Robin Lienkämper, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Rehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs (RNEL). He received his PhD of Neuroscience from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, where he worked in the Lab of Prof. Christian Klaes. His doctoral studies were focused on the effects of robot arm positioning and somatosensory feedback in invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) studies using state of the art virtual reality devices. Additionally, Dr. Lienkämper worked on computational models that describe the underlying neural mechanics of tactile two-point discrimination and can simulate the effects of training and stimulation on tactile accuracy. His current work focuses on bringing BCI experiments into virtual reality environments, thereby opening up all new opportunities for BCI study design.
Research Interest Summary
Brain-Computer Interfaces, Virtual Reality, Somatosensory processing, Neurorehabilitation, Neural Engineering, Neuroprosthetics
Research Interests
My research interests are the development of Brain-Computer Interfaces, particularly the restoration of somatosensory capabilities and its effects on complex movements. Invasive Brain-Computer interface research is a fascinating bridge between basic science and application: On the one hand, scientists gain insights into the human brain with previously unseen precision and can use this data to increase our understanding of the brain and its inner workings. On the other hand, the continuous improvements to BCIs promise great improvements to the quality of life of severely paralyzed patients in the future. My interest in both of these aspects make the development of BCIs my primary research goal.