SoRo for Health: Implantable soft robotics for restoration of physiological function
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Ear Institute
Abstract
SoRo for Health is a unique interdisciplinary Platform uniting three new and rapidly advancing areas of science (soft robotics, advanced biomaterials and bioprinting, regenerative medicine) in a collaboration that will deliver transformative technological solutions to major unmet health problems. We are a collaborative scientific group including representatives from three of the most exciting and rapidly advancing technology areas in the world. Soft robotics is a new branch of robotics that uses compliant materials to create robots that move in ways mirroring those in nature; a new paradigm that is already transforming fields as diverse as aerospace and manufacturing. Advanced biomaterials is a rapidly progressing field exploring the application of novel and conventional materials to restoring structure and function. It has recently been augmented by advances in 3D- and Bio-printing with seminal clinical breakthroughs. Regenerative medicine uses a range of biological tools, such as cells, genes and biomaterials, to replace and restore function in patients with a range of disorders. It explores the interface between materials and cells and tissues and has been applied to regenerate critical organs and tissues. Our three groups have combined over the last few years to develop a range of prototype solutions to unmet health needs, in areas as diverse as breathing and swallowing, motor disorders and cardiovascular disease. Here we seek to further coalesce our activity in a unique EPSRC Platform with five primary goals. Firstly and most importantly, we will support, retain and develop the careers of three dynamic rising stars (postdoctoral research assistants, PDRAs) who might otherwise be lost from the field. Primarily supporting their career development, we will thereby also ensure the provision of a cadre of stellar individuals with cross-cutting scientific skills and leadership training who can provide leadership and direction to this nascent, but incredibly exciting, field of Soft Robotics (SoRo) for Health. This will benefit these scientists, the field, and the UK through scientific advance and commercial partnerships. Secondly, we will support our PDRAs to explore novel and high-risk hypotheses related to our combined fields through a flexible inbuilt funding stream. This will help their development, but also generate new ideas and technologies to take forward towards further scientific exploration and, where appropriate, clinic; ideas that might otherwise have fallen by the funding wayside. Thirdly, we will expand and develop a vibrant international network that will further support the development of our stars as well as energising the whole field internationally, with its hub here in the UK. Fourthly, we will engage with end-users, from both healthcare professional and patient/carer communities. We will use professional facilitators and established qualitative techniques to identify the key challenges and opportunities for SoRo as it seeks to address the outstanding and imminent issues in population health and healthcare. Finally, we will work with UK industry and biotech business leaders to develop an effective, streamlined route to IP protection, application and commercialisation that gives SoRo for Health technologies the best possible chance for widespread health gains and speedy application to those in need. Thus, the SoRo for Health Platform combines the talents, and specifically emergent talents, of internationally-leading groups in three new areas with the common Vision of transforming the lives of millions through the development of responsive, customised soft robotic-based implants and devices to address some of the major unmet health challenges of the 21st Century.
Planned Impact
Overview.
SoRo for Health Platform's biggest impact is on development of a unique present and future human resource for science and leadership, whilst advancing knowledge in this emergent, exciting field. It will deliver human, scientific, social and economic impact well beyond the 5 year funding timeline, with the goal of translating and accelerating developed technologies into clinic within 10 years. For Impact on Knowledge and People see Academic Beneficiaries section.
Impact on Society
The most immediate effect of a successful Platform and its products is an increase in population health. The mantra of an increasing but ageing population with an emphasis on healthy ageing is a clear reality. We will develop biocompatible implants capable of restoring failing or lost motor functions critical to length and quality of life in fields as diverse as speech, motor function, swallowing, speech and sphincter function. As new treatments and improved early detection and care delivery result in more survivors from stroke (£8.9 billion NHS costs p.a., 100,000 persons per annum, 50% long-term disability, NICE) and cancer (£15.8 billion p.a. 2013), giant causes of mortality and morbidity, there is an increasing need to address wellness in survivorship. Our devices may restore frequently lost functions such as swallowing, voice and continence with a huge improvement in quality of life for millions. As well as restored health, these individuals, and those with many other disorders causing reduced motor functions, may return both to society and wealth-generating work with wide ranging benefits.
