Academic Programme
Over this six-week programme, students will work on an academic research project aligned with current research areas in the school, carrying out experiments to develop a solution to a pressing medical problem.
Programme hours
Students will be expected to commit full-time to this course with a minimum of 35 hours for project work required in labs every week. There will also be 1-to-1 meetings with your project supervisor and lab group meetings scheduled across the six weeks.
Assessment and course outcome
The primary deliverables will be representative of those frequently used to disseminate academic research: Literature Review 20%; Scientific Paper 60%; Oral Presentation 20%.
Credit value
The Biomedical Engineering Summer Research module can be taken for credit towards degrees at other institutions and the module is examined to university standards. To receive credit for King's summer module, contact your home institution to ask them to award external credit. This module is equivalent to an undergraduate degree module and usually awarded 6-8 US credits or 15 ECTS.
Projects
Biomedical Engineering Research Programme
The projects allocated on this module will be aligned with the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences’ current research areas, addressing unmet patient needs.
Students will be placed alongside lab group members working in similar research fields, and expected to fully participate in the life of the lab group. Students will receive guidance on new scientific techniques required for their experiments.
Projects available
Project 1 Title: Development and evaluation of a robotic system for endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms
Aims: The aim of this project is to develop a novel robotic system for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, featuring innovative design elements to address the limitations of existing commercial systems. Specifically, we will focus on development of a robotic platform that employs a shared-autonomy paradigm. In this system, the surgeon guides the catheter carrying the stent graft to the aneurysm, while the robot precisely positions and aligns the stent graft. This shared-control system will be designed with a minimised size and lower cost. We will evaluate this system by simulating fenestrated EVAR on an anthropomorphic aorta phantom. The work will be extended to evaluate automation of the entire procedure, with minimal operator intervention.
Project 2 Title: Repairing and reproducing skeletons using 3D printing
Aims: This project will involve using state-of-the-art technology to repair and reproduce a range of animal skeletons for the Museum. We will use the Einscan Einstar surface scanning system or computer tomography scanning to create 3D models of the skeletons. These will then be 3D printed using our range of additive manufacturing facilities at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ hospitals and ported to our online 3D viewing environment, King’s Virtual Anatomy & Histology. The models will be evaluated by our team of anatomists and used for teaching and learning in the School of Life Sciences and Medicine at King’s.
Project 3 Title: Development and evaluation of physical anatomical models for surgical simulation
Aims: The project will identify an area of need where anatomical models may be effective. We will used medical image data to create computer models of the target anatomy. These will then be manufactured using the knowhow and techniques that we have developed within the research team over the last 10 years. An evaluation study will be formulated to measure the effectiveness of the models in the target scenario. We cover an extensive range of organs, organ systems, and parts of the body – head and neck, brain, thorax, heart, lungs, limbs, hands, kidneys, prostate, reproductive system, vascular structures, etc.
Project 4 Title: Development and evaluation of a radiation monitoring system using robotic quadrupeds
Aims: Robot systems, such as robotic arms and quadrupeds, have rapidly come down in price over the recent years and increased in sophistication. This project will employ the Unitree Go2 Pro quadruped and investigate its use in radiation monitoring in the hospital environment. We will work closely with the Medical Physics Departments at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals to design, construct and evaluate this solution.
Project 5 Title: Development and evaluation of robotic system for treatment of vocal cord paralysis
Aims: This project aims to use one or more robotic arms and a robotic syringe to deliver the injections. We will also couple this to a robotic endoscope to guide the procedure. The project will work closely with our Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeons at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ hospitals to design, develop, and evaluate a first prototype.
Project 6 Title: A virtual reality museum for life sciences
Aims: We will convert the CT scans to a collection of 3D models using the image segmentation software, 3D Slicer. We will then use these models and the Blender/Unity environments to create a virtual museum with the Meta Quest 3 VR headset. An evaluation of the educational value of this collection will be conducted using visitors to the museum as subjects.
Project 7 Title: Development of an Epicardial Access Physical Simulator
Aims: We will design the anatomical components in CAD and image segmentation software, optimised for surgical access and modular assembly; fabricate the simulator components using additive manufacturing (3D printing), and casting techniques. Recreate the layered anatomy of the thoracic cavity (rib cage, pericardium, heart, soft tissue, and outer skin) for realistic surgical dissection and validate the simulator by gathering feedback from experienced cardiac surgeons on anatomical realism, usability, and training effectiveness.
Project 8 Title: Development of novel X-ray test objects
Aims: We aim to design, construct, and evaluate a range of different X-ray test objects by direct 3D printing. We will use novel filaments, such as metal-doped PLA, to make phantoms that are compact and that reproduce the radiographic properties of standard test objects. We will evaluate the novel phantoms in partnership with several medical physics departments in the UK.
All research projects can be studied on campus in London.Projects will be allocated on an ongoing basis. If you require further information on any of the projects listed above, please email summer@kcl.ac.uk.
This is an open enrolment programme but due to the specialist nature of the research projects, students are required to fill the pre-requisites listed below.
If your qualification is not listed please contact us for advice, indicating the country in which you are studying and the name and level of your current qualification.
Summer Research Programme
Pre-requisites
Applicants are expected to have completed their third year of undergraduate studies with a GPA of at least 3.3/4. Applicants who have completed their second year with a GPA of at least 3.5/4 will also be considered.
Participants must be studying, or have studied, a related subject during their undergraduate studies (ie. Mathematics, physics, engineering, sciences or medicine)
Participants must have an English language level of at least C1 in the CEFR or equivalent
If you require assistance to check your eligibility for the programme, please email summer@kcl.ac.uk for advice.
Application Requirements
As part of the application process you will need to upload the following:
-An academic transcript from the current or last institution you attended
-Evidence of English proficiency level (if required)
-A personal statement with the title of your chosen research project and your reasons for undertaking the summer research module