Research News
Current and recent research news and activities
December 2012
Pizzicato energy source
An article in the Telegraph has highlighted Dr Michele Pozzi's research into generating electricity from the body's rhythms. Dr Pozzi, who recently joined the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering's academic staff, has carried out research into creating a "pizzicato" energy source that could power a satellite navigation device. Fixed on the knee, the device consists of an outer ring and central hub. As you walk, the ring rotates and 72 plectra around it "pluck" four piezoelectric arms on the hub, generating electricity. To read the full article go the Telegraph Science section.
Sophia's pigs featured on BBC's Countryfile
The University’s pig locomotion research project to improve the health and welfare of pigs on farms across the UK has been featured in the BBC’s Countryfile programme. The research, funded by the British Pig Executive (BPEX), is being undertaken jointly by the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering. PhD student Sophia Stavrakakis, whose work is jointly supervised by both Schools, gave Countryfile presenter Adam Henson an insight into how motion capture technology is being used at the University's Cockle Park Farm to prevent lameness in pigs. Click on the link to see the programme: Countryfile (the feature on this research begins at 35’09’’). You can also read the Newslink press release on this story.
November 2012
Newcastle University experts advise Government on medical implants
The expertise and advice of Newcastle University academics could result in new, tougher laws on the regulation of medical implants. In the wake of problems with metal on metal hip implants, which were investigated by Professor Tom Joyce and Dr Pauline McCormack, and then the PIP breast implant scandal, the Government launched an investigation into how implants are regulated. Professor Joyce (School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering) and Dr McCormack (PEALS), were asked to give evidence to the Science and Technology Select Committee and their recommendations have been accepted by the committee in its report, released today. The report could lead to new laws if Parliament gives approval. Currently there is little transparency over how medical implants were approved for use, the results of any pre-clinical experiments and who approved them. Also failed implants are often just thrown away so there is no chance to learn why they may have failed. This was deemed unacceptable by Prof Joyce and Dr McCormack and the Select Committee agreed.
Professor Tom Joyce, Professor of Orthopaedic Engineering at Newcastle University said: “When we were looking at the metal on metal hip implants it became clear that the process of approving medical implants is murky to say the least. This was something that was causing unnecessary suffering to patients and adding cost to the NHS. Estimates suggest as much as £250,000,000 every year could be being wasted as patients need to have joints re-implanted because they fail. It seems ridiculous that we are not studying these failed devices to learn more about them, or making the approval process more transparent. The select committee agrees with several of our findings. If this report is accepted by Parliament and made into law it has the potential to help millions of people if other countries follow our lead.” Newcastle University’s bioengineering team led by Professor Joyce began investigating the problem of metal hips as far back as 2008 and have collaborated with the PEALS (Policy Ethics and Life Sciences) research centre to explore the concerns of patients.
All-metal hips have a higher than anticipated failure rate and rubbing between the ball and cup can cause metal to break off, seeping into tissue and causing complications. Half of the all-metal hips fail after about five years, when they should last for between 15-20 years.
Among the findings of the report, written by MPs, it states: “Greater transparency would improve public confidence in the system and support decision-making by patients and healthcare professionals. We are disappointed that there is a lack of transparency in the current regulatory system and we urge the UK Government to take a lead in increasing transparency.” The report also states: “Examination of explanted joints that have failed or caused problems in the body is one of the most valuable sources of data about how and why implants fail-they can be thought of as the 'black box'. We call for the conservation and analysis of explanted joints to be made mandatory as part of the NJR (National Joint Registry) reporting procedure.”
The full report is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/121101-medical-implants-report-published/. For further information contact thomas.joyce@ncl.ac.uk.
