Dr Dimitar Stefanov


Dr Dimitar Stefanov
NameDr Dimitar Stefanov
Job titleAssociate Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Research institute
Primary appointmentDesign Engineering & Mathematics
Email addressd.stefanov@mdx.ac.uk
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2277-1610
Contact categoryAcademic staff

Biography

Biography

Dr. Dimitar Stefanov is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Middlesex University in London. In 1990, Dr. Dimitar Stefanov earned his PhD in biomechanics and biomedical engineering, followed by his habilitation in biomedical engineering and biomechanics, which led to his promotion to Associate Professor the following year. From January 1998 to March 1999, he was a Visiting Research Professor at the Industrial Research Organisation in Kobe, Japan, and from September 2000 to June 2003, he was a Visiting Professor at the College of Engineering of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejon, Korea. From July 2003 to May 2007, he worked as a principal clinical scientist with the Rehabilitation Engineering Department in Cardiff, United Kingdom. From 2007 to 2014, Dr. Stefanov was a principal lecturer at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. During this time, he was actively involved in the management and teaching of the rehabilitation engineering curriculum, as well as being the Chief Investigator of a substantial externally funded research project on wheelchair stability (WheelSAS). He has been an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Middlesex University in London since April 2015, and he actively contributes to the Biomedical Engineering course. 

Education and qualifications

BSc. & MSc. in industrial automation and automatic control
PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biomechanics
Habilitation* in biomedical engineering and biomechanics

Grants

Wheelchair Stability Assessment System (WheelSAS), Project No II-AR-0209-10099, National Institute for Health Research, Invention for innovation (i4i) Programme, (£600,000), Principal Investigator (May 2010 – May 2014)

Wheelchairs should provide safe and reliable functioning in various road conditions and situations, ease of propulsion, and high maneuverability. Often, wheelchairs need further modification and installation of additional equipment (ventilators, oxygen cylinders, etc) which affect their stability. Wheelchair stability is also dependent on a user’s body characteristics that can result in a shifting of the centre of mass e.g. limb amputations, and obesity, etc. Adaptation of the wheelchair requires additional assessment and wheelchair tuning by highly skilled rehabilitation engineers. In this project, we explored the design and initial testing of a novel wheelchair stability assessment system. The developed WheelSense system consists of a force platform that senses the weight distribution of the wheelchair, the centre of the contact points, and the distances between contact points of the wheels. The measurement platform is linked via WiFi connection to a portable tablet computer where the platform’s sensor signals are processed and the wheelchair stability parameters are calculated. An intuitive touchscreen GUI is used for visualization of the stability results and navigation through separate measurement modes. The mechanical platform was designed to be foldable and light-weighted and thus, to be easily transportable which gives additional advantages when the system is used outside of a clinical engineering department. The initial design was evaluated through four prototype systems installed for clinical testing in 3 large hospitals in the UK. The initial results indicated that the developed measurement system possesses high accuracy and ease of operation.

23 Apr 2010
WheelSAS, Project No II-AR-0209-10099
National Institute for Health Research, Invention for innovation (i4i) Programme, (£600,000)(May 2010 – May 2014)

Projects

  • Wheelchair Stability Assessment System (WheelSAS)

Prizes and Awards

Research outputs

Growing mycelium leather: a paste substrate approach with post-treatments

Crawford, A., Miller, S., Branco, S., Fletcher, J. and Stefanov, D. 2024. Growing mycelium leather: a paste substrate approach with post-treatments. Research Directions: Biotechnology Design. 2, p. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1017/btd.2024.6

Development of a wheelchair stability assessment system: design tools and approaches

Moody, L., Magee, P. and Stefanov, D. 2020. Development of a wheelchair stability assessment system: design tools and approaches. in: McDonagh, D., Moody, L., Woodcock, A., Jain, A. and Jain, L. (ed.) Design of Assistive Technology for Ageing Populations Springer.

A study on the relationship between robotic movement with animacy and visual attention of young children

Lee, J., Aoki, H., Stefanov, D., Yamamoto, T. and Obinata, G. 2016. A study on the relationship between robotic movement with animacy and visual attention of young children. 2016 25th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). New York, NY, USA 26 - 31 Aug 2016 IEEE. pp. 682-687 https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2016.7745192

Tongue interface based on surface EMG signals of suprahyoid muscles

Sasaki, M., Onishi, K., Stefanov, D., Kamata, K., Nakayama, A., Yoshikawa, M. and Obinata, G. 2016. Tongue interface based on surface EMG signals of suprahyoid muscles. Springer Open. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40648-016-0048-0

Shoulder joint contact force during lever-propelled wheelchair propulsion

Sasaki, M., Stefanov, D., Ota, Y., Miura, H. and Nakayama, A. 2015. Shoulder joint contact force during lever-propelled wheelchair propulsion. Robomech Journal. 2, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40648-015-0037-8

