A funded studentship is available as part of the Autonomous and Intelligent Healthcare System (SYSIASS) project which represents a major collaboration between the Universities of Kent and Essex in the UK and the Institut Supérieur d’Electronique et du Numérique (ISEN) and Laboratoire d’Automatique, Génie Informatique et Signal (LAGIS) at the Ecole Centrale de Lille, France. The project aims to address a range of technological barriers currently inhibiting the uptake of new technological advances within the healthcare professions with a special emphasis on technology related to the efficient administration of medical services at the point of delivery via the development of autonomous “smart trolleys”, and in providing efficient secure communications to such points of delivery.
The project will address RF communications issues related to patient interaction with an autonomous wheelchair and possibly also to the risk of electronic interference within confined medical environments such as hospital buildings, care homes etc. The antennas group at Kent has a history developing body centric RF transmission on humans. Wearable antennas have been developed and more recently an RFID tag that can be fabricated as a transfer tattoo. It is intended that these concepts can be furthered to facilitate an interaction between a patient and an autonomous wheelchair by developing skin mounted tags capable of sensing medical and environmental factors. As a wider issue, it may also be of interest to control RF interference via the application of Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) technology to hospital and care home buildings. One way to achieve good frequency re-use is through the use of actively switched frequency selective surfaces (AFSS) integrated with building walls. This project will involve the modelling and measurement of physical RF structures such as antennas and FSS and their effect on propagation within rooms and corridors in scale models and possibly real buildings which have been modified to incorporate FSS panels. The project will involve computer simulation and design as well as fabrication and transmission measurement of trial designs using microwave facilities at the University of Kent.
The candidate will be expected to work as part of the wider project team and contribute to the integrated system. The work will also involve close collaboration with the other partner institutions with whom regular meetings will be held.
Candidates should have, or are expecting to obtain in the near future, a first class or good 2.1 honours degree in a relevant branch of engineering, mathematics, or computer science. An appropriate degree at Masters level will be an advantage.
This studentship will be provided for a period of three years at the standard EPSRC rate which covers tuition fees and includes a non-taxable subsistence allowance, of approximately £13,000 p.a. With a separate budget for IT equipment, software and travel to conferences and project meetings.
Applicants should apply online stating that they wish to be considered for the SYSIASS project. The closing date is 30th April 2012.
The project will address RF communications issues related to patient interaction with an autonomous wheelchair and possibly also to the risk of electronic interference within confined medical environments such as hospital buildings, care homes etc. The antennas group at Kent has a history developing body centric RF transmission on humans. Wearable antennas have been developed and more recently an RFID tag that can be fabricated as a transfer tattoo. It is intended that these concepts can be furthered to facilitate an interaction between a patient and an autonomous wheelchair by developing skin mounted tags capable of sensing medical and environmental factors. As a wider issue, it may also be of interest to control RF interference via the application of Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) technology to hospital and care home buildings. One way to achieve good frequency re-use is through the use of actively switched frequency selective surfaces (AFSS) integrated with building walls. This project will involve the modelling and measurement of physical RF structures such as antennas and FSS and their effect on propagation within rooms and corridors in scale models and possibly real buildings which have been modified to incorporate FSS panels. The project will involve computer simulation and design as well as fabrication and transmission measurement of trial designs using microwave facilities at the University of Kent.
The candidate will be expected to work as part of the wider project team and contribute to the integrated system. The work will also involve close collaboration with the other partner institutions with whom regular meetings will be held.
Candidates should have, or are expecting to obtain in the near future, a first class or good 2.1 honours degree in a relevant branch of engineering, mathematics, or computer science. An appropriate degree at Masters level will be an advantage.
This studentship will be provided for a period of three years at the standard EPSRC rate which covers tuition fees and includes a non-taxable subsistence allowance, of approximately £13,000 p.a. With a separate budget for IT equipment, software and travel to conferences and project meetings.
Applicants should apply online stating that they wish to be considered for the SYSIASS project. The closing date is 30th April 2012.