October 2012
Newcastle University is Siemens "Preferred Partner"
Dr John Appleby attended Siemens' university engagement event in London on Monday 15th October, held at the company’s new sustainability showcase building, the Crystal. Dr Jeff Neasham of the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Ingrid Henderson of the Careers Service also attended. As part of Siemens' Graduate workstream, the company has formed a UK University Engagement Strategy to engage proactively with targeted universities across the UK. Newcastle University is now one of only seven UK universities recognised as 'Preferred Partners' by Siemens, who are seeking to develop both graduate recruitment and research links with our engineering schools, especially Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. It is hoped that the collaboration with Siemens at local and national level will result in the setting up of student internships, graduate recruitment, sponsorship, and further research opportunities in addition to several existing links in each of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
September 2012
EUROMECH keynote seminar
Dr Barry Gallacher gave a keynote seminar at the EUROMECH "time dependent systems" conference which took place earlier this month. The title of Dr Gallacher’s talk was "The exploitation of parametric excitation in MEMS gyroscopes and magnetometers" and represents work carried out over several projects by Dr Gallacher, his colleague Dr Zhongxu Hu and postgraduate researchers Kiran Harish and Harry Grigg.
EUROMECH (European Mechanics Society) is an international non-governmental non-profit scientific organization. The objective of the Society is to engage in all activities intended to promote in Europe the development of mechanics as a branch of science and engineering. Mechanics deals with motion, flow and deformation of matter, be it fluid or solid, under the action of applied forces, and with any associated phenomena. Activities within the field of mechanics range from fundamental research on the behaviour of fluids and solids to applied research in engineering. The approaches used comprise theoretical, analytical, computational and experimental methods.
Major EPSRC award for Acoustic Sensors research
Dr Barry Gallacher and colleagues have been awarded a major EPSRC grant to carry out research into acoustic sensors in conjunction with the Medical School. The project, entitled “High Frequency Degenerate Mode Acoustic Sensors”, is expected to start next month and is backed by an EPSRC award of £777,939. It is hoped this will be supplemented by an additional £260,000 equipment grant. Dr Gallacher, who is the PI on this project, is supported by MSE colleagues Dr John Hedley, Dr Zhongxu Hu and Emeritus Professor Jim Burdess, together with Professor Calum McNeil and Dr Neil Keegan from the Medical School.
The purpose of the research is to investigate and characterise a completely new form of acoustic surface wave resonator and to apply the concept to the design and fabrication of ultra-robust inertial rate and ultra-sensitive mass sensors. The form greatly simplifies manufacture and packaging, uses a cheap substrate material, and, depending on the application, is robust to the influences of temperature, load and surrounding fluid. The applications are targeted at the defence and healthcare industries, both of which have recognised opportunities for creating a knowledge economy, influencing security, and promoting health and well-being. In defence there is a well established market for low performance rate gyros and the basic driver is cost. However there is an important gyroscopic application in guided munitions/shells which still seeks a satisfactory solution. Here the gyro (currently a fragile piece) has to be very low cost and structurally robust enough not to be influenced by the extreme inertia loads and vibration experienced during launch and in flight. Also, to be able to operate without the requirement of an evacuated case-all MEMS gyros operate under vacuum- would be a major packaging advantage. The proposed design offers a way forward for this application and will challenge low cost gyro applications in automotive and consumer markets.
June 2012
DRS donates Class 37 loco to NewRail
A partnering agreement between Direct Rail Services and NewRail has led to NewRail being donated a Class 37 loco as part of its rail research work. The type 3 No. 37059 locomotive will be based at NewRail's full-scale test facility at Barrow Hill. DRS Managing Director Neil McNicholas handed the master key to Professor Mark Robinson, NewRail's director, on the 12 April. With a working, mainline-certificated loco, NewRail can now take its research to new levels. Having a working loco will enable NewRail researchers to broaden their work into the impact of freight train derailments and how wagons behave in derailment situations. NewRail plans to work with modified wagons in order to take readings. The loco will be used on main line outings as required and results will also inform the D-Rail project. The magazine article can be viewed here. Many thanks to The Railway Magazine and Chris Milner for permission to reproduce the article.
