Adam Parker's journey from a struggling student to a groundbreaking researcher redefines AI-driven prosthetics. His work at the University of Alberta's BLINC Lab focuses on creating prosthetics that adapt and collaborate with users rather than mimic human actions. By integrating real-time feedback and learning, Parker's innovations transform prosthetic limbs into responsive, human-aligned partners.
Adam Parker (Image Source: University of Alberta)
Innovator Revolutionizes Human-Machine Collaboration: Adam Parker was only sometimes the kind of student you'd expect to earn a PhD. As a child, he cared more about playing video games and hanging out with friends than academics. "I mostly couldn't be bothered with academics," Parker recalls. "I just wanted to play." The school was just something to get through with the bare minimum effort.
Fast forward a few decades, and Parker is about to receive his PhD in rehabilitation science from the University of Alberta, marking the culmination of an 11-year journey in cutting-edge research on bionic limbs. His groundbreaking work reimagines how artificial intelligence (AI) and prosthetics interact, moving beyond tools to create genuine partnerships between humans and machines.
Growing up near Calgary, Parker's favorite game as a teen was Shadowrun, a tabletop fantasy role-playing game set in a dystopian future. The game's themes of technology, bionic limbs, and battling evil corporations unknowingly foreshadowed the direction his future career would take. But his path to becoming a researcher was simple.
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After high school, Parker took a gap year and later enrolled in an aircraft maintenance program at SAIT. He worked for WestJet repairing airplanes for a time but decided to pivot to academics, enrolling at the University of Calgary. However, his poor grades led to him being asked to leave.
Not one to give up, Parker returned to school for upgrading and enrolled in the Electronics Engineering Technology program at NAIT. This time, something clicked. He excelled, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA and eventually transferring to the University of Alberta to complete his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering in 2017.
During his time at the University of Alberta, Parker stumbled upon the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control (BLINC) Lab, led by medicine professor Patrick Pilarski. Parker found that the attacker discovered his calling at an event organized by the university's Undergraduate Research Initiative, which connects students with research opportunities.
Pilarski's research in intelligent prosthetics perfectly matched Parker's growing passion for combining technology with human experience. Rather than proposing his project, Parker approached Pilarski from a different angle. "What you do is cool," he told Pilarski. “Here's my background. Do you have a use for me?”
This moment marked the beginning of an 11-year collaboration, with Parker working on projects that would eventually reshape how the world sees AI-powered prosthetics.
Traditionally, prosthetic limbs equipped with AI have been designed to mimic human actions as closely as possible. However, Parker's research takes a different approach. He is more interested in making AI an active collaborator with its human user rather than simply a tool.
"Adam has changed my thinking — and that of our international community — about how intelligent machines can be better partners and collaborators," says Pilarski, a Canada CIFAR Artificial Intelligence Chair and an Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) fellow.
Parker's central experiment explored how prosthetic limbs can provide real-time feedback to users. He tested two groups of non-disabled participants using a prosthetic arm simulator. The task? Move a flexible plastic cup without crushing it. The arm, powered by electric motors, was controlled via electrodes attached to the participant's forearm muscles.
For the first round, participants relied solely on their senses — sight and sound — to complete the task, much like current prosthetics. Then, the two groups were given different feedback from the prosthetic arm.
The first group used a prosthetic programmed to beep when excessive force was enough to crush the cup. The second group worked with a prosthetic guided by a prediction learning algorithm. This arm didn't know how much force would crush the cup initially, but it learned from experience. After one failure, the arm warned users before applying too much force.
The results were mixed. While the direct-feedback arm performed better overall, participants preferred the predictive arm. "They focused on its growth, the fact that it was improving," Parker explains. “They were more invested in the system, and their perception was more positive because they were seeing this system start to improve.”
Parker believes that the future of AI-powered prosthetics lies in making devices more responsive to human needs. Instead of passive tools, prosthetics can become active partners that adapt and grow with their users.
This partnership could involve more than just beeping sounds. Parker hopes to explore whether prosthetics can provide feedback through body language, like becoming more challenging to move when danger is ahead. Humans naturally use non-verbal cues when working together, and incorporating them into prosthetics could further bridge the gap between humans and machines.
"My goal is not to make AI function like a human," says Parker. “I prefer making them better at interacting with humans rather than imitating humans.”
At 40 years old, Parker's journey to earning a PhD was far from conventional. After excelling at NAIT and transferring to the University of Alberta, he went directly from his undergraduate degree into a PhD program in rehabilitation science.
Pilarski credits Parker's unique background and perseverance for his success. "I would not have had the privilege of working with Adam for more than a decade without early support from the Undergraduate Research Initiative," he says. “The U of A's sustained enthusiasm for early-career researchers has made it possible for scholars like Adam to grow their careers and global societal impact.”
Parker's work has already gained international recognition for its innovative approach. "Thanks to Adam's research, the fields of rehabilitation medicine and assistive technology have been able to appreciate how machine learning might impact the continually evolving relationship between humans and machines," Pilarski adds.
In addition to his research, Parker has been active in sharing his work with the broader community. He's participated in events like Nerd Nite and Dark Matters at the Telus World of Science, where he demonstrates the potential of AI and robotics. A personal highlight was playing guitar with a bionic arm at an Amii event during the Junos in 2023.
For Parker, the creativity he discovered in childhood continues to fuel his work today. "Even now, I describe what I do as playing," he says. “I get to play with robots to try and get them to move.”
As Parker prepares to receive his PhD during the University of Alberta's fall conference, he is already thinking about the future. He is continuing his research as a postdoctoral fellow in computing science, working with Professor Matt Taylor. While unsure if he will remain in academia or transition to an AI consultancy role, Parker is committed to exploring how AI can help people overcome medical challenges.
Whatever path he takes, Parker's work will undoubtedly shape the future of human-machine collaboration. "Adam can change how humans relate to the next generation of artificial intelligence technologies," says Pilarski. “His skills, perspectives, and experience will set the stage for a new era of human-aligned intelligent agents that amplify the best human and machine capabilities.”
Numerous organizations supported Parker's research, including the Undergraduate Research Initiative, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Alberta Innovates, the SMART Network, Amii, and the Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program. As someone diagnosed with a learning disability, Parker also received funding accommodations to help him succeed.
From a teenager obsessed with Shadowrun to a PhD researcher revolutionizing prosthetics, Parker's story is a testament to the power of perseverance, curiosity, and creativity. And while his journey may have started with video games, it's clear that his work is making a real-world impact—one bionic limb at a time. Keep reading at Education Post News for updates around the globe.
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