investigates how biomechanical insights can improve device performance and user adaptation, with applications in transtibial amputee mobility, cerebral palsy gait correction, and aging-related mobility issues.

Article Trends: Recent work emphasizes multimodal data integration (e.g., IMU sensors, sEMG), adaptive prosthetic systems, and machine learning for gait analysis. Key themes include improving clinical outcomes through smart technologies and addressing unmet needs in orthotic/prosthetic design.

• Awards: Gatzert Child Welfare Fellowship (2016), Travel Grant from Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society (2016), University of Washington Research Assistant Scholarship (2011–2016), Louis and Katherine Marsh Memorial Fellowship (2012).

Advising & Grants: While specific advisees are not listed, Dr. Choi’s lab actively engages in collaborative projects, with funding support from scholarships and institutional grants. His research bridges academic and clinical settings, emphasizing translational outcomes.

Labs/Teams: The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Device Lab focuses on developing innovative solutions for mobility impairments, including smart adaptive prosthetic sockets and variable-stiffness orthoses. Current projects explore machine learning-driven gait analysis and self-sanitizing medical devices.