PhD: Co-designing Adaptable Soft Robotic Wearables for Children's Upper-Limb Rehabilitation

PhD: Co-designing Adaptable Soft Robotic Wearables for Children's Upper-Limb Rehabilitation

As of 6 November 2026

Quick Decision

Promising with material uncertainties. This is a defined interdisciplinary design-and-engineering PhD: adapt participatory design for school-age children with motor or communication impairments, translate what they need into engineering requirements, and investigate resizable, lower-cost soft actuation for an upper-limb wearable. The stated outputs are design knowledge, co-design methods and an openly documented prototype. The project description does not promise a clinical trial or treatment benefit.

The project description states an October 2027 start and a 5 January 2027 application deadline. Its application instructions also tell applicants to enter “I am applying for 2026 EPSRC DLA funded PhD Studentship in Computer Science and Informatics” in the funding-source field. Cardiff’s official scheme page says the final EPSRC DLA cohort commences in 2027/28 and that studentships last 3.5 years. The year mismatch is a material application issue: ask the school to confirm the exact wording and that this project belongs to that cohort before submitting. The scheme’s published terms are not a project-specific award letter. (EPSRC DLA)

The strongest academic case is the combination of an explicitly scoped co-design question and engineering expertise in compliant robotics. The main open questions concern funding details, international eligibility, formal registration school and duration, committed access to children or clinical partners, and project-specific facilities and budgets.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

The project begins from a practical gap between adult soft wearable rehabilitation research and the more limited pediatric evidence. The project description focuses on school-age children with complex disabilities, including motor or communication impairments, whose views are often not built into assistive-device design. It identifies fit, discomfort, weight and lack of user input as concerns in assistive technology, with growth adding a further fit challenge.

A systematic review of 72 studies of upper-extremity exoskeletons and robot-assisted devices for children with physical disabilities found that many studies emphasized body function and activity more than participation, and were mainly conducted in clinical or laboratory settings. The review reported concerns about accessibility, expression and aesthetics in user perceptions and called for stronger research designs and more natural-environment evaluation. This is a useful rationale for the proposed work, not evidence that the proposed device will improve therapy outcomes. (Systematic review of pediatric upper-extremity devices)

A separate review of soft robotics in upper-limb neurorehabilitation describes continued interest in compliant wearable devices but cautions that softness alone does not guarantee comfort, usability, acceptance or clinical benefit. It notes that only a limited number of devices have reached clinical validation. The project is therefore best read as early-stage human-centred design and engineering research whose stated output is a prototype, not an established treatment. (Review of soft robotics clinical evidence)

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The advertised work has three connected parts:

1. Adapt participatory design methods for children with motor and communication impairments, drawing on the lead supervisor’s work in specialist-school settings.
2. Translate co-design findings systematically into engineering requirements for soft actuators.
3. Investigate resizable, lower-cost soft actuation, informed by compliant mechanisms, soft-robotics mechatronics, embedded sensing and resizable robot modules.

The project description names design knowledge, validated co-design methods and an openly documented low-cost prototype as intended outputs. It says these could support later applications to EPSRC, NIHR and charitable funders. It does not specify engineering benchmarks for “low-cost” or “adaptable to growth,” a comparison device, a clinical-testing plan or treatment endpoints. These should be treated as questions for the supervisors, not assumed deliverables.

Adjacent field work shows why fit and participation merit attention. A 2024 study specifically examined user needs for pediatric upper-extremity exoskeletons. A 2025 paper on an adjustable upper-limb soft rehabilitation device reports technical motion and force-transfer measures in a non-pediatric context; such device-level measures are not themselves proof of therapeutic effectiveness. (Pediatric exoskeleton user-needs study, 2025 upper-limb soft wearable study)

School, Programme and Field Context

Cardiff University would be the degree-awarding institution on the information available; no joint degree or external host institution is identified. Cardiff’s Computer Science and Informatics research programme lists PhD and MPhil routes, full- and part-time modes, and usual PhD durations of 3 years full-time and 5 years part-time. The DLA page, by contrast, specifies 3.5 years of studentship funding and allows full- or part-time study. Applicants should ask how the award’s funding period aligns with registration, submission timing and any extension arrangements. (Computer Science and Informatics research programme, DLA terms)

Official Cardiff pages currently use different school names: the project description and Computer Science research programme use Computer Science and Informatics, while Dr Galvez Trigo’s current profile places her in the School of Computational and Mathematical Sciences. This report cannot determine whether that reflects a recent organizational change or which school administers this studentship. Confirm the formal registration school and application portal with the admissions team. (Dr Galvez Trigo’s profile, Cardiff PGR programme)

