Rate My Professor Richard Weir

Weir's research interests center on prosthetic hands and arms, developing technologies for natural control, multi-degree-of-freedom actuation, and sensory feedback. Innovations from his lab include implantable myoelectric sensors (IMES) for intramuscular EMG recording, enabling advanced prosthesis control following human implantation; optogenetic interfaces for optical read-out and modulation of peripheral nerve activity; and 3D-printed prosthetic fingers commercialized through Point Designs, LLC, which he co-founded. Key publications include "Mechanical design and performance specifications of anthropomorphic prosthetic hands: A review" (2013), "Implantable myoelectric sensors (IMESs) for intramuscular electromyogram recording" (2009), "The optimal controller delay for myoelectric prostheses" (2007), "Design and validation of a morphing myoelectric hand posture controller based on principal component analysis of human grasping" (2014), "Optical read-out of neural activity in mammalian peripheral axons: Calcium signaling at nodes of Ranvier" (2017), and "Toward higher-performance bionic limbs for wider clinical use" (2023). His work, funded by VA, NIH, and DARPA, impacts amputee rehabilitation, neural engineering, and implantable devices.