Roboticist

“I work as part of a multidisciplinary team to design and build intelligent robots that can solve clinical problems. When cancer patients have radiotherapy, for example, they have to keep very still so the treatment is delivered to exactly the right spot. Inevitably, they move, because the surface they have to lie on is so uncomfortable. We’ve made a comfortable, soft surface for patients to lie on, that detects movement and alerts the clinician so they can reposition the patient. We’re also working on another system that stabilises the patient so that if they do move, it’ll move them back automatically. One person alone couldn’t solve this problem. It’s really stimulating to work with people from different backgrounds – clinicians, radiographers, patients, engineers, physicists and technicians – and come up with devices that make a real-life difference. We create new concepts, solve problems and learn something new every day.”