Stewart Coulter’s engineering career path has led him to work in a variety of innovation and strategic planning roles for industries ranging from automotive to semiconductor equipment to waste disposal for companies such as Chrysler, Compaq, McKinsey & Co., and the Robert Bosch Co.
He currently serves as co-general manager of the DEKA Research and Development Corp., a medical products R & D company based in Manchester, NH. Stewart directs the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, which is developing an advanced prosthetic arm. This unique robotic arm, dubbed “Luke” after the Jedi with the mechanical hand, combines cutting edge advances in medicine, engineering, technology, and robotics to offer dramatically increased capability from the shoulder to the fingers to restore functionality for those thousands of individuals throughout the United States who have lost a limb. The project has been featured on programs ranging from 60 Minutes to The Colbert Report.
At DEKA Stewart also serves as project manager for the iBOT Mobility System, which offers users the ability to climb stairs, balance at eye level, and travel over a variety of terrains and slopes. Some of Stewart’s proudest professional moments have been seeing firsthand how transformational it was for the recipients of the robotic arm and the iBOT wheelchair to experience newfound mobility and freedom.
Stewart was also the recipient of the Department of Energy Integrated Manufacturing Fellowship, has authored numerous journal articles, and has served as a keynote speaker at many national conferences including the ASME Design Automation Conference.