Mechatronics for health combines components of mechanical, electronic, and biomedical engineering. It involves creating devices such as prosthetic limbs, robotic assistive devices, joint replacements, and many more.
Examples you may know already
Mechatronics is an exciting field and there are many examples that you may be aware of. One fairly common example is that of prosthetic limbs, which often incorporate electronics and robotics to allow them to act more like the body part they’re designed to replace. For example, robotic hands have been developed that are able to carry out complex movements, as well as gripping and manipulating objects. The following figures show a lightweight prosthetic designed for five-year-old children by a group at Southampton.
Another example is exoskeletons, which have been used to assist people with mobility impairments in walking, as well as assisting with stroke rehabilitation.
Below you can see an example of a wearable exoskeleton system designed by students at the university of Southampton to assist with arm rehabilitation.
Examples of Research at the University of Southampton
Researchers at Southampton are currently working to develop an electronic sleeve to allow stroke patients to regain lost movement. When someone has a stroke it leads to the death of neurons in their brain, which often makes it difficult or impossible to carry out tasks such as flicking a light-switch or tying shoelaces. These abilities can be regained through rehabilitation, however this is a very lengthy process and current provision often falls short of what is required for patients to recover their full range of movement.
The assistive device works using functional electrical stimulation, in which electrical pulses are applied to electrodes placed on the skin in order to activate the underlying muscles. This causes them to contract, resulting in joint movement, although controlled movement requires stimulation to be applied at precise locations on the arm.
This can be achieved through using a grid of electrodes, along with algorithms that observe the movement and update where stimulation is applied in real time based on this information.
Close collaboration between researchers across the department of electronics and computer science has led to the development of a soft, flexible electrode array that can be incorporated into garments, as shown below.
This opens up the possibility of integrating a large number of electrode arrays into clothing, assisting stroke patients with a much wider range of movements.
This same technology has also been used to aid patients suffering from paralysis after spinal cord injury.
Educational program pathway at the University of Southampton
The biomedical engineering course at Southampton is closely linked to the real-world research being carried out at the university. From as early as year 1 students have the chance to engage with mechatronics-related design projects. This group project involves designing and controlling a brace to suppress tremor in patents with Parkinson’s using functional electrical stimulation. This is done by applying electrical pulses to stimulate the opposing muscles in order to cancel out the unwanted movement.
Modules are tailored to give students a wide range of knowledge and experience needed for application in this area. To give a few examples:
- Students are introduced to the theoretical basis of robotic design in ‘robotic systems’ module, and get hands-on experience in the ‘biologically-inspired robotics’ design project.
- ‘Engineering replacement body parts’ gives an introduction to prosthetic limbs, cochlear implants, and stem cell engineering, as well as covering the ethical issues surrounding these topics.
- Students learn about the mechanics and materials of joint replacements and other implants in ‘orthopaedic biomechanics’ and ‘biomaterials’ modules.
For more information on the University of Southampton’s Biomedical Engineering programme, please visit https://www.southampton.ac.uk/study/subjects/biomedical-medical-engineering.