A sensorimotor PROsthesis for the upper LIMB (PROLIMB)
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Almanzor E
(2023)
Static Shape Control of Soft Continuum Robots Using Deep Visual Inverse Kinematic Models
in IEEE Transactions on Robotics
Gomez-De-Gabriel J
(2021)
Adaptive Underactuated Finger With Active Rolling Surface
in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Ramos O
(2022)
Assessment of Soft Actuators for Hand Exoskeletons: Pleated Textile Actuators and Fiber-Reinforced Silicone Actuators
in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Shariati A
(2022)
Towards partial-hand prosthetic devices with integrated haptic feedback
| Description | Therapeutic Acceleration Support (TAS) Fund |
| Amount | £78,600 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery |
| Organisation | National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | Within the INSTINCT project, a wearable haptic feedback interface was developed. This can be used for one point and two point discrimination when understanding the sensitivity of the human fingertip. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Professor Martin Koltzenburg is interested to use our interface to examine patients' fingertip sensitivity in a consistent way. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | #MadeAtUCL podcast on touch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | n/a |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://soundcloud.com/uclsound/madeatucl-podcasts-touch |
| Description | Bloomsbury Festival, London, UK - Making virtual communications human |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | At the Bloomsbury Festival in London 2023, I led an exhibition titled "Making Virtual Communications Human." Our exhibit showcased the latest in haptic technology, offering firsthand demonstrations of how the sense of touch can be utilised to enhance virtual interactions. The haptic feedback device is inspired from the INSTINCT and PROLIMB project is designed to bridge the gap in digital communication, making it possible for family and friends to feel closer to one another despite physical distances. Our presentation aimed to illuminate the potential of haptics to transform virtual connections into more meaningful and human experiences, underscoring the importance of touch in fostering genuine connections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | British Science Festival, Exeter, UK - Haptics applications in healthcare and autonomous driving |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | At the British Science Festival, our team had the opportunity to demonstrate a diverse array of haptic technology emerging from our laboratory, encompassing applications in robotic surgery, prosthetics, and autonomous driving. These demonstrations provided a tangible insight into how haptic feedback can significantly enhance precision and safety in surgical procedures, improve the functionality and realism of prosthetic limbs, and increase the responsiveness and user-friendliness of autonomous vehicles. The showcase highlighted the transformative potential of haptics across various sectors, particularly in healthcare and autonomous driving, illustrating our commitment to advancing technology that bridges the gap between humans and machines through the power of touch. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Current Preclinical Concepts and the Future of Robotics Research, MRC Centre for Transplantation, King's College London, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk as part of the curriculum for medical students at KCL. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Exhibition at the Coventry Robot Day 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | At the Coventry Robot Day, the team will present their work on Robotics and AI to the General Public. Part of the exhibition will be a number of soft robotic devices and haptic interfaces, e.g., a prosthetic fingertip with mechano-tactile feedback, a haptic driving seat and a wearable haptic device for minimally invasive surgery. As part of the exhibition, there will be also a talk that will further introduce the work from the UCL Soft Haptics and Robotics team on Robotics and AI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.robotday.co.uk/ |
| Description | Fifteen Seconds Festival, Graz, Austria - Panel member: Will AI replace humans? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the Fifteen Seconds Festival in Graz, Austria, I participated as a panel member in the thought-provoking discussion titled "Will AI Replace Humans?" Throughout the debate, I delved into the concerns held by the public regarding AI, distinguishing between unfounded fears and legitimate issues. We explored the real concerns that warrant attention and discussed various strategies to mitigate these risks. The session provided a platform for a balanced discourse on the future of AI in our society, emphasising the importance of understanding, regulating, and integrating AI in a manner that complements human capabilities rather than replacing them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | ICRA 2022 Workshop Frontiers of Endoluminal Intervention: Clinical opportunities and technical challenges, Philadelphia, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This workshop aims to address clinical opportunities, technical requirements and regulatory challenges for translating continuum robotics to practical clinical use. It is designed as an interactive workshop between researchers, engineers and clinicians to brainstorm about the different areas and identify barriers to using continuum robots in a clinical setting. The result of the workshop will be to create a list of technical and clinical challenges that need to be resolved while also serving to build bridges between the clinical, engineering and regulatory communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://wordpress.com/page/helge-wurdemann.com/1438 |
| Description | ICRA 2022 Workshop on Leveraging Advancements in Smart Materials Science: Soft Robots Gaining New Abilities through Smart and Functional Materials, Philadelphia, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The field of soft robotics has made inroads into a number of applications, filling the niches where traditional robots are unable to compete. This development is driven by new smart and functionalized materials that enable innovative soft robotic abilities. This ICRA 2022 workshop will bring together experts from the fields of materials science and soft robotics, bridging the gap between the disciplines to develop the next generation of cutting-edge soft robotic systems. The workshop will explore current challenges to create new soft robotic systems using smart and functionalized materials in the future. Three sessions, each introduced by a leading researcher from materials science and followed by keynote presentations of soft robotics researchers, will focus on smart materials for actuators, sensors and applications. A panel discussion, moderated and streamed by the Soft Robotics Debate, will discuss obstacles, challenges and the future direction. As part of the workshop, real demonstrators will be presented to illustrate the opportunities arising from smart materials in a soft robotic context. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.spp2100.de/icra2022 |
