Milos R. Popovic


Milos R. Popovic is a scientist specializing in Functional Electrical Stimulation and neurorehabilitation. As of 2018, he is the Director of the at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network. As of 2023, he is also the Director of the at the University of Toronto.

Education

Popovic received a Dipl. of Electrical Engineering from the University of Belgrade in his native Serbia in 1990. He then earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1996. His Ph.D. thesis was on Friction modelling and control, under supervision of Andrew Goldenberg.

Career

Academic work

In July 2001, Popovic established The at the Lyndhurst Centre of TRI. The laboratory supports multiple research groups, including the Popovic lab, under the supervision of 6 principal investigators. In 2004, he established the research team at TRI, which works on translation of rehabilitative research into advanced therapeutic tools. Popovic led this team until 2017. In 2017, in partnership with Dr. Taufik Valiante, he established the at UHN and UofT, which they jointly codirected until 2023. In 2018, Popovic was appointed TRI's Director of Research, which he rebranded into the KITE Research Institute in 2019. In 2021, he founded the platform and directed it until 2023. In 2023, Popovic was appointed the Director of the at UofT.

Functional electrical stimulation

Functional electrical stimulation uses bursts of short electrical pulses to generate muscle contraction. Application of these electrical pulses to motor nerves results in generation of an action potential along the axon of that nerve towards its targeted muscle. With electrodes placed on the skin over the muscle, individuals attempt to move their muscle by sending a signal with their brain to the muscle. The muscle is then stimulated by the system, causing a contraction which sends a signal from the muscle to the brain. Thus, a new neural pathway is formed, which improves recovery of voluntary movement.
Popovic has led studies investigating the use of FES in the rehabilitation of muscular function for stroke victims with extremely limited arm and hand mobility in comparison with conventional therapy. One of the best-known publications is "Rehabilitation of Reaching and Grasping Function in Severe Hemiplegic Patients Using Functional Electrical Stimulation Therapy", conducted in 2008. Electrical impulses to activate muscles were used in combination with verbal cues, and over the course of the treatment period, less FES was necessary to achieve the desired movements. Patients using FES in the study showed significant improvement in object manipulation, palmar grip torque, and pinch grip pulling force when compared to those using only conventional therapy.

Brain-machine interfaces

Popovic is involved in the development of various brain-machine interfaces for use in humans, using implantable electrocorticographic and surface electroencephalographic electrode. A neuroprosthesis study conducted using ECoG achieved high accuracy in producing intended grasp-and-release functionality in the hand. Real-time asynchronous control of a remote-controlled car was achieved using a single EEG electrode to eliminate restrictions related to information transfer rates. Work within this field tests the feasibility and functionality of using invasive and non-invasive physiological signals to improve implementation of FES as a rehabilitation method.

Compex Motion simulator

Popovic developed Compex Motion, a portable and programmable system used for transcutaneous FES, in collaboration with Swiss company Compex SA. The stimulator can be programmed to generate a variety of stimulation sequences, can be connected to other systems to increase channel capabilities, and can be controlled externally. The device can be used in the development of neuroprostheses, and muscle exercise systems. This work provided the foundation for the use of FES in SCI rehabilitation.

Industry

In 2008, Popovic co-founded medical technology company based on the FES system that has been a focus of his research. The firm develops, a transcutaneous FES therapy to improve function and maximize independence for patients with stroke- and spinal-cord injury-related paralysis.

Professional activities

In 2004, he was a co-founder of the and acted as a co-chair for their annual event until 2017. As part of his work with iDAPT, he contributed to the Spinal Cord Injury: A Manifesto for Change. In 2023, Popovic founded the .

Honours and awards

National level awards are listed below:

Notable publications

*