About VIVO

The VIVO Hub aims to create an integrated user-guided physicaldigital healthcare intervention platform, leveraging digital and robotic technologies to assist the ageing and disabled population in maintaining activity, physical health, and mental well-being at home. Exploiting the multi-disciplinary skills and proven expertise of the VIVO team and embedded integration of patient and stakeholder partners, the hub will develop a new paradigm of smart materials-enabled mobility assistance to treat the most pressing healthcare issues that currently prevent older adults from living fulfilled and independent lives in their own homes. We focus on restoring essential mobility functions (including sit-to-stand, walking and standing) and treating secondary conditions which limit mobility or increase risks of falls (including venous insufficiency, lymphedema and orthostatic hypotension). This approach addresses the urgent need for new on-body and bio-symbiotic healthcare solutions. Our aim is to support and restore body functions and to maintain mobility and physical health, with onward reduction in stress and improvement in mental and cognitive health. This requires a fusion of research and technologies in smart materials science, biomechanics, orthotics, biointerfacing, digital health monitoring, autonomous intervention, human-machine interaction, integrated patient involvement and co-design.

Key Research Challenges: The VIVO Hub will address the four critical challenges of mobility restoration, underlying physical conditions, personalised function restoration and real-world demonstration, co-designed with PPIE, in readiness for clinical trials and commercialisation.