Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• Understanding the requirements of medical device design
• Obtain an introduction to rapid analysis of design requirements
• Experience the planning and development of the prototyping/testing stages of designing a product
• Experience of using manual and computer based design tools (as required) 2D/3D CAD systems, FEA, CAM, standard and 'bespoke' DAQ & sensor systems, electrical/electronic CAD and simulation
• To assemble one or more prototype systems, using: ◾Additive/Subtractive rapid manufacturing techniques ◾PCB manufacture ◾Sensors ◾Low cost/low power micro-controllers where appropriate

Content

Working with mentors from local consultancies, NHS, care organisations and CUED staff, student teams will be tasked with developing a concept and prototype for a new  'medical' product for use in  the heathcare, e.g. NHS, medical research, Assistive Technologies, care homes or domicillary care. 

The brief will be relatively open but it is expected that each task will require a range of engineering techniques, typically inc.,

• Mechanical Design
  • Materials
  • Mechanism design
  • Ergonomics
• Electronic  Design inc
  • Sensors
  • Signal conditioning
  • Data Aquisition
  • Use of microprocessors
• Software
  • Data Analysis using statistics/AI/ML
  • UI Design - development

 Support will be given in the form of a  number of short lectures/videos/documentation - given by staff and mentors on

• medical device design, 
• project planning,
• presenting
• use of specific commercial software(where appropriate)
• Use of AI/LLM/.. in engineering design. Students will be encoraged to inverstigate the use of  AI reources to undertake their project.

Mentors and staff will be available during the sessions/on-line, 

Feedback from the stakeholders will be available in person/text/on-line, depending on availability

NB The project is in two sections 

LENT TERM

- 3 4hr sessions on Wednesday afternoons in Lent [18, 25 Feb, 11 Mar 2026]  during which the pre-allocated multidisciplinary teams investigate the individual

projects that are set, brainstorm possible solutions, interact with mentors, develop prototypes and plans

- The final session in Lent is during the afternoon of 18 Mar, where the teams give group presentations on their plans and requests for resources

for the design/build/test/demostrate sessions in the Easter Term. As such it is very important the all team members are available all the sessons

EASTER TERM

- the project only runs for 3 weeks + 1-2 days.

 The final attendance part of the  project ends with a lunch/poster session followed by team presentations, held a the begining of the last week of the Easter term project period,

for the mentors and interested stakeholders

NB  The team nature of the project means that the it is important that all members of each team are available for all  the timetabled sessions, especially those in Lent term,

(expected to be Wednesday afternoon 2-6pm, wks 4,5,7,8. [18, 25 Feb, 11, 18 Mar 2026]) 

If a student has prior engagements during these afternoons it is suggested you choose an alternative project

 If you think you may be unable to attend for any reason please contact the project coordinator when you apply for the project.

(For further details about the course contents please contact the course leader)

FORMAT

Students will work in multidisciplinary teams of typically 4/5

ACTIVITIES

Lent Term

• Week 1
  • Introduction to Medical device design
  • Setting of tasks and teams
  • Initial research, brainstorming of ideas (Supported by mentors)
  • Generation of questions for stakeholders
  • Were appropriate access to test equipment/components
• Week 2
  • Discussions with, access to feedback from stakeholders, clincians
  • Introduction to NHS data systems and access
  • Problem investigation and concept development
• Week 3
  • Further concept development
  • Were appropriate, simple experiments
  • Planning of experimental stage during Easter term
  • Development of presentation and initial report
• Week 4
  • Submission of draft presentation
  • Team presentation of plans for Easter term sessions, inc
    • Work to date
    •  Overall concept(s)
    • Plans/Timeline for Easter term
    • Resource requirements
  • Feedback session with mentors, stakeholders
  • Submission of team report (inc resource requirements, updated as required)

NB No scheduled work from the end of Lent until beginning of project period in Easter

Easter Term Project Period (typ starts week 3)

•  1st Week
  • Access to requested resources
  • Start experiments and software development
• 2nd Week
  • Further development work
  • Short interim report (individual)
• 3rd Week
  • Coninuing work on prototype(s)
  • Draft poster
  • Lecture on poster design and presentation
• 4th Week (First day only)
  • Lunchtime poster session
  • Team Presentations
  • Final report submission (Individual and team)

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce the basic principles of microfluidic devices.
• To provide practical experience with soft-lithography and microfabrication.
• To design and study the behaviour of simple devices that highlight the key aspects of microfluidics

Content

Microfluidic devices are designed to perform high throughput chemical, physical and biological analysis on small volumes of fluids. This technology is particularly important for biological and biomedical applications where compounds to analyse are often only available in minute quantities, and where there is a need for large scale automation of sequential processes. Typical applications in life sciences are flow cytometry, DNA analysis, cell manipulation and separation, with an increasing use for clinical diagnostics.