The development and testing of a system for wheelchair stability measurement

Stefanov, D., Avtanski, A., Shapcott, N., Magee, P., Dryer, P., Fielden, S., Heelis, M., Evans, J. and Moody, L. 2015. The development and testing of a system for wheelchair stability measurement. Medical Engineering and Physics. 37 (11), pp. 1061-1069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2015.08.013

Gait generation for powered Hip-Ankle-Linkage-Orthosis

Lee, J., Mizumoto, R., Obinata, G., Genda, E., Stefanov, D., Aoki, H. and Pei, Y. 2015. Gait generation for powered Hip-Ankle-Linkage-Orthosis. 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). Milan, Italy 25 - 29 Aug 2015 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). pp. 5732 -5735 https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319694

Establishing user needs for a stability assessment tool to guide wheelchair prescription

Moody, L., Evans, J., Fielden, S., Heelis, M., Dryer, P., Shapcott, N., Magee, P. and Stefanov, D. 2017. Establishing user needs for a stability assessment tool to guide wheelchair prescription. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 12 (1), pp. 47-55. https://doi.org/10.3109/17483107.2015.1063019

Tongue motor training support system

Sasaki, M., Onishi, K., Nakayama, A., Kamata, K., Stefanov, D. and Yamaguchi, M. 2014. Tongue motor training support system. Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE. Chicago 26 - 30 Aug 2014 pp. 3582-3585

Simulation model of a lever-propelled wheelchair

Sasaki, M., Ota, Y., Hase, K., Stefanov, D. and Yamaguchi, M. 2014. Simulation model of a lever-propelled wheelchair. 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC’14). Chicago, IL, USA 26 - 30 Aug 2014 pp. 6923-6926

An approach to measure wheelchair stability. concept and benefits

Stefanov, D. and Pasco, D. 2014. An approach to measure wheelchair stability. concept and benefits. 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC’14). Chicago, IL, USA pp. 5840-5843

Enhancement of the communication efficiency of interactive robots for autism therapy by using touch and colour feedback

Lee, J., Takehashi, H., Nagai, C. and Stefanov, D. 2014. Enhancement of the communication efficiency of interactive robots for autism therapy by using touch and colour feedback. Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robotics. 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.2478/pjbr-2014-0004

Device for wheelchair stability assessment

Stefanov, D. and Avtanski, A. 2014. Device for wheelchair stability assessment.

A novel system for wheelchair stability assessment : design and initial results

Stefanov, D., Avtanski, A., Shapcott, N., Magee, P., Dryer, P., Fielden, S., Heelis, M., Evans, J. and Moody, L. 2014. A novel system for wheelchair stability assessment : design and initial results. IEEE international symposium on medical measurements and applications (MeMeA 2014). ISCTE-IUL, the Lisbon University Institute 11 - 12 Jun 2014 pp. 429-433

The design and evaluation of a novel system for predicting wheelchair and occupant stability

Fielden, S. and Stefanov, D. 2014. The design and evaluation of a novel system for predicting wheelchair and occupant stability. 30th International Seating Symposium. The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, Canada 05 - 07 Mar 2014 pp. 150-153

Wheelchairs within the context of smart house design

Stefanov, D. 2008. Wheelchairs within the context of smart house design. in: Helal, A., Mokhtari, M. and Abdulrazak, B. (ed.) The Engineering Handbook on Smart Technology for Aging, Disability and Independence John Wiley & Sons. pp. 439-457

The smart home for older people and people with physical disabilities: structure, technology arrangements, and perspectives

Stefanov, D., Bien, Z. and Bang, W-C. 2004. The smart home for older people and people with physical disabilities: structure, technology arrangements, and perspectives. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. 12 (2), pp. 228-250. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2004.828423

A concept for control of indoor-operated autonomous wheelchair

Stefanov, D., Avtanski, A. and Bien, Z. 2004. A concept for control of indoor-operated autonomous wheelchair. in: Bien, Z. and Stefanov, D. (ed.) Advances in Rehabilitation Robotics: Human-friendly Technologies on Movement Assistance and Restoration for People with Disabilities Berlin Springer.

Advances in human-friendly robotic technologies for movement assistance/movement restoration for people with disabilities

Stefanov, D. and Bien, Z. 2004. Advances in human-friendly robotic technologies for movement assistance/movement restoration for people with disabilities. in: Bien, Z. and Stefanov, D. (ed.) Advances in Rehabilitation Robotics: Human-friendly Technologies on Movement Assistance and Restoration for People with Disabilities Berlin Springer.

Advances in rehabilitation robotics: human-friendly technologies on movement assistance and restoration for people with disabilities

Bien, Z. and Stefanov, D. (ed.) 2004. Advances in rehabilitation robotics: human-friendly technologies on movement assistance and restoration for people with disabilities. Berlin Springer.
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