Welcome to the Intelligent Assistive Technology and Systems Lab (IATSL), located in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. We are a multi-disciplinary group of researchers with backgrounds in engineering, computer science, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and gerontology.
Our goal is to develop zero-effort technologies that are adaptive, flexible, and intelligent, to enable users to participate fully in their daily lives. Learn more about our research!
IATSL's hiring!
November 6, 2009
IATSL is looking to hire a Postdoctoral Fellow to aid in the development of intelligent assistive technology for autistic children. Read job posting...
Aging-in-place Projects in the News
October 20, 2009
IATSL's making headlines again! The automated emergency response system, anti-collision wheelchair, and haptic stroke rehabilitation device were recently covered by CP24 and Global TV.
COACH Paper in the Top 10 Most Accessed
October 12, 2009
The article "The COACH prompting system to assist older adults with dementia through handwashing: An efficacy study" published in BMC Geriatrics is among the top 10 most viewed articles this year!
IATSL's Vicky Young Recipient of Engineering Scholarship
August , 2009
Congratulations to Vicky Young, recipient of the Engineers Canada - TD Insurance Meloche Monnex and the HCTP fellowship scholarships! The award recognises "...excellence in the Canadian engineering profession and to support advanced studies and research" for her work with automated speech recognition for older adults.
Dr. Alex Mihailidis, Associate Professor!
July 1, 2009
A big and well-deserved congratulations to Alex for becoming a fully tenured Professor at the University of Toronto!
Research on Automated Stair Safety Analysis Tool Presented at ICVSS
July, 2009
IATSL's research on the automated falls detection system was well received at the third International Computer Vision Summer School (ICVSS).
Poster presented at ICVSS - click to enlarge
Fall Detection System Patented
May, 2009
IATSL's first patent has been filed for the fall detection and emergency response system.
IATSL Recipient of CIHR
February 2, 2009
IATSL has just become the recipient of a CIHR Operating Grant. The funds will be used to move the COACH system out of the lab and into a real home environment. We will be examining the impact of the system on informal caregivers as well as its performance regarding guidance of people with dementia through activities of daily living.
Featured Article
January 29, 2009
The efficacy of the COACH prompting system to assist older adults with dementia through activities of daily living: An intervention study makes front page as a featured article in the current edition of BMC Geriatrics!
Innovative IATSL!
September 2, 2008
IATSL's research was the topic of the first article in the Toronto Star's special series on "Innovators".
Familiarity study well received at ICAD
August 8, 2008
The preliminary results of IATSL's RERC study examining the impact of familiarity on faucet use by older adults with different degrees of dementia (none, mild and moderate) was presented to the ICAD conference. The second half of this study, which includes older adults with severe dementia, is currently underway.