Impact on Economy
This proposal fits perfectly with the UK government's policy of supporting a new, high-tech, industrial base for the UK. In a fiercely competitive post-Brexit and post-globalisation world, it has never been more important to find unique industrial niches and competitive edge in our biomedical discovery platforms. Our Platform brings together three of the government's Eight Great Technologies (2013): robotics and autonomous systems, advanced materials and regenerative medicine into a one cohesive engine. The UK has the extraordinary advantage of being the only medium-sized country that has such as well as the excellence in all three as well as the world class research intensive university to deliver them. We are already attracting interest from leading technology companies. If we achieve our goals, the UK will also be the ideal place to establish clinical delivery Centres of Excellence by partnering our new UK-based SoRo company(ies) with our outstanding leading university teaching hospitals. The potential income from the rapidly growing global medical services industry, where patients travel between countries for treatment, provides a major future economic driver that is complimentary to, rather than competing with, the delivery of the high standard care to NHS patients, as is that from potential Outreach Centres for clinical implant delivery in targeted geographic locations. Our new bench-to-bedside pathways and delivery systems form an additional source of licensing revenue as pathfinders for other countries and commercial entities wishing to develop parallel technologies. We anticipate that this new industry, from manufacture, through delivery to patient care and follow-up, including potential for upgrades, will support the employment of a new, substantial and varied workforce with benefits for employment in an increasingly automated world where other sectors are likely to disinvest in human resource.
SoRo for Health Platform's biggest impact is on development of a unique present and future human resource for science and leadership, whilst advancing knowledge in this emergent, exciting field. It will deliver human, scientific, social and economic impact well beyond the 5 year funding timeline, with the goal of translating and accelerating developed technologies into clinic within 10 years. For Impact on Knowledge and People see Academic Beneficiaries section.
Impact on Society
The most immediate effect of a successful Platform and its products is an increase in population health. The mantra of an increasing but ageing population with an emphasis on healthy ageing is a clear reality. We will develop biocompatible implants capable of restoring failing or lost motor functions critical to length and quality of life in fields as diverse as speech, motor function, swallowing, speech and sphincter function. As new treatments and improved early detection and care delivery result in more survivors from stroke (£8.9 billion NHS costs p.a., 100,000 persons per annum, 50% long-term disability, NICE) and cancer (£15.8 billion p.a. 2013), giant causes of mortality and morbidity, there is an increasing need to address wellness in survivorship. Our devices may restore frequently lost functions such as swallowing, voice and continence with a huge improvement in quality of life for millions. As well as restored health, these individuals, and those with many other disorders causing reduced motor functions, may return both to society and wealth-generating work with wide ranging benefits.
Impact on Economy
This proposal fits perfectly with the UK government's policy of supporting a new, high-tech, industrial base for the UK. In a fiercely competitive post-Brexit and post-globalisation world, it has never been more important to find unique industrial niches and competitive edge in our biomedical discovery platforms. Our Platform brings together three of the government's Eight Great Technologies (2013): robotics and autonomous systems, advanced materials and regenerative medicine into a one cohesive engine. The UK has the extraordinary advantage of being the only medium-sized country that has such as well as the excellence in all three as well as the world class research intensive university to deliver them. We are already attracting interest from leading technology companies. If we achieve our goals, the UK will also be the ideal place to establish clinical delivery Centres of Excellence by partnering our new UK-based SoRo company(ies) with our outstanding leading university teaching hospitals. The potential income from the rapidly growing global medical services industry, where patients travel between countries for treatment, provides a major future economic driver that is complimentary to, rather than competing with, the delivery of the high standard care to NHS patients, as is that from potential Outreach Centres for clinical implant delivery in targeted geographic locations. Our new bench-to-bedside pathways and delivery systems form an additional source of licensing revenue as pathfinders for other countries and commercial entities wishing to develop parallel technologies. We anticipate that this new industry, from manufacture, through delivery to patient care and follow-up, including potential for upgrades, will support the employment of a new, substantial and varied workforce with benefits for employment in an increasingly automated world where other sectors are likely to disinvest in human resource.
Organisations
- University College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- National Taiwan University Hospital (Collaboration)
- Beihang University (Project Partner)
- Videregen (Project Partner)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (Project Partner)
- Vanderbilt University (Project Partner)
- Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (Project Partner)
- Renishaw (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Avectas (Project Partner)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Project Partner)
Publications
Yaqub N
(2022)
Recent advances in human respiratory epithelium models for drug discovery.
in Biotechnology advances
Taghavi M
(2022)
Stiffness Graded Electroactive Artificial Muscle
in Advanced Functional Materials
Fishman A
(2022)
Mixing in arrays of villi-like actuators
in Physics of Fluids
Qi Q
(2023)
Edible, optically modulating, shape memory oleogel composites for sustainable soft robotics
in Materials & Design
Xu C
(2023)
Electric Field-Driven Dielectrophoretic Elastomer Actuators
in Advanced Functional Materials
Abeywickrama D
(2023)
Soft Gripping: Specifying for Trustworthiness
Wharton P
(2023)
Tetraflex: A Multigait Soft Robot for Object Transportation in Confined Environments
in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Yue T
(2023)
Hydrogel-actuated Soft Sucker with Mucus Secretion
Jenkinson GP
(2023)
ESPRESS.0: Eustachian Tube-Inspired Tactile Sensor Exploiting Pneumatics for Range Extension and SenSitivity Tuning.
