Program Dates are likely in October or November 2023.

Funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, HandBuild/HandAssess is a public engagement project centred on the technologies used in prosthetic limbs. Following a successful stand for the Manchester Science Festival where people got the chance to play rock, paper, scissors against our ‘robot hand’. We’re now offering the opportunity for enthusiastic Year 12 (or equivalent) students to join us for the day at the University of Salford, learn to programme their own prosthetic hand, and explore how they can get it to move using their muscles. The University of Salford has a long history of both teaching and research in prosthetics and currently hosts the UK Centre for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics.

The workshop is ideal for students who are considering going on to study STEM subjects at university, particularly those looking to learn more about how Engineering and other similar disciplines can be used to address unmet healthcare needs.

Using a Microbit, students will get an opportunity to learn coding to control the motors in a prosthetic hand, and to read the electrical signals generated when muscles contract. The end of the day will involve the group bringing the code elements together to control a ‘bionic hand’. There will also be an opportunity to visit some of our prosthetics and biomechanics labs, as well as our brand new Maker Space.

For further details, contact: Professor Laurence Kenney (l.p.j.kenney@salford.ac.uk) – please put “Handbuild” in the email subject header.