The CardioVascular BioMechanics (CVBM) group of the BioMedical Engineering department (BME) has leading expertise in an experimental and computational pathophysiological modelling. The CVBM group headed by Prof. Dr.ir. F.N. van de Vosse has a strong record in the development of technology consisting of computational modelling platforms and clinical measurement systems to predict outcome of medical interventions in patients specifically and to use this as a basis for clinical decision support systems in the cardiovascular domain. The success of the group (Dr.ir P.H.M. Bovendeerd, Dr.ir. G.G.P. Lopata, Dr.ir. M.C.M. Rutten) is illustrated by a long list of peer-reviewed publications and research awards (STW, VENI, ERC, FP7 and H2020) in which expertise in modelbased development of diagnostic, ex-vivo (i.e. beating heart), and extracorporeal life support systems has been exploited and extended in collaboration with industrial and clinical partners. The current activities of the spin-outs LifeTec Group and USONO demonstrate the valorisation potential of the group’s research activities. Especially the expertise in physiological and ex-vivo modelling will be employed in the Perinatal Life Support (PLS) project.The Future Everyday group of Industrial Design (ID) aims at bridging the gap between emerging technologies and people’s everyday life. The team of Prof. Dr.ir. L.M.G. Feijs has a track record in prototyping technology including unobtrusive neonatal monitoring and medical simulators. Highlights relevant for this project are the cumlaude PhD on Smart Jacket by Bouwstra, the Bambi-belt spin-off and the artificial heart and ribcage for Thielen’s neonatal resuscitation manikin. Feijs worked in embedded systems engineering and is cofounder of the DeSForM conference on product semantics. The group has the latest 3D printing technologies and also brings a user-centered methodology for the interaction.
Bettine van Willigen holds a MSc. in Biomedical engineering and a PDEng in Qualified Medical Engineering. Her interest lies in bringing mathematical models into a clinical setting to support clinical decision making. In close cooperation with clinicians, health professionals, scientists, and technicians, she developed an interactive tool, AngioSupport, to simulate the pressure and flow in the coronary arteries to support decision making for coronary interventions. Her current research project in the PLS project focuses on developing a digital twin of a fetus to gain information about the fetal physiology and to determine the optimal settings of every fetus specific.
The Future Everyday research group of the department of Industrial Design (ID) aims at bridging the gap between emerging technologies and people’s everyday life: how to deal with uncertainties that come naturally with new and still evolving technologies, and how to translate them into meaningful products, systems and services that seamlessly blend into everyday life. We currently focus on technologies such as internet of things, wearables and soft things, additive manufacturing, small and local data, artificial intelligence and machine learning, while exploring into smart materials and bio-materials. Within the PLS project, the FE health team researches and develops medical equipment and simulators that can aid in the training process of medical professionals.
Mark Thielen is a postdoctoral researcher at the department of Industrial Design in the field of soft-actuator development and medical simulators. He studied Industrial Design where he obtained his BSc and MSc degrees (2012) in medical simulation technology developing a novel CPR training manikin for adults. He obtained his PhD degree (2019) in medical simulator design based on the design and development of a newborn CPR training manikin named: ReVive, Designing the newborn life support manikin. He Joined the Future Everyday research group of the Industrial Design pursuing the development of muscle-like soft-actuators to implement into medical applications as well as medical simulators.
Juliette van Haren is an industrial designer and researcher. She holds a BSc in Biomedical sciences and MSc in Neurosciences from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Continuing her education at Parsons School of Design in New York City, supported with a full scholarship by the Fulbright Program and the Netherland America Foundation, she received an MFA in Industrial Design. Her interest lies in the intersection between design, health and wearable senses and products that can be constructed for the body in new ways. Her current research in the Horizon 2020 program focuses on exploring methods to facilitate the transfer of extreme premature infants from the natural womb to the artificial womb, and the creation of manikins to validate this.
The Signal Processing Systems (SPS) Group of the Electrical Engineering Department chaired by Prof. J.W.M. Bergmans has a strong international academic reputation evidenced by recognitions such as 7 awarded Fellow Grade Memberships of IEEE, AES, and OSA in signal processing. This level of recognition is matched by few other groups in the world. The group has a longstanding reputation in electrophysiological monitoring of fetal cardiac activity and uterine contractions, as evidenced by the numerous international publications and awards of Dr. M. Mischi (VIDI and ERC Starting Grant laureate and full professor at SPS), Dr. R. Vullings (VENI laureate and assistant professor at SPS), and Dr. C. Rabotti (VENI laureate and assistant professor at SPS). Prof. Dr. S.G. Oei heads the perinatology department at MMC and is professor on fundamental perinatology at the SPS group at TU/e. He is immediate past-president of the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, founder and past president of the Dutch Society for Simulation and Healthcare and founder of Medsim, a medical simulation center. He is (co)author of 300 scientific papers and supervisor of 20 PhD students. He will provide clinical inputs and act as project co-leader.
Myrthe van der Ven received her MSc in Technical Medicine from the University of Twente in 2011. In 2018, she obtained her PhD degree at the department of Rheumatology from Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam where she investigated the added value of ultrasonography in decision making in rheumatology. Since 2018 she is working as a technical physician both at TU/e Electrical Engineering in the Biomedical Diagnostics (BM/d) Research Laboratory of prof. Massimo Mischi and at Máxima MC in the Fundamental Perinatology research group of Prof. Guid Oei. Her research interests include electrophysiological pregnancy monitoring, simulation-based education and team training and ultrasonography.
