IIT Delhi & UCL joint webinar series

At the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, we have extensive links with other international institutions. In particular, we have fostered close ties with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-D) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This webinar series was an opportunity to hear about the latest research, identify common areas of interest between UCL and IIT-D and catalyse collaboration.

Over four sessions, we heard a wide range of presentations – from biodegradable face masks through to refreshable tactile drawing for people with low vision. The final session was held in partnership with the Global Disability Innovation Hub, a UCL-led centre which works to develop a fairer world through assistive technology. 

The digital format meant we were able to bring colleagues together in the same space without international airfares! We were also joined by more than 200 audience members from all over the world, including the USA, Turkey, China and Rwanda. 

The webinar series was supported by the UCL Global Engagement Office, in particular Dr Amit Khandelwal, Senior Partnerships Manager, South Asia, and Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, Pro-Vice-Provost (South Asia). The Global Engagement Office has played a central role in facilitating the successful partnership between the two universities and has supported collaborative projects through seed funding. 

The next steps will involve bringing together the ideas generated during the sessions, and connecting collaborators. If you are a UCL researcher in healthcare engineering or digital health with an interest in collaborating with Indian colleagues, please contact our Research & Development Manager, Marilyn Aviles for a chat (marilyn.aviles@ucl.ac.uk).

Thank you so much to our UCL participants and our colleagues at IIT-D for making this event series the success that it was. 

15 September: Assistive technology and robotics

• Keynote welcome speech - Director, IITD
• Adopting universal design to minimise the need for assistive technology​ - Prof PV Madhusudhan Rao (IITD)​
• ​AT in a post-COVID world - Prof Cathy Holloway (UCL)
• Technology Innovation Hub for Robotics at IIT Delhi​ Prof SK Saha (IITD)​
• Robotic-based rehabilitation therapy of upper limb in post-stroke survivors​ - Prof Amit Mehndiratta (IITD)​
• Robotic health technology - Prof Rui Loureiro (UCL)​

16 September: PPE and diagnostics

• Protective masks: key technologies and their ecological impact, method for reusability and potential biodegradable solutions - Prof Bipin Kumar (IITD)
• 3D-printing face masks - Dr Peter Scully (UCL)
• Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2: a probe-free RT-PCR assay developed by IIT Delhi - Prof Vivekanandan Perumal (IITD)
• Plastic waste and reusable masks - Prof Mark Miodownik (UCL)

17 September: Artificial intelligence and imaging

• Sustainable AI and healthcare - Profs Manan Suri and Pratosh A.P (IITD)
• AI-based predictive models - Dr Yipeng Hu (UCL)
• Physiology-based modelling and quantitative medical image analysis for cancer imaging: diagnostic and chemotherapy response assessment - Prof Amit Mehndiratta (IITD)
• Imaging of lungs - Dr Joe Jacob (UCL)

23 September: International collaboration in disability innovation

• Value of international collaborations - Chair of IHE's Global Delivery Group​
• Partnerships in disability innovation - Prof Cathy Holloway (UCL) and Prof PV Madhusudhan Rao (IITD)​
• The importance of seed funding - UCL Global Engagement office​
• Collaboration case study: refreshable tactile drawing - PhD students Tigimanshu Bhatnagar (UCL), Anchal Sharma (IITD) and Vikas Upadhyay (IITD)​