Cutting edge prosthetics with improved sense of touch among 100 new discovery projects to receive government funding

100 ambitious UK research projects which could each be the seed of a life-changing discovery have today received backing from Science Minister Lord Vallance as he underlined the importance of supporting curiosity-driven research to improve lives and grow the economy.

Researchers at 39 institutes from Aberdeen to Exeter are being supported by a share of £80 million to take forward potentially transformative ideas, in fields from healthcare to clean energy and artificial intelligence to quantum computing. Projects include a new prosthetic arm which can help identify different textures and a ‘biomarker’ tool which could detect blood clots earlier and help prevent serious illness.

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.

Another funded project sees Professor Karl Hawkins at Swansea University working to develop new ‘biomarker’ tools which allow blood clot formation and breakdown to be measured efficiently in the same test, on the same blood sample, to improve treatments. 

Currently, secondary tests are often needed to measure the breakdown of clots, and current drugs are sometimes ineffective. Success would allow a precise tracking of clot breakdown, helping researchers and pharmaceutical firms to develop new treatments to tackle blood clots – preventing heart attacks and strokes from taking hold and supporting the NHS. 

Lord Vallance, who spent decades as a researcher and served as the government’s chief scientific adviser, has described curiosity-driven research as the ‘goose that lays the golden egg’. This allows researchers to follow their curiosity to push back the boundaries of human knowledge. It has led to countless major breakthroughs in the UK and abroad, from fast-track vaccines which saved lives during the pandemic to the lithium-ion batteries we rely on to power the electronics we use every day.

Science Minister, 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.

Further projects include Dr Shelly Vishwakarma 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 – and by incorporating this into technology like virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, it could enable sign language users to benefit from ‘smart’ gadgets and reduce digital exclusion.

Meanwhile, Professor Marialena Nikolopoulou of the University of Kent is leading a collaboration to produce new mathematical models and guidelines that advise how schools can better design playgrounds in a way that is more comfortable in hot and cold weather – helping to keep children healthy and maximising opportunities for them to stay active and outdoors.

Professor Charlotte Deane, EPSRC’s Executive Chair, said:

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.

Other projects receiving funding

King’s College London

A King’s College London study into countering quantum attacks on messaging platforms in standard computers – which could have major security benefits for businesses and governments as well as individuals.

University of Bristol 

Work at the University of Bristol to understand the behaviour of polyelectrolyte gels which could be key to advancing robotics, drug delivery, water purification and energy storage.

University of Edinburgh

A project at the University of Edinburgh on exploiting next generation X-ray sources for extreme conditions research.

Loughborough University

A project at Loughborough University supporting the development of smart polymer nanoparticles, which measure a diameter of a thousand times less than the human hair. Greater understanding of their shell coating and how they interact in an external environment can advance drug delivery and medical imaging.

University College London

Work at University College London into human-centred machine intelligence to optimise robotic surgical training.

Imperial College London

A study at Imperial College London to understand the effect of hip muscles on knee pain.