ANNUAL REPORT 2010 - Loughborough University

18
IMCRC Current
RESEARCh ThEMES
Customised Products
This theme seeks to make products that
suit the requirements of customers at a cost
similar to mass-produced goods. Designers,
manufacturers, users, distributors and
world-class academics are together
generating novel design and manufacturing
techniques. The following projects are
included within this theme.
Project 185 - Tailored Injury Prevention and
Performance Improvement for Protective
Sports garments (SCUTA) aims to produce
comfortable, conformable, personal,
protective equipment for athletes taking
part in three different sports. New models
of assessment of impact injuries to the body
are being evaluated and novel material
structures being designed to help dissipate
the impact of the forces incurred within
these sports.
Project 219 – A Unique human grip
Simulator for Robotic Testing of Sports
Equipment, is developing a mechanism
of the human grip to more realistically
simulate the motions of the hand when
gripping and manipulating lightweight,
flexible structures. The project is focusing
on golf, with the ultimate objective to
develop a golf robot capable of recreating
the unique swing profiles of different
golfers.
The IMCRC is renowned for its expertise
in modelling for injury prevention and
engineering design. Project 281 - Rail
Transport Safety for Pregnant occupants
- Preliminary Investigations, aims to have
an impact on safety considerations in
railway transport for pregnant women and
contribute to UK public transport design,
without compromising the safety of nonpregnant
occupants.
Project 254 - Feasibility Study for
Anthropometric Test Device and
Computational Models for Ageing occupants
has been focussed on producing guidelines
for automotive safety engineers and medical
engineers, for the representation of ageing
vehicle occupants in order to minimise the
risk of injuries and fatality as a result of
road traffic accidents.
AnnuAl RepoRt 2010
healthy & Secure Future
This IMCRC theme is providing enhanced
environments and products to improve our
safety and security, and promote healthier
lifestyles. Research within this theme
includes facilitating healthcare delivery
through the Centre’s involvement in the
cross institutional ‘HaCIRIC’ project and
the transformation of bioscience onto
commercial practice through the ‘Remedi’
Grand Challenge.
Project 248 - The health and Care
Infrastructure Research and Innovation
Centre (haCIRIC) is focussed on
researching the infrastructure needed to
deliver healthcare. This is a collaboration
project with research centres at Imperial
College, Loughborough, Reading, and
Salford. Loughborough-led aspects of the
research include: the development of a
continuous improvement framework for
the procurement of primary healthcare
facilities; the adoption of disruptive
innovation as a mechanism for change in
the NHS; metrics, models and toolkits for
a sustainable urban environment; proactive
resilient engineering and emergency
mitigation protocols; the innovative
design of well performing built healing
environments; and the design of sustainable
healthcare infrastructure and healthcare
facilities. HaCIRIC now has regular input
into Department of Health and NHS policy
process in healthcare technology and
innovation management.
The grand Challenge project 214 –
Regenerative Medicine: A New Industry
(Remedi) is led by Prof. David Williams
at the Loughborough IMCRC. This Grand
Challenge includes two IMRCs, three other
universities and eleven key collaborators,
in a £7 million project over five years.
It aims to demonstrate how established
bioscience can be transformed into profitable
commercial practice and generate affordable
therapies, while developing the science
of manufacture. The Loughborough-led
research is focussed on creating process
demonstrators for three products: scaffolds,
cells and tissues, and on SME tools. The
project has already demonstrated the
automated, scaleable culture of: human
bone marrow and umbilical cord blood
derived hMSCs; multiple hESC lines in
serum‐free or feeder‐free conditions; two
‘near to clinic’ commercial cell types, verified
against commercially relevant endpoints;
differentiated otic progenitor cells from
hESCs for application to hearing disorder
therapy; and human endothelial progenitor
cells for drug screening applications.
Project 223 - Complex Bone Surgery
Simulation is engineering tailored bone
phantoms with realistic visual and physical
properties, to simulate surgical practices
and enhance medical training. This research
is already influencing surgical teaching.
Is the quality of life of elderly people
affected by biomechanical changes in the
body? Project 298 - Investigations to Prevent
Falls in the Ageing Population, is a unique
study into the role spine curvature plays in
postural stability and falls in old age.
Project 220 - Understanding the older
Construction Worker, is identifying changes
required in the construction workplace,
and in the tools and equipment used, if
older workers are to remain productive in
the industry. This research is important
for health and safety considerations as the
average age of the construction worker
continues to increase.
The Project 263 - The Relative Value and
Systemic Implications of Counter-Terrorism
Measures, is protecting key components
of the built environment by evaluating the
systemic implications associated with the
use of counter-terrorism measures. The
project is contributing to future legislation,
guidelines and codes of practice.
Project 300 - Link with the University
of Milan in Commercial Exploitation of
Bioscience was established in order to
form a link with the University of Milan
in the area of commercial exploitation
of bioscience. By enabling researchers
to access capabilities and work in
development for activity in micro and
nano-biotechnology at Loughborough, and
bio-related processing and microfluidics
capabilities in Milan, an early feasibility
trial for high adhesion electro-less plating
of thermoplastic polymers using a nanocomposite
base layer has been undertaken.
Project 303 - Modelling Complex Sustainable
Urban Environments for 2050, is exploring
the use of systems dynamics for modelling
the effective delivery of infrastructure and
services, together with potential applications
of complexity theories in strategic decisionmaking
for the healthcare industry.
Project 308 - The use of innovative equipment
and techniques to improve construction
safety on the Birmingham New Street Station
Refurbishment project, will investigate
innovative multimedia methods used in the
safety induction process on a major building
refurbishment contract in order to produce
guidelines for effective design induction
processes for construction workers.