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About

Martin Burns is a leading researcher in rehabilitative robotics and human motor control, whose work centers on developing intuitive, soft robotic systems for restoring hand function. His primary research areas include kinematic synergies, myoelectric control, and soft exoskeleton design for assistive and rehabilitative applications. Burns’s major contribution is the creation of the Hand Exoskeleton with Embedded Synergies (HEXOES), a lightweight, soft glove-based robotic system that leverages low-dimensional synergy representations to simplify control. His most-cited paper, “Myoelectric Control of a Soft Hand Exoskeleton Using Kinematic Synergies” (2019, 74 citations), demonstrates how myoelectric signals can be mapped to synergy-based movements, enabling natural control for individuals with hand paresis. In earlier foundational work, he showed that linear and nonlinear kinematic synergies can effectively replicate complex activities of daily living, as seen in his studies on bilateral reaching (30 citations) and grasping (23 citations). Burns’s synergy-driven approach reduces the complexity of high-degree-of-freedom hand devices, making them more user-friendly and accessible. His designs have significant implications for stroke rehabilitation and assistive technology, bridging the gap between robotic precision and human-like dexterity.