| Description | ICRA 2022 Workshop on Soft Robots for Humanity, Kyoto, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Over the past decade, soft material robotics has established itself as an important research topic, as evidenced by the surge of publications in journals, such as "Soft Robotics" and dedicated sessions at major robotics conferences, i.e., ICRA/IROS. Applications of soft robotics have included areas in industry and agriculture and have expanded into healthcare, education, and exploration. One key advantage of soft robots over traditional rigid robots is the inherently safe characteristics, resulting from the inherently soft materials they are made of, in particular when collaborating closely with humans. Applications of soft robots are thus often in areas beyond classical automation, cycle time reduction and profit maximization through their rigid counterparts. This IROS 2022 workshop will identify current applications of soft robotic systems and highlight opportunities of soft robots shaping a symbiotic society and a better world of tomorrow. Exciting presentations on the basics of ethics in robotics, the empowerment of young researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in science and the importance of technical education for children will form the basis for the following technical presentations by renowned researchers and their soft robots for humanity with a panel discussion moderated and streamed by the Soft Robotics Debate. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.spp2100.de/iros2022 |
| Description | ICRA 2023 Tutorial:Towards an accessible soft robotics toolbox and validation test rig |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | There is an increasing number of analytical and numerical modelling approaches and frameworks for soft robotic manipulators emerging. Some of these modelling techniques offer design optimisation with regards to application-driven requirements, a thorough kinematic, stiffness, force analysis of the system, or an evaluation of a control strategy, to name a few. These mathematical tools in combination with experimental evaluation test rigs can be extremely powerful tools to gain detailed understanding of a soft robotic system. This full-day event will provide a platform to researchers, who have created soft robotic toolboxes and experimental test rigs, (i) to give hands-on tutorial sessions, (ii) to explore requirements for a joint, soft robotic toolbox together with the soft robotic community, (iii) explore synergies of current toolboxes, and (iv) through a plenary discussion, identify what hurdles remain to advance this project of developing a joint toolbox resulting in a roadmap. The tutorial aims to bring together experts active in the field of creating modelling approaches for soft robotic systems, early-career researchers who have developed a keen interest in soft robotics and software industry. Early-career researchers will be given the opportunity to present a poster. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | http://www.softrobotictoolbox.org/ |
| Description | IEEE Students' Section conference, London, UK - Sustainable medical devices |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | At the IEEE Students' Section conference held in London, UK, at City, University of London, I had the opportunity to present to about 40 taught and research students about sustainable medical devices. My presentation aimed to enlighten attendees on the critical importance of sustainability in the development and implementation of medical devices. By sharing knowledge and insights into how sustainable practices can be integrated into the lifecycle of medical devices, the session fostered a deeper understanding among the future engineers and researchers. This initiative underscored the significance of sustainability in healthcare technology, encouraging innovative thinking towards creating eco-friendly and efficient medical solutions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited talk: Body-powered prostheses with haptic feedback |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Relevant researchers at UCL (within the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering) joined this event to find synergies and collaboration possibilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited talk: Inherently soft - inherently safe: Robots of the future, UCL - Japan Youth Challenge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | This talk was part of a UCL - Japan Youth Challenge to promote a career in a STEM subject. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Invited talk: Innovative robotic end-effectors from bin picking to physical Human-Robot Interaction, IROS2021 Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | At this IROS2021 Workshop on Dexterous manipulation in the real-contact context new progress and challenges, new concepts of haptic feedback and grippers for pick and place operations were discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ni.www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/IROS2021WS |
| Description | Invited talk: Soft material medical devices, UCL-IHE & IISC joint webinar Materials and Medicines |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | UCL and IISC explored synergies with this joint webinar on Materials and Medicines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Invited talk: Soft, stiffness-controllable robotic systems - future applications and impact, The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This talk was held at The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies for postgraduate taught and research students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Keynote talk: Soft Robotics for Healthcare, International Workshop on Bionic Engineering (IWBE), Manchester, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This talk was given at the International Workshop on Bionic Engineering and introduced applications of soft robotis in healthcare and highly automated vehicles. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://isbe-online.org/?ui=english&mod=info&act=view&id=4238 |
