Soft robotic technologies for next-generation bio-integrative medical devices

医疗保健需要更先进的疗法，与人体的生物和物理系统紧密结合。这些包括与年龄有关的身体退化的新疗法，例如循环系统，以及手术后的功能恢复，包括癌症切除，以及包括交通事故在内的创伤。不幸的是，目前的医疗方法和设备严重依赖传统的“硬”技术，这些技术限制了有效性并增加了安全性和成本问题。相比之下，软机器人技术具有通过利用在自然界中如此普遍的“软-软”界面进行紧密生物整合的潜力。软机器人提供更安全、可扩展、更低成本和更有效的个性化医疗。该奖学金将开发创新的模块化软机器人技术，用于下一代生物集成医疗和治疗系统的快速开发。为了实现未来的软机器人医疗技术，需要在开发管道上进行协调一致的努力，从基本的生物相容性智能材料及其相应的非线性粘弹性数学建模到高效的顺应机制和完整的顺应机器。将开展材料和机制的基础研究，并将为一套模块化软机器人组件的识别和表征提供信息，这些组件可作为完整植入式医疗设备的“构建模块”。所识别和开发的技术将直接有助于生物整合医学治疗的复杂性的一步变化。这将加强联合王国在医疗保健技术领域的能力，并将为改善各种患者的护理标准和生活质量做出重大贡献。

Healthcare is in need of more advanced therapies that integrate closely with the biological and physical systems of the human body. These include new treatments for age-related physical degradation, for example in the circulatory system, and post-operative functional restoration following surgery, including cancer removal, and trauma including traffic accidents. Unfortunately current medical treatments and devices rely heavily on conventional 'hard' technologies that limit effectiveness and raise safety and cost issues. In contrast soft robotic technologies have the potential for close bio-integration by exploiting the 'soft-soft' interfacing that is so prevalent in Nature. Soft robotics offers safer, scalable, lower cost and more effective personalised medical treatments. This fellowship will develop innovative modular soft robotic technologies for rapid exploitation in the next generation bio-integrative medical and therapeutic systems.To enable future soft robotic healthcare technologies requires a concerted effort across the development pipeline from fundamental biocompatible smart materials and their corresponding nonlinear viscoelastic mathematical modelling to efficient compliant mechanisms and complete compliant machines. Fundamental studies into materials and mechanisms will be undertaken and will feed into the identification and characterisation of a set of modular soft robotic components that act as 'building blocks' for complete implantable medical devices.The technologies identified and developed will contribute directly to a step change in the sophistication of bio-integrative medical treatments. These will strengthen the UKs capability in the field of healthcare technologies and will make a significant contribution to improvements in standards of care and quality of life for a wide range of patients.