Clever robotic clothing that could help prevent falls and help wearers remain independent has received backing from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The new VIVO Hub for Enhanced Independent Living will work with the NHS, charities, care providers, and industrial partners to develop healthcare technologies to restore the independence of older people and people with disabilities by developing in-home, on-body physical assistance devices to enhance their lives.

VIVO devices include clothing that ‘puts itself on’, smart garments to help prevent falls, and soft exosuits to help people get up from a chair, climb stairs, and walk for longer. VIVO power clothing combines AI and digital monitoring technologies with on-body energy storage and power delivery to help people to go to the shops, meet friends and be active in their communities.

The VIVO Hub is led by the University of Bristol with partners University of the West of England (UWE), University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, and the University of Strathclyde.

Project lead Professor Jonathan Rossiter, based in Bristol’s Faculty of Science and Engineering and Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), explained: “Smart robotic clothing has the potential to act as an enabler of movement, activity and independence for people with disability and frailty.

“The VIVO Hub aims to make clothing smarter, stronger, and more capable, helping wearers to be active for longer. Imagine robotic clothing that puts itself on in the morning, helps prevent falls, and detects when the wearer is walking up stairs and automatically gives them a power boost.

“Our ambitious vision is to redefine how we think of clothing. Smart robotic clothing is not just for fashion and warmth, but also provides health monitoring, physical assistance, rehabilitation, helping to restore an active and independent life.”

VIVO is one of five new hubs that will deliver a world-leading research programme focused on advancing and developing novel engineering and physical sciences research.

Project clinical lead Professor Emily Henderson, Consultant Geriatrician based in Bristol Medical School, added: “In later life, older people can often find carrying out activities on a day-to-day basis a struggle because of difficulties with mental and physical health.

“This can have an enormous impact on their enjoyment of life as well as leading to increasing disability and the need for more care.

“It is vital that research tackles the need to support and enable older people to live independent and fulfilled lives in their own homes.

“This funding represents a pioneering and innovative approach to supporting older people by designing technologies to support older people. I anticipate that these approaches, that critically move away from drugs and medications, are likely to be safe, effective, and accessible. This is an exciting and promising horizon in enhancing and promoting wellbeing and independence in later life.”

The University of Bristol has also received funding from the EPSRC for another project.

Experts at the university 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.