Karl Zelik Profile picture
Nov 15 6 tweets 3 min read
Where do your research ideas originate from?

I used to source all of mine from academic literature & conferences, or from my own research.

But these can become echo chambers that limit thinking & creativity.

🔥 Here are 4 overlooked places to find impactful research problems:
1️⃣ Your own life

• This is why I started studying low back #biomechanics
• I was a parent to young kids & experiencing back pain
• I was curious if we could create more practical exoskeletons that'd fit into my own life

It started as an undergrad project then grew into more:
2️⃣ Spending time w/ users

• In academia we often talk about this
• But we tend to involve users too late in R&D
• And I'm not convinced we spend enough time doing it

Hearing pain points directly from #prosthetics users is what prompted the daily activities we now study:
3️⃣ Spending time w/ clinicians

• They see & know so much that we don't
• They have important applied research problems
• But you must spend enough time w/ them to understand the problems & constraints

Much of our wearables & running research came from convos w/ clinicians:
4️⃣ Industry-facing conferences

• This is honestly like a cheat code
• You get to learn about real contemporary problems
• Sometimes you discover emerging topics years before they're in the scientific literature

This is how we started studying thermal comfort of exoskeletons:
TL/DR

The scientific literature is great. But it isn't the only place to source research problems.

Explore these overlooked sources for inspiration:

1. Examining your own life
2. Spending time with users
3. Spending time with clinicians
4. Attending industry conferences

• • •

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More from @KarlZelik

Nov 16
I spend a lot of time thinking about & discussing the science of #exoskeletons.

3 years ago, the single most common question I heard was:

❓Do exoskeletons cause muscle atrophy?

Short answer: No.

But I don't hear this as often anymore.

I believe there are 2 reasons why👇🏽
1️⃣ Science Communication

• For a long time, exo engineers/scientists mostly spoke to each other

• But now a broader audience is interested in exo tech

• And more researchers/developers are engaging in public discourse

This is helping reduce exo myths & misconceptions 👏🏽 🎉
If you want a quick rundown on:

• what causes atrophy (muscle weakening/wasting)

• why exos are more likely to prevent atrophy than to induce it

Then check out this thread:
Read 7 tweets
Oct 15
Science is the foundation, but user feedback is the north star:

• to know what to prioritize
• to learn where to improve
• to remember why you sweat all the science details

This is a vital lesson for those doing applied research whose feedback is mostly from other scientists
The combination of #biomechanics science and user-centric design is beginning to have the real-world impact the occupational #exoskeleton field long hypothesized it would.

End-users explain this best:
“When you show you care about people, that retains people,” one warehouse worker who piloted a back exosuit said. “Everybody in here, we’re all sore. We’re all hurting. But for the first time in a long time I won’t be hurting walking out of this building [because of the exosuit]”
Read 4 tweets
Oct 14
Early career researchers often stress out when they talk to more senior faculty about how many grant proposals they submit.
 
Don't compare. Focus on your writing process. Outcomes will follow.
 
Here are 5 proven tricks senior faculty use to submit more high-quality proposals:🧵
1. Resubmitting

• Revise/resubmit an unfunded proposal
• This takes much less time than writing a new application

This is easier to do (and comes naturally) as you get further into your career.
2. Repurposing

• Take a similar core idea and apply it to a new population or context
• Or you can sometimes submit the same proposal to multiple agencies (check w/ program officers first; you just can't accept two grants for the same work)

This helps get more shots on goal.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 12
I wish I learned this tip earlier in my career:

👉🏽 If you do R&D on wearable or assistive tech, wear/use prototypes regularly in your daily life. It helps empathize with end users. And improves your ability to design and test for usability & practicality.

Here's why (brief 🧵)
1. It builds your intuition.

In retrospect, this tip seems obvious. But most researchers & developers don't do it. It took me >10 years of biomedical R&D to realize it. 

Once I did, it transformed how I evaluate and develop new #exoskeletons, #prosthetics, #bionics & #wearables
2. It provides clarity.

You'll notice design constraints you never knew existed. You'll think more deeply about user experience. And you'll create better lab and field evaluations more quickly.

It helps preempt fatal flaws before you start any serious design or testing work.
Read 4 tweets
Oct 10
💡 Tip for early career researchers: Sometimes you need to TELL, not ASK.

❌ Instead of asking your organization or boss: "How do I do X (procedure)"

✅ For truly important matters, tell them: "Y (goal) is what I'm striving to accomplish" or "Y is what I need to be successful."
PhD student example:

❌ "How do I find an industry internship?"

✅ "I really need to get some industry experience during graduate school to set me up for success in what I want to do next in my career."
PI example:

❌ "How do I get invited to participate on a grant review panel?"

✅ "It's really important for me to serve on a grant review panel soon to help me improve the competitiveness of my proposals."
Read 4 tweets
Oct 1
This week, I enjoyed visiting the vibrant, creative, & interdisciplinary researchers in @jointbme @CLEAR_NCSU_UNC.

I gave a seminar on lessons from translational #biomechanics R&D.

I shared 6 actionable tips to improve iterative, user-centric development in academic labs: 🧵
@jointbme @CLEAR_NCSU_UNC 1. Spend more time with users

• Get to know users deeply
• Don't focus conversations on your research/tech
• Give time for users to discuss their life & pain points

Use info to build user stories that complement technical requirements, & help prioritize studies or features
@jointbme @CLEAR_NCSU_UNC 2. Perform early user testing

• Most academics involve users too late
• People often feel they need a good prototype
• But this is a missed opportunity

There are lots of ways to test with and learn from users before you have a complete prototype or formal study protocol.
Read 8 tweets

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