PhD Studentship: Instrumented Medical Implant Design

Closing Date: 29 April 2024 at 23:59

Eligibility: UK Applicants only

Funding

EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship offering the award of fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant of £19,237 per year for 3.5 years. 

Lead Supervisor’s full name and email address

Professor Steven Freear – [email protected]

Co-supervisor name: Dr David Cowell – [email protected]

Project summary

Background

Do you have an interest electronics / robotics / sensors? Would you like to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to realise a revolutionary step in orthopaedic surgery?

Around 10-15% of knee joint replacements fail by 10 years needing revision which is costly and usually associated with inferior outcome. Number of revisions in the young and active patients is up to 15-times higher. New implants are developed for improving function and longevity. However, in-vitro testing provides limited and at times misleading information. Past two decades have witnessed introduction of implants which have not lived up to their expectations and associated with higher failure rates. In-vivo testing and early diagnosis of a “failing joint” are essential to understand which technologies could be introduced into routine practice.

Hypothesis

This PhD will study aspects of a self-contained instrumented medical implant capable of measuring various physical parameters (e.g. force, motion and temperature) the device is targeted at joint replacement (e.g. hip and knee). Possible applications include: early detection of poorly performing implants, assist patients interaction with their recovery, This will provide improved post-operative care with greater convenience to the patient and reduced burden on healthcare services.

Aims and Objectives

• Explore the strain force relationship for polyethylene embedded components.
• Analyse power transfer or energy harvesting strategies including depth dependence.
• Develop novel embedded systems frameworks to minimise data storage.
• Study security encryption to ensure compliance with regulatory framework and patient confidentiality.

Entry requirements

First Class UK Bachelor (Honours) or equivalent

Subject Area: Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Keywords

Medical Electronics, Medical Robotics, Embedded Systems, Medical Sensors, Sensor Design