J.A.M. Haarman

J.A.M. Haarman serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Twente, holding dual appointments at the Digital Society Institute and within the Human Media Interaction department. His research bridges rehabilitation engineering and human-computer interaction, focusing on developing innovative tools for home-based therapy.

Haarman's research centers on integrating rehabilitation with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), particularly for stroke patients requiring hand function recovery. His work spans rehabilitation engineering, sensor systems, and medical robotics, with emphasis on user-centered design of smart objects that transform ordinary household items into therapeutic tools. Key projects include TumbleTooth for hand-stroke rehabilitation and Gr!pp for seamless ADL integration, demonstrating his commitment to making therapy accessible outside clinical settings.

His publication trends reveal consistent innovation in

• Wearable sensor systems for physiological monitoring
• Material science applications in rehabilitation devices
• Behavior recognition through multi-sensor fusion
• Home-based therapy validation studies

with recent work expanding into infant healthcare monitoring and public engagement through initiatives like Freehabilitation.

Haarman actively supervises graduate students, serving as examiner for multiple theses focused on rehabilitation technology. His collaborations span clinical partners and engineering teams, with notable projects presented at TEI conferences and published in Sensors journal.

He maintains strong industry and clinical connections through activities like Rehab Week participation and invited talks at specialized conferences, while media coverage in Science Stories and Pride & Prejudice Magazine demonstrates effective public communication of his research impact.