Cardiff’s overall ranking results are broad institutional indicators: its official page lists QS World University Rankings =179 for 2027, THE World University Rankings 201–250 for 2026 and ARWU 201–300 for 2026. Those results do not rank this project or pediatric rehabilitation robotics. A more relevant subject research signal is Cardiff’s REF 2021 UoA 11 Computer Science and Informatics result: GPA 3.41, with 45% of the overall submission rated 4-star and 51% rated 3-star. REF assesses research quality, impact and environment; it does not predict an individual student’s experience. (Cardiff rankings, REF 2021 UoA 11)

Cardiff’s Human-Centred Computing research area describes participatory and design-oriented research, iterative prototyping, accessibility, ethical design, user studies and digital healthcare. It also identifies collaboration across engineering, psychology, social science, health and education. The university separately lists IROHMS facilities across Engineering, Psychology and Computer Science and Informatics, including robotics, human-robot interaction and simulation laboratories. These provide a plausible institutional setting, but the public pages do not confirm which rooms, equipment, technical staff or participant partnerships this PhD can use. (Human-centred computing, AI and Robotics laboratories)

The university’s Doctoral Academy provides interdisciplinary research, personal-skills and career-development activities after enrolment. The DLA also describes cohort training in research skills, interdisciplinary awareness, research integrity, ethics and responsible innovation. The project-specific training schedule is not listed publicly. (Doctoral Academy, EPSRC DLA training)

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Supervisor Research Directions

Dr Maria Galvez Trigo is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Human-Centred Robotics and AI and is available for postgraduate supervision. Her profile describes work with users—especially disabled people and others whose needs are often overlooked—through HRI, HCI, applied AI, co-design and participatory research. Her current interests include assistive and rehabilitation robotics, co-designed community stroke-rehabilitation tools and rehabilitation technologies for children. (Dr Galvez Trigo’s Cardiff profile)

Dr Seyed Amir Tafrishi is a Lecturer in Robotics and Autonomous Systems in Cardiff’s School of Engineering and is also available for postgraduate supervision. His profile identifies his work in robotics and his gm²R lab, with expertise relevant to compliant mechanisms, mechatronics and adaptable robotic systems. This complements the project’s engineering component. His public profile does not establish prior pediatric-rehabilitation or clinical-device experience, so that supervisory role should be discussed directly. (Dr Tafrishi’s Cardiff profile)

Recent Important Publications

• Inclusive co-design: In a 2023 co-authored paper on museum robots, Galvez Trigo and collaborators report early co-creative work with autistic people and people with learning disabilities, including school-age participants. This is relevant to the project’s effort to make participation accessible and meaningful. The setting and technology differ, and the paper does not evaluate rehabilitation outcomes. (Paper record and author manuscript)
• Adoption and integration: A short 2024 HRI workshop paper co-authored by Galvez Trigo distinguishes initial adoption from successful integration and raises social, ethical, privacy and acceptance considerations. It supports taking use context seriously, but is a workshop discussion rather than a pediatric device study. (Paper record)
• Co-designed rehabilitation: A 2026 collaborative position paper with Galvez Trigo concerns an adult community-stroke decision-support project co-designed with therapists and people with stroke. The article describes synthetic-data model development and identifies clinical data collection and validation as future work. It is evidence of recent rehabilitation collaboration, not evidence that this child-focused wearable is clinically validated or shares the same team resources. (Paper record)
• Compliant actuation: Tafrishi’s 2024 SPIRO paper presents a variable-impedance actuator with adjustable stiffness and damping and experimental examples. It is relevant to adaptable mechanical interaction, but does not demonstrate a growing-child wearable or a clinical rehabilitation outcome. (SPIRO paper record)

Lab, Resources, and Collaboration Environment

The named supervisors sit in different academic schools, which could support a genuine combination of human-centred research and robotics engineering. Cardiff’s official Human-Centred Computing and IROHMS pages describe appropriate research areas and shared facilities, but they do not identify an assigned project lab, child-rehabilitation facility, clinical partner, committed school or therapist, or materials budget. These are central questions because the project depends on both accessible participatory work and credible engineering support.

