Mechatronics major Austin McDade, left, Dr. Max Jordon and Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu demonstrate the pneumatically powered balance board. Photo by Angela Foster.
Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu moves like someone with three calendars and no off switch—teaching, mentoring, inventing, and leading the Department of Engineering Management and Technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
His relentless pace paid off this spring when he secured his first U.S. design patent for a pneumatically powered balance board designed to support patients with chronic lower back pain or those recovering from injury or surgery. It’s one of many endeavors he’s juggling alongside prototypes, proposals, partnerships and students.
On any given day, Kaplanoglu might be debugging hardware in his lab, mentoring a capstone team, working at a recruitment event or collaborating with industry partners and campus colleagues. Often, it’s all of the above. And somehow, he still makes time for Mocs basketball, the bağlama (a Turkish guitar that he plays in his office) and almost anyone who asks for his help.
Inventing for the real world
Kaplanoglu’s patent, issued April 15, 2025, is one of only a handful that UTC has secured in recent years—part of a broader shift toward research that not only gets published but also drives practical innovation.
“Erkan develops innovations that solve problems and help people,” said Gregory Sechrist, a technology manager with the UT Research Foundation, which supports faculty across the UT System with technology transfer.
Over the past five years, Kaplanoglu has submitted five invention disclosures through UTRF, a pace that speaks both to his personal drive and to UTC’s expanding support for applied research.
“He’s a serial inventor,” Sechrist said, “and I’m glad to see him get his first patent issued at UTC. I look forward to continuing to work with him on what’s next.”
Issued about two years after filing, the patent reflects Kaplanoglu’s precision and the momentum that comes with UTRF’s support. The foundation works closely with faculty to bring their research to market, offering guidance on intellectual property protection, commercialization strategy and industry access.
With the balance board now available for licensing, UTRF remains a key partner in Kaplanoglu’s next round of inventions.
“This is a great example of how we empower researchers not just to protect their ideas, but to take them further,” said Jennifer Skjellum, UTC’s commercialization counselor. “Erkan is always thinking ahead about what’s possible and how to make it happen. His work brings together students, faculty, clinicians and industry, and we’ve built a pipeline to support that.”
Dr. Max Jordon (sitting), Austin McDade and Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu
Finding balance in motion
Early support from UTC’s MOCS Innovate! and Fly! Pitch competitions—key programs in UTC’s growing commercialization pipeline—helped Kaplanoglu push his design forward. Additional backing came from the Biomedical Research Innovation Center (BRIC), a partnership between UTC, Erlanger and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine – Chattanooga. Dr. Jeremy Bruce, an orthopedic surgeon and BRIC collaborator, offered early clinical feedback—one of many connections Kaplanoglu has forged across disciplines and institutions.
“We built the first version, then fine-tuned it with feedback from physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons,” Kaplanoglu said. “They helped us dial in the movement, data tracking and safety settings to make it truly usable.”
He credits those clinical collaborators and UTC’s commercialization support team with moving the board from concept to clinic.
Dr. Max Jordon, a physical therapy professor and longtime campus collaborator, is leading a UTC study to validate the board for clinical use. Though he didn’t design it, Jordon has been testing it in his lab and comparing its performance with standard rehab devices.
“This collaboration opened a door for me and my students,” Jordon said. “We’ve used balance boards before, but this one’s precision and translational focus move our work forward.”
The board’s pneumatic “muscles” create small, controlled movements—just enough to challenge balance. Built from off-the-shelf parts and powered by a standard compressor, it not only supports recovery but also uncovers balance issues that traditional tools miss.
Engineering for humans
Kaplanoglu arrived at UTC in August 2019 and quickly transformed an underused space into what’s now the Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab, or BioAstLab. It focuses on eliminating barriers, whether physical, logistical or technological. Ongoing projects include a tremor-reducing wearable device, an exoskeleton for post-stroke rehabilitation and a smart diabetic foot insole. He’s also developing new industrial applications for automation and precision control.
