Edward Lemaire,
elemaire@ottawahospital.on.ca
Telephone: 613-737-8899 ext. 75592
Fax: 613-737-4260

General Campus (see Contact page for maps)

Clinical Investigator, Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Clinical Epidemiology, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Research Associate, Institute for Rehabilitation Research and Development, The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Adjunct Professor, Department of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
Adjunct Professor, Department of Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo
Member, Ottawa Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering
Member, Ottawa Carleton Institute for Computer Science

Biographical Sketch

Edward Lemaire received a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow) and MSc in Biomechanics from the University of Ottawa. In addition to academic appointments in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Lemaire is a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Computer Science and the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering. He is past President of the Canadian National Society for the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and serves on the ISPO board and the ISPO International Education Committee.

Research

Technology has a large and sustained impact on human mobility and on how physical rehabilitation services are delivered. My research focusses on the application of computing and mobility technologies to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities and the elderly. Research and development activities include:

Rehabilitation Intelligent Mobility Systems (RIMS)

The Rehabilitation Intelligent Mobility Systems (RIMS) initiative focuses on developing, evaluating, and implementing intelligent assistive device and related technologies to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Recent advances in microprocessors, software, materials, and mechanical devices provide essential building blocks to add a level of intelligent decision-making and powered locomotion to mobility and therapeutic devices. The ability to sense our surroundings and change behaviour is essential for interacting with our environment. By incorporating decision-making capability into rehabilitation devices, an improved level of interaction with the environment can be achieved.

Wearable Robotics
Wearable robotics apply robotic technology to devices that augment or replace human motor tasks by integrating the human and robot into a single system. These systems are typically robotic exoskeletons (motorized/controllable shells) that fit over a person's limbs and provide motorized control or enhancement of human movement. Wearable robotic systems will have many advantages for the field of physical rehabilitation from enabling people to walk longer distances with less effort to reducing the risk of falls.

Intelligent VR Systems for Physical Rehabilitation
Virtual Reality (VR) has been defined as "An artificial environment created with computer hardware and software and presented to the user in such a way that it appears and feels like a real environment". Our objective is not solely to replace the physical world with a virtual environment but to enhance the rehabilitation process in a manner that is difficult to replicate in the typical clinic. Intelligent VR systems will be capable of making decisions, based on rehabilitation-specialist-defined parameters, that more efficiently progresses clients through the rehabilitation process. Intelligent monitoring and feedback can also enhance the quality of information being provided to the specialist, thereby enhancing decision-making.

The Mobility Research Network (MoRe)

MoRe brings together experts from a variety of fields to develop innovative solutions that enhance human mobility in the community and thereby improve quality of life. MoRe's research and development activities help people interact with the environment and their social group, return to work, and to achieve their mobility objectives. For people with disabilities, enhanced mobility will lead to increased independence, improved physical and psychosocial health, and the ability to overcome many environmental barriers. Enhanced rehabilitation approaches could also improve how patients progress through their treatment program. My primary involvement is as leader of the MoRe initiative, research on biomechanical/mobility analysis in the community (i.e., outside of the hospital and laboratory environments) and research on mobility in winter conditions.

Telehealth / Telemedicine
Telerehabilitation uses computer/Internet links to send data, graphics, video, and sound between two or more sites so that people can access clinical assessment and follow-up services without traveling to a central rehabilitation facility. The Internet link can also used to provide on-line/interactive educational sessions. The research goal is to use Internet-based multimedia communication technologies to develop and provide appropriate rehabilitation services at the right place, at the right time, and at the right cost.

Selected Honours and Awards

Carvajal F, Reilander K, Golkarieh H, Taebi S. Electronic Control System for a Stance-Control Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosios. Professional Engineers of Ontario Student Paper Competition (2007) - Best Overall Project Award. April, 2007.

Yakimovich T, Kofman J, Lemaire E (2005) Design, Construction and Evaluation of an Electromechanical Stance Control Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Student Design Competition. Finalist, September 2 2005.

Yakimovich T, Lemaire E, Kofman J, (2005) A New Stance Control KAFO Design. Clifford Chadderton Award for Prosthetics and Orthotic Research (ISPO Canada / War Amputations of Canada), October 2005.

Selected Publications

Patents

1. Lemaire ED, Goudreau L, Yakomovich T, Kofman J (2007) Hydraulic Articulating Joint. United States provisional patent application No. 60/952,365. July 27, 2007.
2. Yakomovich T, Lemaire ED, Kofman J (2006) Disengagable Articulating Joint. Canadian patent application No. 2,537,405, United States patent application No. 20060206043. February 22, 2006.
Most Recent Publications (provided by The Ottawa Hospital Library Database)

Kendell C;Lemaire ED;Dudek NL;Kofman J;, (2010 Feb 4), Indicators of dynamic stability in transtibial prosthesis users, Gait Posture, -> view abstract

Yakimovich T;Lemaire ED;Kofman J;, (2009), Engineering design review of stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthoses, J Rehabil Res Dev, Vol.46, Issue 2, 257-267 -> view abstract

Lemaire ED;Highsmith MJ;Kaphingst W;, (2009), Guest editorial: prosthetic and orthotic resources for communicating in a global village, J Rehabil Res Dev, Vol.46, Issue 7, xiii

Kendell C;Lemaire ED;, (2009), Effect of mobility devices on orientation sensors that contain magnetometers, J Rehabil Res Dev, Vol.46, Issue 7, 957-962 -> view abstract

Biswas A;Lemaire ED;Kofman J;, (2008 Apr 3), Dynamic gait stability index based on plantar pressures and fuzzy logic, J Biomech , Vol.41, Issue 7, 1574-1581 -> view abstract

Dudek NL;Khan OD;Lemaire ED;Marks MB;Saville L;, (2008), Ambulation monitoring of transtibial amputation subjects with patient activity monitor versus pedometer, J Rehabil Res Dev, Vol.45, Issue 4, 577-586 -> view abstract

Kayyali R;Alamri A;Eid M;Iglesias R;Shirmohammadi S;El SA;Lemaire E;, (2007), Occupational therapists' evaluation of haptic motor rehabilitation, Conference proceedings : Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society , 4763-4766

Yakimovich T;Kofman J;Lemaire ED;, (2006 Sep), Design and evaluation of a stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis knee joint, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol.14, Issue 3, 361-369 -> view abstract

Lemaire E;Necsulescu L;Greene G;, (2006 Nov 15), Service delivery trends for a physical rehabilitation outreach program, Disability & Rehabilitation, Vol.28, Issue 21, 1349-1359 -> view abstract

Lemaire ED;Deforge D;Marshall S;Curran D;, (2006 Mar), A secure web-based approach for accessing transitional health information for people with traumatic brain injury, Computer Methods & Programs in Biomedicine, Vol.81, Issue 3, 213-219 -> view abstract