Sophia and friend take a break
PhD student Sophia Stavrakakis takes time out with one of the pigs being studied as part of a pig locomotion research project to improve the health and welfare of pigs on farms across the UK. The research, funded by the British Pig Executive (BPEX), investigates lameness problems in pigs and is being undertaken jointly by the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering. The photo, which was taken during a break in the motion capture experiments at Newcastle University's experimental Pig Unit, is to be presented with the Gold prize at the International Pig Veterinary Society Congress (IPVS) photo contest in Korea in June 2012, where Sophia is due to present findings from the study.
VAIOS shoulder model presented to School
Edward Draper, Innovations Manager for JRI Orthopaedics Ltd, has presented the School with a display model of the innovative VAIOS shoulder joint which the company developed in collaboration with Emeritus Professor Garth Johnson’s MSE research team. The VAIOS (Versatile Anatomic and Inverse Optimised Stable) shoulder was designed in partnership between Newcastle University, JRI and Professor Angus Wallace, a shoulder surgeon based at Nottingham University. The VAIOS was named as the best new (mechanical) product award at the British Engineering Excellence Awards in 2010 and won the Innovation Award at the Medilink Healthcare Business Awards in 2011. For more information on the VAIOS artificial shoulder joint see www.jri-ltd.co.uk/healthcare-professionals/vaios/.
May 2012
Dr Joyce invited to Commons Select Committee
Dr Tom Joyce has been invited to give oral evidence to the UK Commons Science & Technology Select Committee on the regulation of medical implants. Tom will be drawing on his expertise in the engineering analysis of failed metal-on-metal hip implants when he talks to the Committee on Wednesday 23 May 2012 at the Houses of Parliament in London. Commons Select Committees are responsible for much of the day to day work of the UK government - they examine issues in detail from government policy to proposed new laws. Tom's written submission to the committee can be found here. Evidence is also being taken from Dr Carl Heneghan (GP and Reader in Evidence-Based Medicine, Director of the Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine, Oxford), Professor Stephen Westaby (Surgeon, John Radcliffe Hospital) and Dr Suzette Woodward (Director of Patient Safety, National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA).
April 2012
New academic appointments
The School is investing in a number of new academic staff, following excellent RAE2008 results, buoyant student recruitment and major new developments at home and overseas.
We were joined in November 2011 by Dr Jinju (Vicky) Chen who completed her PhD in Materials Engineering at Newcastle in 2006. Dr Chen’s research interests cover nanomechanics, finite element analysis, thin film mechanics and mechanics of biomaterials. In February 2012 Dr Sunita Chauhan joined the School, having previously worked in Singapore for a number of years. Her research interests include medical/surgical robotics, computer assisted/integrated surgery, sensors/transducers, bio-mechatronics, robotics and bio-mechanics. In July 2012 we will be welcoming Dr Ketan Pancholi to the School. Dr Pancholi, who is currently a lecturer at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, specialises in materials and manufacturing research and he has a particular interest in microbubble management. In January 2013 Dr Dehong Huo, who is currently based at the University’s Singapore campus, will be transferring to Newcastle. Dr Huo’s interests include precision mechanical design, structural finite element analysis, micro/nano manufacturing systems and processes and advanced manufacturing systems.
In addition to these appointments the School is about to advertise for a further lectureship. Details will be available on the University’s job vacancies website and on www.jobs.ac.uk shortly.
April 2012
Appointment of new Visiting Professor of Practice
Graham Penning OBE Hon DSc FRSA, Group Technology Director for David Brown Gear Technology, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor of Practice with the School and will be collaborating with the Design Unit in taking forward gear technology research. Graham is a recognised international leader in industrial gear technology and has worked for David Brown Gear Technology for 40 years, progressing from an engineering apprentice through to the past 20 years as a Director. He is Chairman of the British Gear Association (BGA) and Chair of the BGA training committee. Recently, Graham has led the technology revival within David Brown for wind power transmissions and as part of this has actively supported collaboration with Design Unit for regional funding initiatives, including a successful award from The Northern Way to develop a new wind power bearing test facility.
