Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Assistive technologies for gait & posture
  • Gait biomechanics
  • Biomedical engineering - sensor technologies in healthcare
  • Machine Learning for biomedical data analysis

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Rezaul Begg

Professor Begg is Chair in Assistive Technologies within the Program in Assistive Technology Innovation (PATI), a research and development collaboration between Victoria University, Defence Science Technology (DST) Group and The University of Melbourne. Prior to commencing at Victoria University, he held appointments at Deakin University, the University of Aberdeen (UK) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

At Victoria University he leads a multidisciplinary “Gait and Intelligent Technologies” research group, comprising 8 PhD students and 3 postdoctoral research fellows. This group’s focus is technologies with application to both unimpaired and pathological gait. He uses a combination of engineering and biomedical principles to understand and diagnose locomotion-related deficits, and to provide intelligent technology solutions to improving walking efficiency and safety, and minimising injuries during manual handling tasks. Techniques have been developed to improve walking, mitigate injury risk and reduce balance-loss across a range of populations. Projects include: sensor technology and biofeedback applications to gait diagnosis and remediation; interventions to improve gait in older adults and patients with stroke or diabetic neuropathy; machine leaning and predictive biomechanics; wearable intelligent assistive devices and exoskeletons for enhancing physical and physiological performance.

Professor Begg has published one research monograph, 4 edited books and over 300 refereed papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings. His research support has included 6 Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, a University-Hospital multicentre National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded project, 2 Australian Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group grants and the Victorian Government’s 2022 international partnership (Veski) programme award. His research has a primary focus on knowledge transfer and commercial translation, including collaborations with Australian (Intertile Pty Ltd, Global Safe Australia, Cobalt Pty Ltd) and international companies; ASICS Oceania, CaiTac and CYBERDYNE (Japan). Patents are held for gait-related devices, including force-absorbing corrective insoles (International Patent no: 1032309) and a real-time biofeedback system for treadmill-based gait rehabilitation (US Patent no: 20170360333).

Professor Begg is Associate Editor of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology  and an editorial board member of the Journal of Biomechanics and Sensors. He is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the ISB and ANZSB. He has received the ICISIP Best Paper award, the Victoria University Vice Chancellor’s citation award for Excellence in Research, a Gold Medal from BUET and Chancellor’s Prize from Bangladesh Government for Academic Excellence.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Aberdeen
  • MSc in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
  • BSc in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Key publications

Year Citation
2019 Zaroug, A., Proud, J. K., Lai, D. TH., Mudie, K., Billing, D., & Begg, R. (190101). Overview of computational intelligence (CI) techniques for powered exoskeletons (pp. 353-383).

doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-57277-1_15

Year Citation
2019 Begg, R., Galea, M. P., James, L., Sparrow, W. AT., Levinger, P., Khan, F., & Said, C. M. (190531). Real-time foot clearance biofeedback to assist gait rehabilitation following stroke: A randomized controlled trial protocol. Trials, 20(1),

doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3404-6

2018 Mudie, K. L., Boynton, A. C., Karakolis, T., O'Donovan, M. P., Kanagaki, G. B., Crowell, H. P., Begg, R. K., LaFiandra, M. E., & Billing, D. C. (181101). Consensus paper on testing and evaluation of military exoskeletons for the dismounted combatant. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(11), (1154-1161).

doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.05.016

2017 Santhiranayagam, B. K., Sparrow, W. A., Lai, D. TH., & Begg, R. K. (170301). Non-MTC gait cycles: An adaptive toe trajectory control strategy in older adults. Gait and Posture, 53 (73-79).

doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.11.044

2016 Khandoker, A. H., Sparrow, W. A., & Begg, R. K. (161101). Tone entropy analysis of augmented information effects on toe-ground clearance when walking. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 24(11), (1218-1224).

doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2016.2538294

2016 Ewing, K. A., Begg, R. K., Galea, M. P., & Lee, P. VS. (160701). Effects of Prophylactic Knee Bracing on Lower Limb Kinematics, Kinetics, and Energetics during Double-Leg Drop Landing at 2 Heights. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(7), (1753-1761).

doi: 10.1177/0363546516637178

2015 Santhiranayagam, B. K., Lai, D. TH., Sparrow, W. A., & Begg, R. K. (151216). A machine learning approach to estimate Minimum Toe Clearance using Inertial Measurement Units. Journal of Biomechanics, 48(16), (4309-4316).

doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.10.040

2015 Santhiranayagam, B. K., Lai, D. TH., Sparrow, W. A., & Begg, R. K. (150712). Minimum toe clearance events in divided attention treadmill walking in older and young adults: A cross-sectional study. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 12(1),

doi: 10.1186/s12984-015-0052-2

2014 Begg, R. K., Tirosh, O., Said, C. M., Sparrow, W. A., Steinberg, N., Levinger, P., & Galea, M. P. (140508). Gait training with real-time augmented toe-ground clearance information decreases tripping risk in older adults and a person with chronic stroke. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8(MAY),

doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00243

2013 Tirosh, O., Cambell, A., Begg, R. K., & Sparrow, W. A. (130101). Biofeedback training effects on minimum toe clearance variability during treadmill walking. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 41(8), (1661-1669).

doi: 10.1007/s10439-012-0673-6

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

Predictive Biomechanics for Modelling Gait Stability and Falls Prediction
From: Australian Research Council - Discovery Project
Other investigators: Mr Alessandro Garofolini
For period: 2024-2026
$662,267

A Victoria University Assistive Technologies Research Partnership with CyberDyne: Optimal Control of Rehabilitation Exoskeletons
From: VESKI Study Melbourne Research Partnerships
For period: 2021-2022
$185,000

An Autonomously Controlled Ankle Exoskeleton for Gait Rehabilitation
From: Australian Research Council - Discovery Project, Victoria University, The University of Melbourne
Other investigators: Aspr Tze huei Lai
For period: 2020-2023
$705,051
HDR Scholarship Project: Exoskeleton to reduce injury risk factors during military manual handling project
From: Defence Science Institute
For period: 2020-2020
Not disclosed

HPRnet - Augmenting the Military Operational Lifecycle: Wearable Assistive Technologies to Enhance Performance and Mitigate Injury
From: Defence Science and Technology Group, Australia
Other investigators: Aspr Tze huei Lai, Prof David Bishop
For period: 2019-2024
Not disclosed
PATI 2: Wearable Assistive Technologies - DSP Scholarship
From: Victoria University, Defence Science Institute
Other investigators: Aspr Tze huei Lai, Prof David Bishop
For period: 2019-2022
$101,826
Machine Learning for Improved Spine Exoskeleton Control
From: The University of Melbourne, Victoria University
Other investigators: Aspr Tze huei Lai
For period: 2019-2020
$54,600

Biomechanical Analysis of Athletics Performance
From: Victorian Institute of Sport, ISEAL
For period: 2018-2028
Not disclosed

Physiological and psychophysiological responses to assisted locomotion during load carriage.
From: ISEAL, Defence Science and Technology Group, Australia
Other investigators: Prof David Bishop, Ms Jasmine Proud
For period: 2017-2021
Not disclosed

Can Real-time Biofeedback of Foot Clearance Data be used to Assist with Gait Rehabilitation following Stroke?
From: NHMRC - Projects
Other investigators: Aspr Pazit Levinger, Dr Charles Lawoko, Dr William (tony) Sparrow
For period: 2016-2020
$587,143

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
6 PhD Principal supervisor
1 PhD Integrated Principal supervisor
1 Master of Research Principal supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (6) Principal supervisor
PhD Integrated (1) Principal supervisor
Master of Research (1) Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
10 PhD Principal supervisor
4 PhD Associate supervisor
5 Masters by Research Principal supervisor
1 Masters by Research Associate supervisor
1 Master of Research Associate supervisor
1 Master of Research Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (10) Principal supervisor
PhD (4) Associate supervisor
Masters by Research (5) Principal supervisor
Masters by Research (1) Associate supervisor
Master of Research (1) Associate supervisor
Master of Research (1) Principal supervisor

Professional memberships

  • Chair, Physical Assistive Technologies Innovation