Mitchell E. Tyler

Mitch is a biomedical engineer and scientist with over 30 years of experience in the research and development of visual and tactile displays for human-machine interfaces. He has been with TCNL since 1992 and was cofounder of Wicab, Inc., (with Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita), and Vice President of Research and Development. He is the lead inventor of the BrainPort™ Balance device, and co-discoverer of the retention effect and the neurorehabilitation potential of tongue electrotactile stimulation. He was principal investigator on NIH SBIR grants developing balance, vision, and auditory substitution applications, and on a DARPA contract for an underwater navigation and orientation system.

After serving in the US Navy, Mitch received a BS in mechanical with a minor in electrical engineering from San Jose State University in California in 1980, and an MS in biomedical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1985. He is a senior lecturer in the UW Department of Biomedical Engineering, where he teaches biomedical engineering design, biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, and neuromotor control. His research interests include cutaneous and tongue-based electrotactile displays, human-machine interaction, and clinical applications of noninvasive neuromodulation for rehabilitation. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin.