RESEARCH
ETB are carrying out a number of research programmes as well as developing their own products.  The main research projects that ETB have been involved in or are currently working on are related to the following areas:

GAIT TRAINER: TSB – Assistive Living Programme. 
ETB are the lead partner in this project to develop diagnostic tools to quantify the gait characteristics of the elderly at risk of falls and people with leg injuries or ailments that affect their walking pattern.  The other two project partners are, The London Knee Clinic and

Bath Institute of Medical Engineering (BIME).  The project started in September and has a 2 year duration.  The main tasks for each partner are as follows;

ETB will develop a system that can monitor three specific aspects of a person’s gait: stride duration, phasing between the left and right leg and knee flexure angle for both legs simultaneously.

The London Knee Clinic will develop protocols for using the equipment and monitoring all three parameters on patients, both before and after treatment.  The aim is to develop a system that can be used as a diagnostic tool by orthopaedic surgeons and a rehabilitation monitoring tool for physiotherapists.

BIME will focus their work on the elderly.  One aim is to identify which elderly people are at risk of falling before they have had a fall.  A further aim is to develop training exercises to help those identified as at risk of falling and then monitor their progress.

Healthy Aims: A EU Framework 6 project that secured over €16M Euro of funding over 4 years for the €26M Euro project. There were 26 partners, including 6 SMEs, across 9 EU countries. These partners have developed a range of medical systems and implants to help the aging population and those with disabilities. The project was funded under the IST Microsystem programme and combined experts from a wide range of disciplines. ETB were the Coordinator for the project, but they also had responsibility for the design of the activity monitor and also the technical design for the low cost disposable electronic catheter system. To read more about Healthy Aims visit the project web site www.healthyaims.org  The project completed August 2008.  A summary of the project results can be found here (2.5MB PDF file)

MNT DTI's Micro Nano Technology Programme (Call 2), Wireless Microsystem for human Body Motion, Project 72.  The aims of the project were to develop a sensor system to determine fall and balance in elderly people and transmit the results over the mobile phone network.  ETB were the project leader and sensor developer, other partners in the project were Vodafone and Zarlink. A simplified diagrammatic picture of the project aims can be found here.  This project successfully completed in August 2008 meeting all of its objectives. A summary of the project results can be found here.

TERPS: Sensors and Sensor System for Industrial Application Programme, Trench Etched Resonant Pressure Sensor

NuTap: Pressure Sensor System for Urology Application

TUBA: Implanted ‘Dropped Foot Stimulator’

Sphincter

Inertial Measurement Unit

Sensors/Actuators