Funded MSc by Research Studentship: Development of Monitoring Wearable Module for Smart Compression Garments

*This scholarship is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.*

MSc by Research for UK or EU applicants in the field of: Medical Engineering

Subject study: Development of monitoring wearable module for smart compression garments

Lymphoedema is a chronic condition, where the drainage of fluid from the tissues is compromised. This then leads to swelling of the tissue, such as arms or legs. The condition has a significant impact on the quality of life, and also health and economic implications. Compression garments are currently the primary path of treatment, but is poorly understood. Also, no feedback is available to the patients on the efficiency of the garment treatment in between appointments at the clinic.

The proposed aim for this study is to investigate the development of smart garments for continuous monitoring of limb volume through strain and possibly pressure measurements.

Haydale has been developing, in collaboration with Swansea University (Dr D. Deganello), advanced technologies for smart textiles, including strain and pressure. As part of the project the student will integrate the Haydale technologies with the specific need of specific application, developing a first prototype garment with opportune verification of its performance.

The development of smart garment will also take advantage of current collaboration between the College of Engineering (Dr R. Van Loon) and the Lymphoedema Clinic at Singleton Hospital, This partnership is currently focusing on quantifying the pressure variability due to arm shape through a combination of 3D camera scans and computational models; smart garment would fit seamlessly into this collaboration providing invaluable information and a route to market exploitation.

Eligibility

Candidates should have a 2.1 or above in their undergraduate degree in Engineering or a related subject.

Please visit our website for more information on eligibility criteria: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/medical-engineering-kess-msc-research-monitoring-wearable-module.php