These devices typically involve a large array of micron size channels, mixers, sensors and switches that can be integrated in fluidic circuits, often called "lab-on-a-chip" . The development of such devices is highly multi-disciplinary, with a strong engineering component.

During this project, the students will design a device that mixes fluids and study their reactions inside micro-droplets acting as small reactors that can be physically sorted as a function of their chemical content.

FORMAT

This project will be taken by three groups of four students. During the first two weeks, students will learn the necessary techniques and plan their progress for the weeks 3 and 4, which will require a larger work load. Students will work in pairs during week 3, each developing a specific modules of the final device.

Week 1: Soft lithography

All participants will learn how to create microfluidic channels using microfabrication and soft-lithography. This involves creating a mask using a vector graphics software, using a photo-resist to generate a mold, and finally imprinting the circuit on a soft and transparent elastomer matrix.

Week 2: Connections, input/outputs

During week 2, techniques to create input and output connections will be introduced, and a simple device will be built to merge several channels and study mixing issues in microfluidic devices.

Week 3:

In week three, students will work in groups of two, each developing a specific module of the project. One group will design and test a fluid mixer, while the other will develop a droplet generator.

Week 4:

During week four, the two groups will integrate their work into a single device in order to study the dynamics of a reaction in the droplets.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• The project will involve the modelling and control of an 'evaporator', which is a process used in many industries (eg. dairy products, chemicals).
• As a first step a simulation model will be built and tested.
• Then a control system will be designed for the process, and its performance checked by simulating its operation with the evaporator.
• Modern simulation and analysis software will be used throughout.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• To take students through the simulate/analyse/design/test cycle for an industrial control system (unfortunately omitting implementation).
• To expose students to state-of-the-art software for control engineering.
• To give students experience of simulating dynamic systems.

Content

For the first three weeks students will work in pairs, with all pairs producing similar simulation models. For the final week, students will work in groups of 4, with each group having the option of using a different methodology for designing the final control system.

Week 1

Familiarisation with Simulink simulation and Matlab software. Familiarisation with description and mathematical model of evaporator. Construction and test of Simulink model of the evaporator.

Week 2

Completion of testing Simulink model of the evaporator. Refining the model. Closing one control loop. First interim report.

Week 3

Initial control design for the whole model. Investigation of performance when model behaviour changes. Investigation of integrator wind-up. Second interim report.

Week 4

Group Activity. Choice of further control system design project. Final report.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• introduce the principles of project planning and project management
• familiarise students with both common and modern techniques used in construction practice
• introduce students to both existing and new construction technologies
• familiarise students with the importance of scheduling, teamwork and financial control
• emphasise the importance of health and safety
• emphasise the important link between practical aspects on site and engineering theory
• enable networking between students and industry collaborators

Content

Welcome to "the apprentice meets construction"!

This project involves the construction of a scaled-down version of a real-world structure, in this case a bridge, in West Cambridge. Each student will be in a team of up to 25 students, working with a contractor (Laing O'Rourke Plc.) and a consultant (Ramboll) to build a bridge. The project is designed to provide students with a practical introduction to existing construction techniques commonly used in practice as well as the latest cutting -edge digital technologies. Because of the requirement for a two-week block of time, students may only take GD1 Sustainable Offsite Construction with GD2 Structural Modelling. The Sustainable Offsite Construction module is a fantastic opportunity for civils students to learn important skills using a hands-on realistic construction project exercise. It is also the case that, while the credit available for the project is the same as for all of the others, the overall time commitment is slightly greater - buts its popularity with previous cohorts indicates that it is well worth the opportunity.

Students will be tasked with building a 10 m bridge at an ‘onsite location’. For the coming academic year, this will be over a small creek at the West Cambridge site. The 2023-24 bridge will be based on Laing O’Rourke’s state-of-the-art modular ‘Digital Bridges’ using reusable construction elements donated by Laing O’Rourke. The bridge will be modular such that the students will first need to assemble the various components ‘offsite’ (in this case, the civil engineering structures laboratory, also in West Cambridge). The various assembled components will then be transported to ‘site’ using suitable lifting/transport machinery for final onsite assembly. A full 3D digital model will also be developed to enable high-quality as-built surveys and to deploy the latest technologies as a demonstrator of the ‘future of construction’. Therefore, structural designs and drawings will be provided to the students in advance and many parts will be pre-fabricated.

Students will choose, or be allocated, a role within the team. The team members then have to work together to decide how the structure is to be assembled and transported to site. The students will also need to plan in advance how the structure can be disassembled. Engineers from Laing O'Rourke and Ramboll will assist but it will be the responsibility of the students to produce a sustainable, safe, and economic scheme, and then to put it into action. The marking will be on an individual basis, based on an interim 'Client' interview, individual report and a final presentation. These marks will be awarded by CUED staff but will take account of information from the Consultant and the Contractor.