N-STAR PROJECT - Novel - Science, Technologies and Aspirational Research

Project (N-STAR) will develop 'Basic Technology' that addresses the growing need for more flexible and adaptive technologies within health-care. This project will specifically aim to deliver a wide range of novel innovations and bring maximum impact across a wide range of science and technology bases, by promoting strong cross-disciplinary cultures amongst leading experts whilst producing world-leading research that will strengthen the EPSRC portfolio. The overarching objective of N-STAR is to combine and interconnect all the partners, to reach beyond individual partner specialism's and to provide an outcome which is fully developed and assessed, in order to provide solutions which are
innovative in a integrated manner, achieving a balanced approach through use of technology and science.This is a crossdisciplinary science and engineering research project that supports the Research Council UK Basic Technology Programme to deliver smarter, faster and safer technologies for the health care sector. It brings together a team of leading experts from different fields of research to develop exciting novel technological innovations that meet EPSRC's range of health objectives (see challenges for more details). The combination of academic and industry participants will encourage holistic knowledge transfer around healthcare, NHS practices, commercial exploitation, economic and social science and innovation opportunities. The range and depth of knowledge of each member is strengthened by the exciting potential that novel technologies could have on a wide range of science and engineering bases. Project N-STAR will deliver a cross-disciplinary research consortia, symposiums, community led activities, and an international exhibition, with the purpose of promoting novel technologies for future investment. Major support from industrial partners strengthens the network, knowledge, technology and resource capability of the project.Project N-STAR aims to develop a new 'Basic Technology' that will further enable the development of malleable circuits with the capabilities to fit in, on, and through any electronics used for healthcare reasons. We propose to break new ground through the development of a wide range of novel technologies that use this Basic Technology. There are 5 main technical challenges that this research will address:

(1) remote monitoring technologies to detect infection in the body, (2) a range of clinical devices (maxillofacial, ENT and Oral surgery), (3) Intelligent healthcare management software, (4) digital fabrics for hospital garments, (5) anatomical robotic exoskeleton with embedded electronics (see cross-disciplinary challenges in section 1.6).