David Brown Gear Technology is the largest gearbox supplier within the UK, recognised as operating at the high technology end of gearing with supply into wide-ranging sectors, including power generation, renewable energies, aerospace and defence. It is the sole supplier used for UK naval gearing. It is intended that enhanced links through Graham’s position as Visiting Professor of Practice will result in an expansion of research and other collaboration directly between Design Unit and David Brown Gear Technology, together with development of wider collaborative research projects with Industry through BGA.
March 2012
Lifelong checks for metal hip implant patients
The government's health regulator has advised new checks for patients who have undergone large head metal-on-metal hip replacements, following a major investigation by Newcastle University engineers. The new advice follows a report triggered by the work of Newcastle University expert and MSE academic Dr Tom Joyce who first exposed the problems associated with the implanted devices.
All-metal hips have a high failure rate and rubbing between the ball and cup can cause metal to break off, seeping into tissue and causing complications.
But despite the fact that the risks posed by these minute pieces of metal have been known and well documented for decades, patients have been kept in the dark.
The new claims could mean that more people are affected by the dangers of metal hip replacements than suffered in the recent PIP breast implant scandal. It means 49,000 people will now need annual tests to check their blood ion levels.
The joint investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and BBC Newsnight showed how metal ions can seep into the tissues of patients with metal-on-metal hip implants, causing reactions that destroy muscle and bone, and leaving some patients with long term disability.
Newcastle University’s bioengineering team led by Dr Joyce began investigating the problem of metal hips as far back as 2008 and raised concerns about the health risks to patients.
Criticising the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Dr Joyce said it took the health regulator four years to recall from the market articular surface replacement (ASR) hips following mounting evidence about the dangers posed to patients. ASRs were eventually recalled in 2010.
Dr Joyce said: “The MHRA are meant to be on the side of patients but they have not been neutral and have had too cosy a relationship with the notifying bodies and manufacturers. The MHRA seem to have tried to shy away from the issue – why have they not felt in a position to do anything? Since the replacement hips were withdrawn in 2010 nothing has changed and the entire system has seriously failed patients. There needs to be a lot more transparency in the system.”
Hip implants, like breast implants, did not have to pass any clinical trials before they were put into patients.
The report tells how the implants’ metal ions can seep into the bloodstream, spreading to the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and kidneys, before leaving the body as urine. Concern has also been raised about damage to chromosomes, leading to genetic changes.
Their investigation also shows how companies have changed the design of their metal hips over the last decade in a bid to prevent dislocation and increase movement, without conducting new trials to demonstrate their safety.
New guidance was issued yesterday by the MHRA over metal implants, and patients who have undergone large head metal-on-metal hip replacements should be monitored annually for life. The MHRA said there was a “small risk” the implants could cause complications in patients.
It means some 49,000 people in the UK whose hip replacements have a head diameter of 36 millimetres or more will now need annual tests to check their blood ion levels.
Dr Susanne Ludgate, Clinical Director of the MHRA, said in a statement: "Clinical evidence shows that patients have a small risk of suffering complications from having metal-on-metal hip implants. As a precautionary measure, we have today issued updated patient management and monitoring advice to surgeons and doctors that they should annually monitor patients for the lifetime of their metal-on-metal total hip replacements that are sized 36 millimetres or more because this particular type of hip replacement has a small risk of causing complications in patients."
November 2011
Another award for Newcastle shoulder joint
Having already won a British Engineering Excellence Award in 2010, an artificial shoulder joint which is based on Newcastle University research has just received another high profile award. At this year’s Medilink Healthcare Business awards held at Sheffield Hallam University and sponsored by Design Futures, the VAIOS shoulder won the Innovation Award. The VAIOS (Versatile Anatomic and Inverse Optimised Stable) shoulder was designed in partnership between Newcastle University, Joint Replacement Instrumentation (JRI) Limited and Professor Angus Wallace, a shoulder surgeon based at Nottingham University. The partnership was under the auspices of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The Newcastle team included Professor Garth Johnson, Dr Andreas Kontaxis and Dr Tom Joyce, all from the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering. The KTP Associate who did much of the work on the VAIOS shoulder was Mr Ian Flatters, a graduate of the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering.