Borislav Marinov, Exoskeleton Report, Co-Founder & CEO

Borislav (Bobby) Marinov is the founder of the Exoskeleton Report, a news and resource website dedicated exclusively to exoskeletons, exosuits and wearable robotics technology. Bobby is also a founding member of the ASTM International Exo Technology Center of Excellence, an executive member of ASTM Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits, member of the Wearable Robotics Association and contributor to Forbes.com on industrial exoskeletons.

Christopher Reid, Boeing, Associate Technical Fellow of Human Factors & Ergonomics

Dr. Christopher Reid is a Human Factors & Ergonomics Associate Technical Fellow for Boeing’s Environment Health & Safety (EHS) Organization in Charleston, South Carolina specializing in human factors & ergonomics and wearable technology. He is a recent Visiting Scholar to the Ohio State University's Spine Research Institute, evaluating the safety of exoskeletons for Boeing workers. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, earning degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology (BS) and Industrial Engineering (MS, PhD). Prior to Boeing, Dr. Reid worked for Lockheed Martin on astronaut spacesuit assessment as a Human Factors & Ergonomics Discipline Lead at NASA and as a Human Factors Engineer for the US Army assessing Warfighter personal protective equipment. Outside of work, Dr. Reid is the Immediate Past Secretary Treasurer of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES), sits on the Editorial Board for Augmented Human Research Journal and Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Sciences Journal, Special Issue Editor for the Human Factors Journal, Chair of the Annual ErgoX Exoskeleton Symposium, and Chair of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Subcommittee for the ASTM F48 standard on Exoskeletons/Exosuits. His collective work on Boeing wearable technology has also earned him a 2018 Rising Star Award from the National Safety Council and a 2020 Black Engineer of the Year Award in Outstanding Technical Contribution in Industry.

Donald Peterson, Northern Illinois University, Dean & Professor, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

Dr. Donald R. Peterson is a tenured Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University. He is also a joint professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Dr. Peterson is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, earning degrees in Aerospace Engineering (BS) and Biomechanical Engineering (BS) and a graduate of the University of Connecticut, earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering (MS) and Biomedical Engineering (PhD). Dr. Peterson has over 25 years of experience in biomechanical engineering and medical research, which has been focused on measuring and modeling injury biomechanics and human, organ, and/or cell performance, including exposures to various physical stimuli and the subsequent biological responses.  His research has involved the investigation of injury mechanisms and human–device interaction and has led to the generation of new technologies and systems, such as personal protection technologies, occupational exoskeleton systems, robotic assist devices for hemiplegic rehabilitation, long-duration biosensor monitoring and reporting systems, novel surgical and dental devices and instruments, smart medical devices for home patient care, and biotechnology systems. Some of Dr. Peterson's research has been focused on hand-arm vibration exposures from tool use and he serves as a US delegate on the International Standards Organization Technical Committee (ISO/TC) 108/SC4 on Human Exposure to Mechanical Vibration and Shock.  Based on his research and development work on exoskeleton technologies, he is currently serving as the Chair of the ASTM Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits. Dr. Peterson has published over 115 peer-reviewed scholarly works and is the Editor-in-Chief for “The Biomedical Engineering Handbook”, published by CRC Press.

William Billotte, ASTM International, Director Global Exo Technology Programs

Dr. William “Bill” Billotte is the Director of Global Exo Technology Programs and the Executive Director of the ASTM Exo Technology Center of Excellence with ASTM International. Formerly, he was a scientist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the vice chairman of the ASTM F48 Exoskeletons and Exosuits committee. Bill spent the past 17 years providing scientific and technical advice to federal agencies, first responders, and international organizations on topics including exoskeletons, critical infrastructure protection, CBRNE detection, and first responder equipment. His scientific curiosity and passion for helping others has led him to work on a host of diverse projects. Bill advocated and aided the establishment of the ASTM F48 committee and is working on their long-term strategy and research agendas. He spent a year abroad as a visiting scientist on the European Union’s critical infrastructure protection team at the Joint Research Centre in Italy, where he provided technical assistance to their working groups to help inform EU policies and international standards. He sponsored a forum through the National Academy of Sciences to convene experts from the federal, private, international, and non-government sectors to exchange information and ideas to improve preparedness and capabilities for disasters that involve accidental or intentional contamination with CBRN agents. He coordinated federal programs that produced over 50 homeland security focused national standards and over 100 reports on first responder equipment. Bill has received several awards including the US Department of Commerce’s Gold Medal Award for Heroism. Bill holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Dayton, a Master of Science in Engineering from Wright State University, and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology.