IPENZ Networking Evening - 5 Sep 2012 5:30 pm

Marcus King

Marcus King is a research engineer at Industrial Research Ltd. His recent research and development in the field of assistive technologies focuses on the use of information technologies during rehabilitation following neurological injury or disease. A major aim of his world-leading research is to create technologies that improve the quality of life of this group and reduce the costs of healthcare.

Through an ongoing collaborative research programme that has evolved to consider different types of disability, a suite of three stroke-rehabilitation devices has been created, patented and licensed to a commercial company. These devices allow people with varying levels of impairment to carry out upper limb exercises using computer games designed to provide a structured home-based rehabilitation programme. The computer monitors progress and allows remote adjustment of settings. Strokes affect many millions of people annually, so the potential to provide health and wellbeing benefits for these sufferers is substantial.

Marcus’s other patents include the Able-X bilateral exerciser, with virtual rehabilitation; the Giant Mouse gravity supported exerciser; the BUiLT bilateral upper limb exerciser; the wrist-driven grip orthosis, which restores pinch grip capacity without invasive surgery; and the hand held dynamometer for measuring strength and range of motion during rehabilitation.

Marcus has been awarded the Rutherford Bronze Medal for Science and Technology and the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Cooper Medal for research in physics and engineering. The breadth and applicability of his innovations are commendable.