Open Tech Calendar

Brought to you by Sheffield Hallam University's Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC).

About this event

The AWRC, situated at the heart of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park (OLP), is a leading centre for physical activity research and a catalyser for cross-sectorial innovation with close partnerships with industries, local communities, local authorities, and charities.

The AWRC is home to the cutting-edge Wellbeing Accelerator that provides bespoke R&D packages which support SMEs and start-ups to bring health and wellbeing innovations to market.

The event will showcase a wide range of digital technologies that are transforming the way health care products and services are delivered to patients, as well as creating the conditions for economic growth.

During the event you will interact with the centre’s world-class researchers and learn through demonstration some of the most advanced digital and technological innovations. The AWRC’s state-of the-art fully instrumented indoor and outdoor laboratories can support SMEs and start-ups in the design, implementation and evaluation of products, services and interventions that promote physical activity and improve population health and wellbeing.

Showcases (reservation recommended):

The showcases will be running continuously in the Movement Analysis Lab, a 500 sqm, 7.5m high indoor 3D living laboratory, the largest in Europe.

The showcases include live interaction and demonstrations of:

• Cutting-edge robotics technologies to support clinicians and empower people to stay healthy and live independently for longer.

• Advanced biomechanics motion capture systems used to accurately track the motion of people or objects over a large measurement space, measure forces as a person moves over the floor, and estimate how hard muscles are working to create movement.

• AI technologies for custom software applications to help them improve athlete performance.

• Innovative products developed by national and international companies with the support of the AWRC Business accelerator and research staff.

Tour of the laboratories (reservation required)

• In the Applied Computing research laboratory, you will learn about a range of customised software applications which link data acquisition hardware with camera systems for monitoring and enhancing the performance of elite athletes.

• In the human performance lab, you will learn the role of digital innovations in developing rehabilitation in people with Long COVID, the role of Physical Activity in Healthy Ageing and digital tools to support people to be more active.

• In the morphology lab, you will learn how we are exploring new methods of human measurement. We use 3D scanning technology to measure the shape of a person, not just their size. We want to use these tools to help give more accurate assessments in healthcare. This could be with regards to health risk, but also dosing and treatment pathways.

Tours will be running at 1:15pm, 1:45pm and 2:15pm and are limited to 10 people.