New strategies to reduce injury risk and optimize worker performance are among the anticipated outcomes of a new partnership between a renowned ergonomics researcher at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Ontario and Coralville, Iowa-based Santos Human Inc. (SHI), a spin-off company of research conducted at the UI Center for Computer-Aided Design.

Dr. Nicholas La Delfa, a newly appointed Assistant Professor with the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences will collaborate with the Santos® Institute through its  Santos® University Program on several educational and research initiatives.

La Delfa will incorporate Santos® technologies into existing undergraduate Occupational Ergonomics and Clinical Biomechanics courses at the university and develop a senior-level Advanced Human Modelling and Proactive Ergonomics course. The senior course will employ Santos® technologies to showcase how human biomechanics, physiology and movement behavior can be represented mathematically.

The University of Ontario Institute of Technoloy is a leader in the use and implementation of industry-specific software solutions within curriculum to create technology-enriched learning environments.

Founded in 2008, SantosHuman Inc. (SHI) provides virtual human performance simulation solutions to some of the most recognizable global companies in the world.  Its technology is based on basic and applied research conducted at the University of Iowa Center for Computer-Aided Design's Virtual Soldier Research program. The company serves clients in industries spanning heavy construction, aerospace, automotive, lawn and garden, engineering, agriculture, consumer goods, and defense.