Research

Our research is funded by research councils, industrial collaborators and UK-based charities. Visit our partners and collaborators page for more details.  We focus on meeting industrial societal needs through development of three key areas.

Design Sciences are the theoretical frameworks that underpin the process of designing.  They include design theory and methodology, traditional engineering sciences and an emerging body of design science that draws on the social, biological and physical sciences to underpin human-centred designing, meeting people’s physical, emotional and social needs.  

Advanced Mechatronic & Robotic Devices applies design sciences to create products that assist people in achieving their goals. Our research exploits expertise in mechatronic systems design, including sensing and kinematics, to deliver benefits to end users such as healthcare practitioners and their patients. Key groups currently involved in this research include children with cerebral palsy and patients who have suffered strokes.

Designing Sustainable Systems

Sustainable socio-technical systems is a response to the changing environments within which business and society operate. Our research focuses on challenges businesses are facing in moving from the delivery of products to supporting them through their lives; and on issues surrounding digital inclusion in the emerging digital economy.

The design of sustainable products is a response to the need for society to use less energy and other resources. Current activities include the design of energy efficient vehicles and products for limited resources. A key aspect of this research lies in optimising the design of automotive and aerospace vehicles through the application of advanced materials and optimisation algorithms that result in lighter weight vehicles which, in turn, consume less energy during the operational phases of their lifecycles.