Engineering research attracts $2.1m new funding

A robotic device to monitor muscle development in children with cerebral palsy and research into the biomechanics of the lung are just two engineering research projects at the University of Auckland to attract Marsden Fund grants for 2014.

Dr Andrew McDaid from the Department of Mechanical Engineering is developing robotic therapy that incorporates a robotic wrist that manipulates muscles as therapy for children affected by cerebral palsy.

The project, which has been awarded $300,000 in Fast-Start funding, will advance intelligent robotic therapies and has the potential to postpone or even reduce the need for orthopaedic surgery for children suffering from cerebral palsy.

Associate Professor Merryn Tawhai of the Universitys Auckland Bioengineering Institute and a team of international researchers have been awarded $765,000 in funding for a project which follows blood as it moves through the lungs.

The team has also developed novel methods for mapping the distribution of inhaled air in the lung.

Other engineering projects awarded grants from the 2014 Marsden Fund round include:

Dr Heide Friedrich

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Uncovering the hidden secrets of rivers: the role of interlayer structures

$300,000

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Engineering research attracts $2.1m new funding