Projects
Investigating uses for a new type of polymeric valve, including
Inventors: Dr. Marta Serrani & Professor Geoff Moggridge, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology Mentor: Bill Matthews The inventors have developed a new type of polymeric material which has high durability and specific mechanical properties, being stiff in one direction and flexible in another. The bio-compatible materials can be manufactured easily using standard industrial methods and are…
Investigating the best markets for 3D-printed medical braces
Inventors: Dr. Sebastian Pattinson & Cassi Henderson, Engineering Mentor: Alim Thawer 20-33% of people suffer from musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis, drop foot, or lower back pain. In developing countries, these conditions can limit education and employment, especially for poor people, causing poverty and inequality. Orthoses (braces) are external devices that can significantly improve quality of…
Identifying the areas of greatest need for improved electrical efficiency,
Inventor: Dr. Teng Long, Engineering Mentor: Steve Compton Electrical power can often be a scarce or expensive resource in low and middle income countries. Cooking and lighting may be done with kerosene or solid fuels rather than electricity, and mobile phones may be recharged using car batteries. In regions without clean water supplies it will…
Exploring the need for polymeric heart valves in the developing
Inventors: Dr. Marta Serrani, Professor Geoff Moggridge, Professor Raimondo Ascione, Dr. Joanne Stasiak & Eugenia Biral, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology Mentor: Dr Bill Matthews Existing prosthetic heart valves are either biological or mechanical, both of which have limitations for patients. Biological heart valves are made from animal tissue, which means they are well-tolerated and biocompatible…
Manufacturing customised nanomaterials – identifying the best possible market ranging
Inventor: Kate Sanders, Institute for Manufacturing Mentor: Dr. Alex Smeets Customised materials with controllable levels of porosity and high surface areas are important in a wide range of applications, for example in catalysts, water purification and as electrode materials for batteries. The inventor has developed a scalable method to manufacture customised micro- and macro- structures…
Understanding the market need for the long-term monitoring of structures
Inventor: Vladimir Vilde, Department of Engineering and Centre for Digital Built Britain Mentor: Martin Carroll It is estimated that there are 3000 sub-standard bridges in the United Kingdom at any one time. Bridge repairs can be very disruptive and costly, requiring closures which can have significant impacts on road and rail traffic. Currently there are…
Investigating home and industrial markets for easy-to-build modular robotics
Inventor: Shaun Kaufmann, Whittle Lab Mentor: Dr. Marc Bax The inventors are working to develop smart building blocks “with a nervous system” to make it quicker and easier to develop simple robots for new tasks. The original vision is to produce an educational system which is straightforward enough to be used by children to build…
Identifying the market needs in Africa and beyond for a
Inventors: Dr. Ljiljana Fruk & Leander Crocker, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology Dr Fruk and her team have been working on developing flavin derivatives which have high catalytic properties. These can quickly degrade toxic dyes in water and were originally intended to be used in water purification activities. The compounds have been successfully attached to magnetic…
Investigating the requirements for air quality monitoring in the developing
Inventor: Peter Pedersen, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sensor Technologies for a Healthy & Sustainable Future and open-seneca Mentor: Dr. Bill Matthews Open-seneca was set up by a group of Cambridge PhD students from the Sensor CDT with the aim of using citizen science to create a global air quality monitoring network. Their solution…