May 2024
June 2023
ICRA, May 2023
March 2021
Group Leader
Antonia Tzemanaki
Antonia Tzemanaki is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Robotics at the School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology at the University of Bristol and is member of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Her research includes human and robot hands, hand exoskeletons, robot kinematics, haptics and wearable robotics, especially with applications in surgery, preventative medicine, rehabilitation, physiotherapy and dexterous tele-operation, as well as extreme environments such as nuclear and space industry.
Doctoral Researchers
Kat Styles
co-supervisor: Tom Scott
I took an undergraduate masters in Astronomy, Space science and Astrophysics and during my final year I worked on investigating the robustness of spacecraft shielding facing hyper-velocity impacts in orbit. This inspired me to switch from science to engineering. Since I wanted to continue to pursue my interest in all things space, I joined Airbus as a spacecraft thermal engineer on the thermal team for the ExoMars rover. I really enjoyed the project and once it was completed, I chose to continue learning about and working with robotic technology and joined the FARSCOPE CDT.
Jayden Hewlett
co-supervisor: Sabine Hauert
I am a CDT Digital Health and Care PhD student with a bachelor's degree in Physics, and a masters in Nanoscience and Functional Nanomaterials. I'm interested in the intersection between Physics and Health, which robotics lends itself well to, as well as being a new challenge for me. My PhD research will focus on utilising swarm intelligence and haptic feedback to design small, on-body robots that can work together to characterise tissues and detect anomalies. Users will work alongside the robots, helping them complete their tasks by applying the necessary palpation forces and promoting interactivity with the assessment process.
Edith-Clare Hall
co-supervisor: Jonathan Rossiter (1st)
I am a PhD candidate working to apply and develop soft robotics to novel upper limb orthoses to better meet the needs of people living with the neurodegenerative conditions, such as motor neuron disease. My research interests are compassionate human-centred participatory design, biologically inspired soft robotics, musculoskeletal modelling, computational fluid dynamics, and neural networks for machine learning. My research is complimented by diverse engineering industrial experience in aerospace, high value manufacturing, and human-centred design.
co-supervisors: Martin Pearson, Kumar Abhinav
After graduating from Cardiff University with an MEng in Medical Engineering with First Class Honours, I wanted to be involved in the design process of medical devices, from prototyping to commercialisation. This was the key motivation in joining the FARSCOPE programme.
My research will focus on the design of a robot-assisted skull-base neurosurgery system that is not only ergonomic and cost-effective, but also safe for both surgeon and patient.
Weiyi Li
co-supervisors: Hermes Gadelha
I am a PhD student from CDT Digital Health and Care focusing on medical robotics. Before joining UoB, I was an R&D engineer in medical device industry mainly working on CT-guided intervention. I hold a Master’s degree from Imperial College London specialising on medical robotics. My dissertation was about modelling and control of a surgical robot. I also hold a BEng degree in electronics from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China.
My research is focusing on the development of multimodal simulator for robotic vascular intervention.
Miranda Lowther
co-supervisor: Helmut Hauser (1st)
My PhD research focuses on soft robotics, anthropomorphism, biomimicry and upper limb prosthetics, and my initial project will look at the morphology of soft prosthetic sockets for upper limb design.
Morgan Jenkinson
co-supervisors: Joe Philip, Andrew Conn
I undertook an undergraduate degree in Robotics Engineering, however, it was my masters dissertation (The Development of Wearable Electrodes to Control an Exoskeleton) which got me interested in combining engineering and health. The CDT in Digital Health and Care allowed me to gain knowledge in the medical side which led me to choose to pursue a PhD in surgical robotics. My project consists of designing and developing a robotic simulator, which includes haptic feedback, to train surgeons within Endourology.
Yael Zekaria
co-supervisor: Jonathan Rossiter (1st)
I am a FARSCOPE PhD student exploring the design and fabrication of a high-fidelity robotic pelvic floor phantom for the purposes of medical training, patient education and medical device testing. My research interests include bio-inspiration, health tech, user-focused design and all things that question the conventional view of robotics.
Joe Louca
co-supervisors: Kerstin Eder, John Vrublevskis
I am a FARSCOPE PhD student investigating teleoperation for space applications, focusing on how to enhance human capabilities through delay-robust simulations and improved sensory feedback, while ensuring trustworthy operation. This project is in partnership with Thales Alenia Space, UK. I am particularly interested applying robotics technologies in extreme environments, such as space, nuclear clean-up and environmental robotics.
Jasmine Zhao
co-supervisor: Andrew Conn (1st)
Graduating with a degree in Electronic and Electronic Engineering, I developed a keen interest in the intersection of technology and healthcare. My focus is on human-robot interaction and palpation for surgery and diagnosis. Passionate about advancing medical technology, I am dedicated to exploring how robotics can transform the surgical landscape.
Ugnius Baharunas
co-supervisors: Ben Ward-Cherrier (1st)