Dear all,

Date: Thu 22.9.2022 at 14:00-15:00.

Place: L3 (Linnanmaa campus) & Zoom (https://oulu.zoom.us/j/69990740688 )

Title: Research on Computer-Based Design Support for Medical Products and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Ing. Philip Farrugia, University of Malta

Abstract: According to the World Health Organisation, ‘today, there are an estimated two million different kinds of medical devices on the world market, categorised into more than 7000 generic devices groups’. Customers want medical products (e.g. a hearing aid) that integrate a variety of functions, without increasing significantly their weight or overall size. Furthermore, there is a trend to incorporate software in such artefacts to make them smarter. This poses significant challenges on design engineers who must make sure first and foremost to understand well the requirements of an array of multiple end users. Although tacit knowledge and skills are transferable, explicit domain knowledge about the end users and their contexts is often limited. The problem-solving problem process is heavily influenced by the explicit knowledge that the designer has as this will impact the understanding of the users needs and the solution to be designed. Computer-based support systems can provide active support to cater for such limitations during the design process, especially during the early design stages. Within this context, this presentation gives an overview of the research carried out at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Malta, aimed at developing computer-based support tools to assist design engineers in developing medical products and beyond, in particular customisable products. 

Short bio: Philip Farrugia is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Malta (UM). He received the B. Eng. (Hons) degree from UM in 2001 and a Ph.D. with research related to 'Computer-Aided Early Form Modelling’ from the same university. Since then Philip coordinated a number of research projects funded from various programmes, including Horizon2020, aimed at developing computer-based design support mostly for medical devices, smart therapeutic and rehabilitation products. Such projects were partnered with various industrial sectors including manufacturing and serious gaming. His current research interests are computer support for engineering design, Design for Health and Wellbeing, Design for Additive Manufacturing, Design of Product Service Systems and Human Factors in Design.

Warmly welcome!

With kind regards,

Assoc. Prof. Georgi Georgiev

Design Research group

UBICOMP

Faculty of ITEE

University of Oulu