| Description | Keynote talk: Soft materials for robotic application in healthcare, industry & autonomous vehicles, International Congress of Mechanical Engineering |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the 2021 International Congress of Mechanical Engineering, I introduced soft materials for robotic application in healthcare, industry & autonomous vehicles. This conference is the leading MechEng conference in South America. In 2021, it is the 50th anniversary. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://eventos.abcm.org.br/cobem2021/content/uploads/2021/11/FINAL-PROGRAM-COBEM-2021.pdf |
| Description | Medical robotics at UCL, Spring School on Medical Robotics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Spring School on Medical Robotics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Miniaturised soft robotic manipulators for MIS, Hamlyn WS on Autonomy and shared autonomy in endoluminal approaches for soft surgical robots, London, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the Hamlyn Symposium of Medical Robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Robot Day Coventry, UK - Haptics for social interaction and autonomous vehicles |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | At Robot Day Coventry, UK 2023, our team showcased our research in haptic technologies specifically designed for surgical applications, prosthetic devices and autonomous driving. This event allowed us to demonstrate how our advancements in haptic feedback mechanisms are set to transform the precision and intuitiveness of surgical operations and enhance the functionality of prosthetics, offering users a more natural and responsive experience to the public and school pupils. Our participation underscored our commitment to pushing the boundaries of medical robotics, aiming to improve patient outcomes and quality of life through innovative technological solutions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.robotday.co.uk/ |
| Description | Soft haptics, Bloomsbury Festival, London, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Two projects (haptic driving seat and haptic interface for robotic surgery) was exhibited at the 2022 Bloomsbury Festival. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/ |
| Description | Soft, smart, stiffness-controllable: Interventional robots and sensors, IROS 2022 WS on Soft Robots for Humanity, Kyoto, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Workshop presentation and discussion at IROS 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Soft, stiffness-controllable robotic systems - future applications and impact, Leeds Robotics, Leeds University, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk at Leeds University to initialise collaboration on soft robotics related topics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Spring School on Medical Robotics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA - Medical robotics at UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | At the Spring School on Medical Robotics hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA, I had the privilege of presenting on the advancements and innovations in medical robotics as developed at UCL, funded by EPSRC projects (i.e., INSTINCT, PROLIMB) and AMS awards. The session attracted about 100 early career researchers, fostering an environment ripe for learning, sharing, and networking. The presentation sparked a lively debate with other senior researchers, facilitating a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives. This engagement not only highlighted the cutting-edge research being conducted in the field but also underscored the collaborative spirit that drives the medical robotics community forward. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Spring into STEM |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | This talk was part of the UCL Engineering series of virtual lectures exploring hot topics in STEM and key research across departments. This lecture was free to attend and open to anyone wanting to discover more about Robotics and AI. Spring into STEM lectures are designed to prompt us all to think creatively about how we can apply innovative STEM solutions and novel approaches to the complexities of the world around us. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/bC_O4tuS_8o |
| Description | The 7th Annual IEEE UK and Ireland RAS Chapter Conference - Applications for stiffness-controllable robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to speak at the 7th Annual IEEE UK and Ireland RAS Chapter Conference, where the focus of my talk was on "Applications for Stiffness-Controllable Robotics." This event, organised by the IEEE Robotics and Automation section for the UK and Ireland, serves as a vital forum for members to come together, network, and exchange information on the latest research and developments in the field. My presentation aimed to shed light on the innovative applications of stiffness-controllable robotics, emphasising their potential to revolutionise various industries through enhanced adaptability and efficiency. The conference provided an excellent platform to engage with fellow professionals and academics, contributing to the ongoing discourse on advancing robotics technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | The Business of Events UK Policy Forum, London, UK - Panel member: How Ambassadors Influence Growth - ICRA 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At "The Business of Events UK Policy Forum" held in London, UK, I was privileged to serve as a panel member discussing "How Ambassadors Influence Growth." In this capacity, I shared insights from my role as co-general chair of ICRA 2023, detailing the impact of my research and the collaborative success achieved in partnership with TFI Lodestar and London & Partners. This opportunity allowed me to elucidate on the significant impact ambassadors can have in fostering growth and success within the events industry, leveraging our collective achievements at ICRA 2023 as a prime example of effective collaboration and strategic planning. The dialogue was not only a reflection of our accomplishments but also a testament to the potential for future events to benefit from similar ambassadorial influence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | UCL Haptics Soiree, London, UK - Soft haptics research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In November 2023, UCL had the pleasure of hosting an immersive soirée, inviting guests to delve into the captivating realm of haptics. UCL has consistently been at the vanguard of pioneering innovations in this dynamic field. During the event, our team was honoured to present our latest research in haptic technologies, meticulously tailored for surgical applications and prosthetic devices. This exclusive gathering not only highlighted our groundbreaking advancements but also fostered a deeper appreciation for the potential of haptic technology to transform healthcare and improve lives through enhanced tactile feedback mechanisms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCClvAriB2k |