in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
Description | This Platform is designed to propel the careers of "rising stars" in the field of Soft Robotics technologies for Healthcare. To date, this has been a huge success. Three postdoctoral scientists in soft robotics engineering and smart materials have progressed to tenured positions as Lecturer and Research Fellow (University of Bath, Beijing and Imperial College London respectively), whilst the researcher co-applicant, Andy Conn, has been promoted to Associate Professor in Medical Robotics at the University of Bristol. Clinical fellow, Dr James Graveston, is now running a Medical Technology advisory company. Presently, three further post-doctoral "stars" are supported by the platform, as is a further clinical (also postdoctoral) fellow. With individual project funding to explore hypotheses and technologies within their field and to collaborate across the disciplines represented here, our young soft robotics researchers are making wonderful discoveries in both blue-sky and translational areas of Soft Robotics for Health. |
Exploitation Route | As with other Platforms, this award has borne rich fruit in the form of a new human resource for developing soft robotics solutions for unmet healthcare needs. This model is one that should be continued. |
Sectors | Healthcare |
Description | Researchers contributed to an exploration of the physical needs of those who have lost verbal communication. The challenge is to understand these needs with a richness and depth that conventional patient engagement does not deliver. Partnership with the SoundVoice project delivered a unique and deeply moving piece of performance art and an installation at the King's Centre in King's Cross built around loss of voice. See: https://soundvoice.org/ |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Healthcare |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
Description | 3D Bioprinting Bioactive Collagen Based Tissue Models for Cartilage Regeneration, Royal Society International Exchange Scheme |
Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | IEC\R3\203066 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 03/2022 |
Description | Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship |
Amount | £111,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NA170184 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2018 |
End | 03/2022 |
Title | Bionic Glove - RA-L 2021 |
Description | This data supports the paper titled: "B:Ionic Glove: A Soft Smart Wearable Sensory Feedback Device for Upper Limb Robotic Prostheses" Authors: Simons, M. F., Digumarti, K. M., Le, N. H., Chen, H-Y., Carreira, S. C., Zaghloul, N. S. S., Diteesawat, R. S., Garrad, M., Conn, A. T., Kent, C., Rossiter, J. Contact: melanie.simons@bristol.ac.uk ======================================== The paper has been accepted for publication in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L). ======================================== |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/3izox36nrlotg2papldp8lyfjc/ |
Title | Data for 2021 RetracTip |
Description | Inlcuded here are data to support the paper: Qiukai Q, Chaoqun Xiang, Van Anh Ho, Jonathan Rossiter, A Sea-Anemone-Inspired, Multifunctional, Bistable Gripper. Soft Robotics (2021). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1omzijcjqo8j820wlv6gvy86nr/ |
Title | Data for 3D konjac gels paper |
Description | Data to support the paper "Towards stimuli-responsive soft robots with 3D printed self-healing konjac glucomannan gels" by Krishna Manaswi Digumarti, Daniel Gosden, Nguyen Le, Jonathan Rossiter accepted for publication in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing on 25 May 2021 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/flotdeagj80y2tnhs08i0acim/ |
Title | Data for AFM dielectrophoretic gel |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: Ciqun Xu, Charl F. J. Faul, Majid Taghavi, and Jonathan Rossiter, Electric Field-driven Dielectrophoretic Elastomer Actuators, Advanced Functional Materials (2023), DOI:10.1002/adfm.202208943 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/239k7m1nddrq72vaxbsfis2mf8/ |
Title | Data for AFM graded stiffness gel paper |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: M. Taghavi, H.Y. C, A. T. Conn, J. Rossiter, Stiffness Graded Electroactive Artificial Muscle. Advanced Functional Materials (2022). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/2zbvg07b3mb7l22irr6a3u2axr/ |
Title | Data for DLZ ratchet paper - ICRA-RAL 2022 |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: M. Garrad, M. Naghavi Zadeh, C. Romero, F. Scarpa, A.Conn, and J. Rossiter, Design and Characterisation of a Muscle-mimetic Dielectrophoretic Ratcheting Actuator IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2022). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1ctw36cjsr16e279g3qlwy792l/ |
Title | Data for Electro-Lattice Actuator paper |
Description | Data to support the results reported in "Electro-Lattice Actuator: a compliant high-contractile active lattice structure", published in 'Smart materials and Structures'. Authors: Sam Hoh, Tim Helps, Richard Suphapol Diteesawat, Majid Taghavi and Jonathan Rossiter |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/n08fth26gqjn2txmgx2e04q75/ |
