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The University of Southampton
Engineering

Advancing healthcare research & technology in prosthetics & orthotics

Brief description

We take an interdisciplinary user-centred design approach to discover and develop novel body interface sensors, computational modelling, imaging, technologies to help improve the quality of live for people with disabilities and mobility disorders.

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The challenge

The body-device interface plays an important role for both upper and lower limb amputees who wear a prosthesis. Lower limb amputees experience extensive and prolonged forces applied on their residual limbs whilst walking, which can lead to  significant discomfort and pain.

People with diabetes can be at significant risk of developing foot ulcers which can lead to amputations. This is a huge problem as many existing risk mitigation approaches lack effectiveness. The problem is caused by loss of foot sensation and changes in foot loading during gait. Currently, there is a lack of suitable sensing solutions to measure real-time pressure (compression) and shear (rubbing) force underneath feet which hinders the development of effective technologies for prevention of foot ulcers in daily living environment. It is both the pressure and shear forces applied over prolonged periods of time that cause tissue breakdown which could quickly develop into ulcers.

We collaborate with some of the best researchers, world leading industry, clinicians and PPI groups to address these unmet needs.

What we do

We are developing a unique tri-axial pressure and shear sensor technology designed for body interface applications. This is a first of its kind platform sensor technology which is safe to wear and functioned to provide real time multidirectional forces at a range of loaded body interfaces. Preliminary studies with limb amputees and people with diabetes have been very successful.

We apply our research to a wide range of biomedical application areas whereby body/device interface loading is critical, such as diabetic insoles , mattresses, special seating, assistive rehabilitation robotics, and feedback systems for chest compression in reviving cardiac arrest.

We also conduct novel musculoskeletal research using computational means and biomechanical analysis to generate new understanding in the interdisciplinary fields of engineering and physics, clinical rehabilitation and assistive technology.

Our research and innovation is supported by an extensive collaboration network and a broad funding portfolio.

Our impact

The facilities we used and partners we work with

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