Touching Tomorrow: Robotic Touch & Safer Cancer Radiotherapy

Touch is extremely important for how we understand and experience the world. With technology improving every day, we're able to talk to and reach people all over the world more easily. But even with all these advancements, talking through screens just isn't the same as being face-to-face with someone. One problem is that the touch feedback doesn't feel very real. My research focuses on finding ways to make it better by taking inspiration from nature and using robotics to create touch sensations that are more lifelike, making interactions with objects and people feel more natural and engaging.

Around 1800 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year. Nowadays, because of strong treatments such as surgery, radiation, and drugs, more children are surviving cancer but still face lifelong side-effects from their treatments. Radiation is associated with health issues later in life such as new cancers, heart problems and infertility, as well as many others. I will discuss the role and challenges of using radiation in the treatment of children’s cancers and how physics and engineering can be used to make treatments increasingly precise and safer.