Title | Data for ElectroPneumatic Pump paper 2021 |
Description | Inlcuded here are data to support the paper: R. S. Diteesawat, T. Helps, M. Taghavi, J. Rossiter, Electro-pneumatic pumps for soft robotics. Sci. Robot. 6, eabc3721 (2021). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/2v49dy7vowv8924ryb4dyd115p/ |
Title | Data for ICRA 2023 - variable stiffness unit |
Description | Data for ICRA2023 paper: Tianqi Yue, Tsam Lung You, Hemma Philamore, Hermes Bloomfield-Gadêlha and Jonathan Rossiter, A Silicone-sponge-based Variable-stiffness Device, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1m1aqxh299w2j20l7i8umgqwct/ |
Title | Data for RoboSoft2022 - soft exosuit |
Description | Data supporting paper: Emanuele Pulvirenti, Richard Diteesawat, Helmut Hauser, Jonathan Rossiter, Towards a Soft Exosuit for Hypogravity adaptation: Design and Control of Lightweight Bubble Artificial Muscles, Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2022. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/11gbyp96cqskc2mfjq2wwpaizt/ |
Title | Data for SAP-BAM paper |
Description | This repository contains data pertaining to the article: Saltwater-responsive bubble artificial muscles using superabsorbent polymers, Daniel Gosden, Richard Suphapol Diteesawat, Matthew Studley and Jonathan Rossiter, Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2022, doi: 10.3389/frobt.2022.960372. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/2raladk8u6pqu23o1jyc5rueeu/ |
Title | Data for Scissor paper - RA-L RoboSoft 2022 |
Description | Data supporting paper: Soft Scissor: A Cartilage-inspired, Pneumatic Artificial Muscle for Wearable Devices Nahian Rahman, Richard Suphapol Diteesawat, Sam Hoh, Leah Morris, Ailie Turton, Mary Cramp, Jonathan Rossiter Robotics and Autonomy Letters and Proc. RoboSoft 2022. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/7z74iw9bxt4m26ulyqxrhvi58/ |
Title | Data for Snail Robot paper 2021 |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: T. Yue, H. Bloomfield-Gadêlha, J. Rossiter, Friction-driven Three-foot Robot Inspired by Snail Movement 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/23v6ekzwmvyop25xedxf66epjk/ |
Title | Data for suction cup paper - ICRA-RAL 2022 |
Description | Data to support the paper: T. Yue, W. Si, AJ. Partridge, C. Yang, AT. Conn, H. Bloomfield-Gadêlha, J. Rossiter, A Contact-triggered Adaptive Soft Suction Cup, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1d3nyztdx0vkw2kcdotlo4ezm0/ |
Title | Data from Electro-origami SciRob 2018 (12-2018) |
Description | Support data for Science Robotics paper: Electro-ribbon actuators and electro-origami robots Taghavi M, Helps T, Rossiter J Science Robotics, December 2018 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data from Electro-ribbon Control 2020 (09-2020) |
Description | This folder contains data presented in 'Closed-loop Control of Electro-ribbon Actuators', published in 'Frontiers in Robotics and AI' Authors: R.S. Diteesawat, A. Fishman, T. Helps, M. Taghavi and J. Rossiter from University of Bristol. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/2sv1xtrsmhoro2qu3io2u244ig/ |
Title | Data from Soft Matter Computing (08-2019) |
Description | Supporting data for paper: A soft matter computer for soft robots M.Garrad, G.Soter, A.T.Conn, H.Hauser and J.Rossiter Science Robotics 2019 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Liquid Metal Logic |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: M. Garrad, H.Y. C, A. T. Conn, H. Hauser, J. Rossiter, Liquid Metal Logic for Soft Robotics. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2021). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1x2rxzq7q9xcv22osl6vpg7bxp/ |
Title | Pump and Vibe 2021 |
Description | Data to support paper: Alice Haynes, Jonathan Lawry, Christopher Kent, Jonathan Rossiter FeelMusic: Enriching Our Emotive Experience of Music Through Audio-Tactile Mappings, Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 2021 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1vj7fcw8m7gzl2uo35fsb3l4zn/ |
Title | Soft electro-pneumatic controller for soft robots |
Description | Included here are data to support the paper: M. Garrad, I. Feeney, A. Conn, J. Rossiter, M. Nemitz, H.Hauser, An all soft electro-pneumatic controller for soft robots IEEE Conference of Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1lwtezdrafm2e29fvz5dorzvj2/ |
Title | data for calming hug paper |
Description | This data supports the paper titled: "A calming hug: Design and validation of a tactile aid to ease anxiety" Authors: Haynes, A., Lywood, A., Crowe, E., Fielding, J., Rossiter, J., Kent, C. Contact: alice.haynes@bristol.ac.uk ======================================== The paper has been accepted for publication in PLoS ONE. ======================================== |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/3cyviafgeukvg2b7umuuxo6639/ |
Description | Collaboration with Prof WeiTso Chia and Dr Chingyu Wang, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Taiwan |