Since launching the lab, Kaplanoglu has brought in $450,000 in research funding while building a team that spans engineering, design and physical therapy—and includes both undergraduate and graduate students. Every student is paid. Every voice counts.
“He gives you real responsibility,” said Chase Guttu, a recent recipient of a Bachelor of Applied Science: Mechatronics degree who transferred into that program specifically to work in Kaplanoglu’s lab. “And he listens. He wants you to be proud of what you build.”
Kaplanoglu didn’t set out to work in health care. But years ago, his father passed away from complications after a delayed surgical procedure. That loss stayed with him and eventually shaped his focus.
“It changed how I thought about engineering,” he said in a previous interview. “I started thinking more about how tech could be used to help people live better, not just faster.”
Dr. Ahad Nasab, interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, brought the mechatronics program to UTC in 2018 and recruited Kaplanoglu in 2019 to build it out. A longtime colleague and early champion of his work, Nasab has seen Kaplanoglu turn strong technical instincts into a body of research that bridges theory and application.
“I remember taking him to Cleveland State (Community College) right at the start of COVID,” Nasab said. “They’d just bought a half-million-dollar mechatronics trainer from Germany and it wasn’t working. The company couldn’t send anyone to fix it. While we were still talking, Erkan walked over, rewired a few things and got it running. The whole team was blown away.
“That kind of hands-on fluency is rare. He doesn’t just design complex systems. He knows how to make them work.”
His next play
Kaplanoglu’s vision doesn’t stop with the balance board. He’s mentoring early-career faculty, expanding industry partnerships and helping lay the groundwork for a future Ph.D. program in health care engineering at UTC.
He’s also partnering with a local rehab clinic to collect more data, aiming to bring the board to market through licensing opportunities now under discussion.
Much of his leadership style today traces back to his years coaching professional basketball in Europe.
“Coaching taught me how to work with people with different personalities and make quick decisions,” he said. “Those same skills assist me in leading my research lab.”
He considers engineering and research team sports.
“It’s not just about being right,” Kaplanoglu said. “It’s about what you build together and how you can help people.”
Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu and student Austin McDade
Inside the invention: Active pneumatic balance platform
Design Patent: U.S. D1,009,261
Patent Filed: February 2023 | Issued: April 2025
Inventor: Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, UTC professor and department Head, Engineering Management and Technology
Research Home: Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab (BioAstLab), UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science, UTC
Primary Application: Physical therapy, athletic rehabilitation, postural diagnostics
Commercialization Partner: UT Research Foundation (UTRF)
Refined with input from therapists and clinicians, Kaplanoglu’s active pneumatic balance platform uses soft robotics and real-time sensing to help patients rebuild balance and uncover postural issues traditional rehab tools may overlook. Compact and clinic-ready, it brings advanced motion training into everyday care.
By recreating the subtle, unpredictable shifts people face in daily life—like a bumpy car ride or walking across uneven ground—the device lets clinicians observe and measure patient responses in real time.
Designed for physical therapy and athletic-rehab settings, the platform closes gaps in assessment and retraining. It reflects the mission of UTC’s Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab (BioAstLab) to build accessible, human-centered technologies that integrate seamlessly into clinical practice.
“We listened to what therapists needed and developed something flexible, accurate and ready for the clinic,” Kaplanoglu said.
How it works
The platform leverages three pneumatic actuators arranged in a Stewart-platform configuration to control motion in pitch, roll and yaw. Inspired by Stewart-platform architecture—used in everything from flight simulators and fire-control systems to surgical robotics—this design translates high-end mechanical precision into a compact, clinical-grade system.
Kaplanoglu’s patented balance board is now available for licensing through UTRF.
Key features
- Power: Operates on a standard air compressor
- Control modes: Manual or programmable sequences
- Interface: Real-time GUI in MATLAB
Technical specs
- Weight: 18 lbs
- Footprint: 20″ × 20″ × 30″
- Models: Seated and standing
- Sensors: Wireless EMG (muscle) and IMU (motion)
Status
The device is undergoing preliminary validation supported by a working prototype.
Learn more
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering Management and Technology
Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab (BioAstLab)
