Iowa State is now home to North America’s first augmented human lab, where researchers can develop studies to make the human life easier.

ATHENA is an acronym for “Augmentation and Training of Humans with Engineering in North America.”

Before the lab was named ATHENA, it was a small lab created by Richard Stone, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and co-founder of the ATHENA Lab. It was called The Human Performance and Cognitive Engineering Lab.

The ATHENA Lab was officially named in November 2015 after Stone and Tom Schnieders, graduate student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and co-founder of the ATHENA Lab, decided to take the smaller existing lab on campus and make it into something much larger.

Schnieders and Stone reached out to the founder and director of the Augmented Human International Conferences Series and asked what it took to become an officially recognized lab.

“We did a rebranding,” Schnieders said. “We looked at what we already do [and] what else can we do. [Then], we created our website, we created our logo and our namesake.”

Schnieders and Stone then reached out to the director again, presenting their requirements and the identity of their lab. They were rewarded when the ATHENA Lab was “officially recognized as the first augmented human lab in the United States,” Schnieders said.

“The ATHENA Lab focuses on bio-mechanical, biomedical and cognitive engineering,” Stone said. “[We have] a very strong focus on the development of technologies, tools and techniques that augment human capability and make work … more effective and safer… and in many cases, more enjoyable”

The lab conducts mostly its own projects developed by students, but will also collaborate with international partners.

Many different areas of study can be found in this lab, including biomechanics, biomedical, ergonomics, mechanical engineering and materials engineering.

“We want to be able to learn from another,” Stone said. “Some of us have stronger techniques in electronics and some of us have stronger techniques in fabrications. If you’re leaning toward a build, it’s good to be able to bring those together and have cross-training.”

The projects in the lab range from perfecting how humans interact to how humans learn to do tasks.

Ahmad Mumani, doctoral student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, is currently working on the interaction between humans and packaging, like a package you find in a store.

“A balance should exist between the package and the person,” Mumani said. “[We’re] trying to optimize this interaction so that people will be satisfied with the package, and at the same time, the package will perform well.”

While Mumani is working with how humans interact with packaging, another student, Leela Rajana, graduate student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, is looking into modifying tools so humans can help other humans.

Rajana’s area of research focuses on suturing, the practice of using a medical device to hold someone’s skin together after an injury or surgery, which is also known as giving someone stitches.

“I’m trying to modify the tools [for suturing] and make a learning guide [to train] for suturing,” Rajana said. “Suturing itself has a lot of aspects to it. You’ve got to tie the knot … you got to see that the tissue doesn’t tear … usually people train for a lot of time before they can actually suture.”

Rajana tests her new tool modifications and her training guide on students who have no experience with suturing.

“[I] look at how quickly they can learn … or if they have any difficulties in learning,” Rajana said. “I’m testing my guide to see if that is helping them or hindering them.”

Both students had good things to say about the atmosphere of the lab, stating that there is always someone there to help them if they need it. Mumani even described the people working in the lab as “a family.”

Because the lab is new, all members have their visions of the lab’s future.

“I really like the diversity of the projects we have,” Stone said. “I’d like to see that grow even more. Not just of ideas, but in the mission.”

The lab is located in Black Engineering 0066. The lab hopes to get more students involved. Student who want to conduct their own research to make humans better can contact the ATHENA Lab.