Donald R. Peterson, Ph.D., M.S., FAIMBE

Title: Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Office Location: EB 321B
Office Phone: 815-753-2256
Email: drpeterson@niu.edu

Education

  • B.S. in Biomechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1992)
  • B.S. in Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1992)
  • M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut (1995)
  • Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut (1995)

Other Appointments

  • Joint Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
  • Chair, ASTM International Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits
  • U.S. Delegate, ISO/TC 108/SC4 on Human Exposure to Mechanical Vibration and Shock

Research Interests

Donald Peterson has over 25 years of experience in biomechanical engineering and medical research, which has been focused on measuring and modeling injury biomechanics and human, organ, and/or cell performance, including exposures to various physical stimuli and the subsequent biological responses. His research has involved the investigation of injury mechanisms and human–device interaction and has led to the generation of new technologies and systems, such as personal protection technologies, occupational exoskeleton systems, robotic assist devices for hemiplegic rehabilitation, long-duration biosensor monitoring and reporting systems, novel surgical and dental devices and instruments, smart medical devices for home patient care, and biotechnology systems.

Some of Peterson's research has been focused on hand-arm vibration exposures from tool use and he serves as a U.S. delegate on the International Standards Organization Technical Committee (ISO/TC) 108/SC4 on Human Exposure to Mechanical Vibration and Shock.

Based on his research and development work on exoskeleton technologies, he is currently serving as the chair of the ASTM Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits.

Peterson has published over 120 peer-reviewed scholarly works and is the editor-in-chief for "The Biomedical Engineering Handbook," published by CRC Press.

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

  • DeLeon-Nwaha T, Peterson DR, "Gender Differences in Upper-extremity Movement During a Touch Screen Task," Human Factors (in review).
  • Lowe BD, Billotte WG, Peterson DR, "ASTM F48 Formation and Standards for Industrial Exoskeletons and Exosuits," IIE Trans on Occup Ergo and Human Fact, 2019;7.
  • DeLeon-Nwaha T, Peterson DR, "Changes in standing posture and body weight resulting from upper extremity momentum during the execution of touchscreen tasks," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, Atlanta, GA, 2018.
  • Kudernatsch S, Peterson DR, "Biomechanical Testing of an Upper-Extremity Occupational Exoskeleton-Preliminary Report on Methodologies and Pilot Data," Proc Human Factors and Ergo Soc Ann Meeting, 2018;62(1):2013-2017.
  • Peterson DR, Kudernatsch S, Asaki T, "Human-Centered Exoskeleton: Upper Extremity Strength Augmentation in Occupational Settings," Proc WM Symposia Journal, Phoenix, Arizona, 2017.
  • DeLeon-Nwaha T, Peterson DR, "A Kinematic Approach to Understanding Performance in Upper-Extremity Function during a Goal-Directed Man–Machine Interface Task in a Submariner Environment," Crit Rev in Biomed Eng, 2016;44(4):255-268.
  • DeLeon-Nwaha T, Peterson DR, "A Kinematic Approach to Understanding Gender Differences in Upper Extremity Function During a Man-Machine Interface Task in a Submariner Environment," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 2016
  • Strange K, Sparks C, Kudernatsch S, Asaki T, Peterson DR, "Electroencephalograph-based interface to control portable robotic exoskeleton for neuromuscular rehabilitation," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, Tampa, FL, 2015.
  • Dong RG, Welcome DE, Peterson DR, Hewitt S, Xu S, McDowell TW, Warren C, Asaki T, Kudernatsch S, Brammer AJ, Cheriack MG, "Tool-specific effectiveness of vibration-reducing gloves for attenuating palm-transmitted vibration," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Dong RG, Welcome DE, Peterson DR, Xu XS, McDowell TW, Warren C, Asaki T, Kudernatsch S, Brammer AJ, "Tool-specific performance of vibration-reducing gloves for attenuating palm-transmitted vibrations in three orthogonal directions," Intl J Ind Ergon, 2014;44(6):827-839.
  • Kudernatsch S, Asaki T, Peterson DR, "Transmissibility of ISO 10819 palm adapters made from conventional and 3D printed materials," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Peterson DR, Asaki T, Kudernatsch S, Brammer AJ, Cherniack MG, "Incorporating a finger adapter into ISO 10819 assessments to measure the vibration transmissibility of gloves at the fingers," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Kudernatsch S, Asaki T, Peterson DR, "Design of a hand-mounted palm and finger adapter system to measure palm and finger forces and vibration exposures," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Kudernatsch S, Asaki T, Peterson DR, "Wearable biomechanical sensor system for vibration exposure and grip force measurements," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 2014.
  • DeLeon-Nwaha T, Peterson DR, "Modeling influence of whole-body vibration on upper extremity neuromuscular performance during space vehicle launch," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 2014.
  • Asaki T, Kudernatsch S, Peterson DR, "Preventing hand-arm vibration injuries by selecting gloves based on tool-specific vibrations," Proc Biomed Eng Soc Ann Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 2014.
  • Asaki T, Peterson DR, "Selecting tool-specific vibration-reducing gloves using ISO 5349 and ISO 10819 measurements," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Peterson DR, Asaki T, "Measuring the vibration transmissibility of gloves using different excitation conditions," Proc 5th Am Conf on Human Vibration, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 2014.
  • Asaki T, Peterson DR, "ISO 5349 and 10819 Evaluation of Repetitive Shocks: the Case for Riveting and Bucking Bar Vibration Exposure," Proc of 21st Japan Conf on Human Response to Vibration, Tokyo, Japan, 2013.

Selected Books and Book Chapters

  • Bronzino JD, Peterson DR, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, 4th Edition (4 Volume Set), CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL, 2015, set includes: Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals, Volume I (1,180 pages); Medical Devices and Human Engineering, Volume II (891 pages); Biomedical Signals, Imaging, and Informatics, Volume III (1,468 pages); Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering, Volume IV (1,891 pages)
  • Peterson DR, "Biomechanics," 20-Chapter Section in The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Joseph D. Bronzino, Donald R. Peterson, Editors, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL, 4th Edition, 2015
  • Peterson DR, "Human Performance Engineering," 12-Chapter Section in The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Joseph D. Bronzino, Donald R. Peterson, Editors, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL, 4th Edition, 2015
  • Peterson DR, "Artificial Organs," 7-Chapter Section in The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Joseph D. Bronzino, Donald R. Peterson, Editors, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL 4th Edition, 2015
  • Peterson DR, Bronzino JD, Biomechanics: Principles and Practices, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL, 2015
  • Schreiner S, Bronzino JD, Peterson DR, Medical Instruments and Devices: Principles and Practices, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL, 2015
  • Peterson DR, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, 5th Edition, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, FL (in progress - 2021)

Contact Us

College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Engineering Building
590 Garden Rd, DeKalb, IL
815-753-2256
ceet@niu.edu
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