Jayden Hewlett

Email: jayden.hewlett@bristol.ac.uk

Project title: Development of a palpating robot swarm for the characterisation and mapping of biological tissues

Supervisory team: Dr Antonia Tzemanaki and Prof Sabine Hauert

 

Project summary

The project aims to investigate the use of swarm intelligence technologies coupled with dexterous manipulation techniques to characterise the physical properties of biological tissues. Palpation is the action of physically manipulating tissues and joints and is often one of the first stages in any diagnostic or therapeutic assessment, while swarm robotics refers to robots with simple behaviours working together in a collective to achieve complex goals.

Swarm robotics and swarm intelligence are becoming more widespread in healthcare research, typically in drug delivery contexts to help take drugs to the precise locations they are needed in the body. However, there is comparatively little research into how macro-scale swarms could augment healthcare practices. Swarm algorithms are fantastic for efficient search and mapping in difficult terrain, which immediately made me think of their application potential in searching and mapping the human body and providing robust data for diagnosis, therapy, and monitoring. Such a device could be accessible enough for a patient to use in the comfort of their own home.

From that I have formalised two overarching objectives for this project: one to develop wireless robotic hardware that can palpate or otherwise manipulate tissues itself; the other being to take advantage of swarm robotic algorithms for efficient investigation of a target area that provides clinically relevant physiological data. Smaller milestones that represent more specific technological investigations will comprise the steps to achieve these goals, with the expectation that a proof-of-concept device that embodies one of these two pillars will be achievable by the end of this PhD.

The nature and extent of the final deliverable will be highly dependent on the results of these milestone experiments and any difficulties that present themselves, but I am looking forward to overcoming these challenges and producing work that will make a positive impact on the future of healthcare technologies.

Bio

I've been at the University of Bristol for quite some time, completing both my BSc in Physics (2021) and my MSc in Nanoscience and Functional Nanomaterials (2022) here. My undergraduate dissertation explored the use of acoustics to measure the mechanical properties of blood cells for use as a diagnostic aid, while my master's thesis investigated the use of silver nanoparticles and 405 nm light to inhibit bacteria growth. My interest in the physics of biological systems helped to inform my choice to apply for CDT Digital Health and Care, which I thought would be a fantastic opportunity to apply my physics background to a health context.