Organisation | National Taiwan University Hospital |
Country | Taiwan, Province of China |
Sector | Hospitals |
PI Contribution | It is a grant of Royal Society International Exchanges 2020, £12000. My team work on 3D Bioprinting Cartilage, in collaboration with Prof WeiTso Chia and Dr Chingyu Wang, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, with an award of NT$ 509,620 by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST), 2021-2023. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof WeiTso Chia and Dr Chingyu Wang are orthopaedic surgeons who contribute to in vivo and clinical research in this collaboration |
Impact | The application is to establish collaboration in the areas of 3D tissue models for drug discovery and cartilage regeneration between Prof Wenhui Song and her team in UCL Centre for Biomaterials in Surgical Reconstruction and Regeneration, University College London, and Associate Professor WeiTso Chia at Department of Orthopaedics, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Taiwan. The aim of this project is to develop and optimise engineered healthy and inflammatory cartilage tissues amenable to human joint organ-like culture and osteoarthritis-like disease condition. We propose to investigate approaches to enable the growth of healthy and inflammatory tissue in test bioreactors by making use of advances in 3D bioprinting technologies, and demonstrate biological functions of the artificial cartilage tissue though formulations of cell-laden collagen hydrogel-based bioinks and screening drug molecules. The ultimate goal of this co-creative effort is to develop long-term collaborations between UK and Taiwan and to increase fundamental understanding of biological principles of cartilage tissue regeneration and pathology of osteoarthritis. The success of the collaboration will contribute to original fundamental science and engineering, and improvement of clinical treatments and significantly reduction/entirely replacement of the use of animal organs in research and drug discovery, generating substantial impact in ageing population, healthcare industry and society in UK, Taiwan and worldwide. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Nature Podcast: The vest that can hear your heartbeat, 16th March 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview on Nature Podcast will publicize globally on the least development of wearable electronics and future impacts on our lifestyle and healthcare. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00760-w |
Description | Participate a opera/voice loss project of "Sound voice" by Dr Tnomas Moors and composer Hannah Conway |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | The Sound Voice project brings together people with lived experience of voice loss - those affected by motor neurone disease, Parkinson's and laryngectomies, with world class artists, biomedical researchers, technologists and healthcare professionals to explore the voice. These are unique opportunities for discussion and shared understanding, bridging the disconnect between the performing arts, science and healthcare. Audiences are introduced to biomedical research, and research teams connect with the people they work to help in new and unusual ways. ( cited from https://soundvoice.org/) A series of Robovox workshops were initially planned in the earlier 2020, which was postponed due to COVID-19. Instead, a series of workshops took place on line in October. BBC Breakfast ran with the story this morning at 8.50am (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r0fq) and is also featured on the BBC Breakfast facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/bbcbreakfast/ |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://soundvoice.org/ |
Description | UCL Medical Sciences Lecture Series: 'Can we grow artificial tissues and organs in the lab?' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave a public lecture of 'Can we grow artificial tissues and organs in the lab?' on UCL Medical Sciences Lecture Series. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/news-and-events/events/medical-sciences-lecture-series There were over 1500 audience registered mainly from secondary schools in UK and students from UCL. I have received many positive feedback and comments from the audience including A-level students, undergraduates, postgraduates, academics and clinical surgeons. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/can-we-grow-artificial-tissues-and-organs-in-the-lab-registration-192294928307# |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giI0c6r1qN4 |
Description | the Cornell-UCL Symposium on Biomedical Applications of Fibers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | The Cornell-UCL Symposium on Biomedical Applications of Fibers was hold online on 26 May, from 0845 - 1310 EST / 1345 - 1810 BST. There are a great line-up of keynote speakers from both Cornell and UCL. The Symposium offered a great way to promote research from my groups and initiate new collaborations with Cornell academics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |