Pioneering assistive tech ideas among 100 new discovery projects to receive share of £80m funding

100 ambitious UK research projects that could each be the seed of a life-changing discovery have received backing from Science Minister Lord Vallance, which include various innovative assistive technology projects.

Researchers at 39 institutes in the UK are being supported by a share of £80 million from the UK Government to take forward potentially transformative ideas in the science and technology spaces.

One of the 100 projects supported by UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), conducted at the University of Bristol, will develop tailored neuro-signals for prosthetic arms to improve the sense of touch for those who have lost limbs. Dr Ben Ward-Cherrier will seek to tackle a key limitation of existing prosthetics in registering the texture and slipperiness of items that users touch.

Integrating a natural-feeling sense of touch into artificial arms would boost the quality of life for millions of amputees and others born without limbs across the world, while also supporting robotics.

Dr Ward-Cherrier explained: “Restoring a natural sense of touch to upper-limb amputees relies on a comprehensive understanding of how tactile signals are encoded in our nervous system.

“This project will be a hugely important step in decoding these tactile signals and demonstrating a proof-of-principle system connecting tactile sensors to individual sensory neurons.

“I’m very excited to be working on this topic alongside talented clinicians and world-leading experts in microstimulation at the University of Aix-Marseille.”

Lord Vallance said: “We are backing 100 ambitious projects up and down the UK which could spark the beginning of a new generation of life-changing developments, from more comfortable and effective prosthetic arms to earlier detection and prevention of blood clots. It is vital we support bright researchers to explore a new generation of discoveries.”

Another project receiving funding includes Dr Shelly Vishwakarma, who is leading work by the University of Southampton to develop a radar-based prototype which is able to recognise and translate users’ hand movements while doing British Sign Language, without the need for cameras.

This will protect users’ privacy. By incorporating this into technology like virtual assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, it could enable sign language users to benefit from smart gadgets and reduce digital exclusion.

Professor Charlotte Deane, EPSRC Executive Chair, added: “Discovery science is the bedrock of innovation, feeding the pipeline of progress critical to prosperity, sustainability, security, competitiveness, quality of life and resilience to future challenges.

“It’s always been a UK strength and EPSRC has always been at the forefront of maintaining and extending this. Utilising and enhancing expertise in all parts of the country, these new EPSRC-backed projects will generate a legacy of extraordinary new knowledge, with impacts felt across the UK and the globe.”

Experts from the University of Bristol have recently developed a sensory pen which can transform Braille into English text. The handheld assistive device, which includes a one-centimetre sensor with 19 channels programmed to read Braille, has demonstrated high accuracy in early trials