Wearable Med-Tech A project to design a device that can be worn by a person to support their rehabilitation following a knee operation.

Module Lead

Franziska Conrad

Teaching Team

Dr Charles Burson-Thomas
Prof Andrew Chipperfield
Hazel Mitchell
Toru Sueyoshi

Following a knee operation, a person will experience stiffness and reduced range of motion, joint strength, and stability in their affected joint. Building back strength, function, and flexibility is a substantial undertaking for that person, but essential for maximising their quality of life and independence. There is great interest in the potential of wearable technology to further support patient recovery.

In this design project, the teams are tasked to design a device that can be worn by a person to support their rehabilitation following a knee operation. The device needs to measure the motion of the person’s knee, and use this information to promote their recovery. For the device to be successful, it needs to be easy to use, comfortable to wear, quick to put on, and, for want of a better word, something the typical person will ‘like’ using.

Frequently, the complexity in biomedical engineering is getting the interactions between the mechanical/electrical device and the person right. In short, everyone is different; different geometries and personalities respond to the same stimulus differently. This project involves grappling with this challenge, and supports students in better understanding how to design for different people – a key skill for a successful biomedical engineer.