Innovations turn out to be healthy

Technologies supporting medicine and sports are a pillar of the research and development activities of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology. To fully develop the Center's potential, we needed a modern and well-equipped network of integrated and closely cooperating specialized laboratories and research and technology workshops for bioinformatics, bioelectronics, biomechatronics, and biomaterials research. The conceptual work to create the Center took two years. With such a complex project, it was essential to find a private sector contractor that could cover the cost of its own contribution. The company which eventually believed in the potential of our venture was Philips, which became our strategic partner for the investment.

Construction of the Center on the campus of the Silesian University of Technology in Zabrze began in May 2020. The investment included the construction of the state-of-the-art complex that houses a set of laboratories and workshops, including computer vision and virtual reality, surgical planning, control and measurement systems and biometrics, and rapid prototyping. There are also labs for testing the mechanical properties of medical devices, engineering support for medical procedures or human musculoskeletal research.

The European HealthTech Innovation Center is today one of the most modern research centers in Europe. It is a response to the rapid progress of modern medicine, which requires scientists to constantly develop, improve and supplement their research infrastructure. It enables world-class biomedical engineering research. It is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs who can use the infrastructure to develop innovative medical products and commercial solutions. In cooperation with the Silesian Medical University, the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, the Foundation for Cardiac Surgery Development and other research institutes, the Center is today writing a new chapter in the history of Silesian medicine.

The European HealthTech Innovation Center is a breeding ground for solutions that address today’s major health challenges, such as an aging population. The Center’s location and its early affiliation with the Department of Biomedical Engineering are no coincidence. Specializing in areas such as biomaterials, biosensors, biomechatronics, we have the opportunity to play an important role in the development and implementation of innovative medical technologies.

I was personally involved in the preparation of the football players’ research program – one of many projects carried out by the Department’s staff. We were inspired by the talks with various sportspeople. They showed that the problem today is the lack of a comprehensive and objective methodology for assessing the performance of athletes. So we undertook a study to engineer training aids for athletes, improve their performance, and prevent injuries that could rule them out from sports for a long time. We focused on the analysis of movement, muscle activity, balance studies, and the speed of reaction to external stimuli of football players. The results of the tests will give coaches the opportunity to objectively assess the motor skills of individual players, as well as their technique of performing certain movements and reaction time to external stimuli. Based on the research, it will be possible to develop personalized training plans, adjust them to individual football players, depending on the position they play on the field.

The research is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team, including osteopaths, physiotherapists, and a team of specialists from the Department of Biomechatronics, Medical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence of the Department of Biomedical Engineering under the direction of Prof. Jacek Jurkojć. PhD students and students of the Department of Biomedical Engineering are also engaged in the study. I hope that the results will turn out useful for other athletes as well.