Low-cost sensing technologies for health

The High Tech for a Sustainable Future (HTSF) 2021 call aims to stimulate structural and sustainable theme-oriented collaboration between the 4TU’s that delivers societal impact through scientific breakthroughs. 

The HTSF programme

The goal of the High Tech for a Sustainable Future (HTSF) programme is to stimulate structural and sustainable collaborative theme-oriented research between the four technical universities on topics that require 4TU collaboration and for which it is currently more difficult to acquire funding externally (i.e. new or high risk topics). The societal relevant research programmes attract and develop new and diverse talent for the four TU’s and aim to deliver societal impact through scientific breakthroughs. After a funded start-up period of five years, research should continue without 4TU.Federation funding. The programmes strive to increase visibility and impact of the 4TU.Federation in society.

Low-cost sensing technologies for health

Inspired on the 54 Expressions of Interests that have been submitted in October, the deans of 4TU have selected three themes for the 4TU HTSF 2021-call, which have been approved by the rectors. Elaborated below is a promosing health related theme.

The corona pandemic has illustrated the importance of low-cost and easily accessible sensing technologies to support healthy living and allow easy monitoring of diseases. Moreover, new insights have been gained on social processes for adopting health technology. However, health care systems remain burdened by an ageing population, unhealthy behaviour and harming (social) environments. Digitizing and monitoring our health status and/or behaviour for prevention, during chronic illness, or in recovery offers opportunities to relieve the health system. While many sophisticated sensor and monitoring technologies focus on delivering high sensitivity and precision, ease of use, accessibility and affordability are ultimately determining the adoption of new sensor technologies in health care. Moreover, new data processing technologies and system analysis provide new possibilities to obtain useful information based on low-cost and easy-to-use sensors. 

This theme is centred around the question: Which low-cost high-tech solutions can help to sustain our health care systems responsibly and be adopted in society?