Author: Chad Rose

WeBR Lab Back-to-Back Representation at the American Society of Safety Professionals

The American Society of Safety Professionals held its first annual convention at Auburn University, bringing together key themes such as human systems integration and occupational safety. With its broad focus on human-centered robotics, the WeBR Lab was well-positioned to contribute and showcase its work.

The dynamic duo Carlos E. Campos Vargas and Mason Mathias participated in the Student Research Poster Competition, earning recognition in special categories:

  • Applied Safety Innovation Award – Carlos E. Campos Vargas
  • Best Visual Communication Award – Mason Mathias

The convention also fostered meaningful discussions around collaboration and partnerships, compliance and human systems integration, noise attenuation in the workplace, and advancements in motion capture analysis technologies.

We look forward to future iterations of this growing event.

2026 Graduate Engineering Research Showcase (GERS)

The team once again participated in one of Auburn’s most anticipated and well-attended research showcases. The WeBR Lab was proudly represented by:

Carlos E. Campos Vargas

Compliant Structures for shock mitigation in wearable exosuits

Zachary Miller

Multi-DOF Haptic Device for Assessment of Movements Disorders using Archimedes Spirals

Mason Mathias

Diverse Approaches toward Advancing Human Robot interaction

Their hours of dedication were evident in both their posters and presentations, showcasing innovative work in human–robot interaction, injuries preventions and rehabilitation assessment.

We’re proud of the team’s continued effort and presence at this outstanding event.

Congratulations to all presenters!

WeBR Lab on 2026 Auburn Research Symposium

Joshua Medler represented the WeBR Lab with research titled “Vibration Stimulation for Neuropathy” at the annual Auburn University Research Symposium. Building upon ongoing work within the lab, this research explores the use of haptic-based stimulation in wearable robotic devices to help address Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy by mitigating nerve damage and improving patient outcomes.

We’re proud to see this work continue to evolve and contribute to the advancement of human-centered solutions in healthcare and rehabilitation. Congratulations to Joshua on a strong presentation!

Rhet Hailey, a Few Steps Away from the Dream

Talking about New Year’s resolutions? Rhet is the kind of person who actually completes them.

Our distinguished PhD student colleague has officially advanced to doctoral candidacy after successfully presenting his dissertation proposal titled “Evaluating active assessment and learning control for robotic rehabilitation”.

After years of rigorous preparation and solid research development, Hailey now stands on the threshold of completing his academic journey, working alongside his advisor and mentor, Dr. Chad G. Rose.

Congratulations on this major milestone, we look forward to what comes next!

Auburn’s Annual Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Poster Session and Contest Fall 2025.

On October 17, 2025, the Department of Mechanical Engineering hosted its Annual Graduate Student Poster Session and Contest for Fall 2025. With six categories and nearly nine participants per group, the event showcased the innovation and creativity driving our field. And as always, WeBR Lab had something remarkable to share.

Representing both experience and fresh perspectives, our team members Paxton Albright, Zack Miller, Mason Mathias, and Carlos Campos proudly stood out in the System Dynamics & Controls and Design & Manufacturing categories.

The results speak for themselves:
🏆 Paxton Albright – 2nd Place, Design & Manufacturing – for his brilliant soft exosuit design.
🏆 Zack Miller – 2nd Place, System Dynamics & Controls – for his research on predicting tremors.
🥉 Mason Mathias – 3rd Place, System Dynamics & Controls – for exploring effective muscle synergies in upper-body exoskeletons by perturbing a single joint.

“Its a poster!”

Dr. Chad G. Rose

WeBR Lab: united in innovation, driven by purpose.

Paxton Albright

It was a great experience to practice presenting research and to get feedback from experts in the field.

Mason Mathias

Zack Miller

First steps, it is uphill from here, but I am here for a good challenge.

Carlos E. Campos-Vargas

WeBR Lab proudly took the stage at the 5th Modeling, Estimation, and Control Conference (MECC 2025) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

WeBR Lab team
Zachary Miller and his approach on Essential Tremor prediction using custom LSTM
Paxton Albright pushing the frontier of UAV-based human gesture recognition interaction.
Davis Poole making a strong comeback with his 2 DoF empathetic diagnostic system for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Representing the Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, our powerhouse team Paxton Albright, Rhet Hailey, Zachary Miller, and Davis Poole stood alongside their distinguished advisor Dr. Chad Rose, showcasing not just knowledge and innovation, but also team spirit, bold creativity, and a style that rocked the conference floor.

From exoskeleton-assisted rehabilitation to cutting-edge human-robot interaction, WeBR Lab made its mark with vision, impact, and innovation.

Rhet Hailey Rising star honored

Proud of Rhet Hailey for representing WeBR Lab at MECC’s Rising Stars talks 2025, honored to share his work with the community.

#AuburnEngineering #MECC #RisingStars #WeBRLab”