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The official EPSRC Algorithmic Grant DLA page describes fully funded studentships, a final cohort beginning in 2027/28, nine studentships per year across three intakes, and a 3.5-year funding structure. It says students may study full-time or part-time and receive cohort-based research and professional-skills training. The page does not list this project by name, its individual stipend, project costs or exact international-eligibility decision. (Cardiff EPSRC DLA)

For context only, UKRI’s current published minimum full-time stipend for 2026/27 is £21,805 and its fee level is £5,238. These are scheme-wide current figures, not a promise of the rate or fee treatment for a student starting in October 2027. UKRI says applicants apply through the host provider, international students can usually apply but places are limited, and award conditions vary. Cardiff’s general UKRI funding page says international recipients receive a fee discount so they are not charged the difference between home and international tuition rates. Confirm that this exact DLA project is open to international applicants and that the policy applies to its award. (UKRI 2026/27 rates, UKRI studentship guidance, Cardiff international fee policy)

The project description states the deadline is 5 January 2027, with October 2027 entry, and recommends applying early. It does not state a time or time zone. The exact deadline and funding-field phrase should be checked with the school because the latter names a 2026 award. Cardiff’s general advertised-PhD guidance says advertised projects normally have a defined project and allocated supervisor and typically do not require a new research proposal; it also says the funding process varies. Follow the project-specific application instructions once the department confirms them. (Cardiff PGR application routes, Computer Science and Informatics programme)

The application instructions in the project description require a CV, degree certificates and transcripts (with English translations where applicable), two references and English evidence if needed. They ask for a personal statement of no more than 500 words covering research interests and ambition, relevant academic or professional preparation, and why the project matters. The instructions say to include the project title, supervisors and project description in the research-proposal field. Applicants who need to prove English proficiency are asked for IELTS 6.5 overall with no component below 6.0. Relevant professional experience may be considered alongside the stated 2:1 honours degree or master’s threshold in computing or another subject with a significant quantitative component.

Cardiff’s 2026/27 calculator estimates international postgraduate costs at £16,835.78 over 52 weeks in university accommodation, based on a 51-week hall contract. Its private shared-house estimate is £13,510.92 per year, based on a four-bedroom house. Both figures are estimates and exclude travel. The current £21,805 UKRI stipend benchmark is approximately £4,969 above the university-accommodation estimate before travel, visa, personal costs or future inflation; it is not a project-specific budget. Cardiff’s separate accommodation guidance says private rents start around £450 per month excluding bills and notes that deposits and summer rent may apply. (Cardiff cost calculator, Private accommodation guidance)

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The project description states a minimum threshold of a 2:1 honours degree or a master’s degree in computing or another subject with a substantial quantitative component, such as mathematics, engineering, economics or psychology. It says applicants with appropriate professional experience may also be considered. IELTS is at least 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 in each skill, when English-language evidence is required.

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

The description does not present a separate list of required programming languages, clinical qualifications or fabrication skills. The research tasks make it useful to show, where available, both technical preparation (for example, quantitative engineering, prototyping or sensing) and user-centred research preparation (for example, accessible co-design or translating stakeholder needs into design requirements). These are preparation suggestions based on the advertised work, not additional admissions rules.

A clear application narrative could explain how the candidate’s past work prepares them to move between user perspectives and engineering decisions, while recognizing that project outputs are a design method and prototype rather than guaranteed clinical benefit. At interview, the candidate can ask how technical and participatory components are balanced, what training fills any methods gaps, and how the two supervisors will coordinate guidance.

Career Context

The broad UK engineering and technology workforce is sizeable: EngineeringUK reports that these roles represented 19% of UK jobs in 2025, with 6.3 million people working in them. That is only general labor-market context. The available source does not quantify openings or placement outcomes in pediatric rehabilitation robotics. Plausible adjacent paths include robotics/mechatronics R&D, assistive-technology development, human-centred robotics, academic research and interdisciplinary health-technology work, but none is guaranteed by the PhD. (EngineeringUK workforce data)

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

1. Ask the school whether the quoted 2026 EPSRC DLA funding text is still correct for the October 2027 start and whether this project is in the DLA’s final 2027/28 cohort.
2. Confirm the 5 January 2027 deadline, including the closing time and time zone, and the correct application portal and administering school.
3. Ask whether the award is open to international applicants, and request the actual stipend, tuition coverage, fee-gap policy, research-cost budget and award duration.
4. Confirm whether the application’s research-proposal field should contain the supplied project description as instructed, and whether a separate proposal is needed.
5. Ask how the 3.5-year DLA funding period aligns with the programme page’s normal 3-year full-time PhD registration.

At Interview

1. Clarify the expected balance between participatory-design research, requirements translation, engineering development and evaluation.
2. Ask which school, lab and technical facilities will support the work, and whether any schools, clinicians, therapists, charities or other partners are committed to this specific project.
3. Ask how participant accessibility, safeguarding and ethics support will be arranged, and whether any planned work involves NHS patients or clinical services. HRA guidance notes that the requirements for research involving children depend on the study type and UK jurisdiction; Cardiff says research involving NHS patients or relatives requires NHS Research Ethics Committee approval. This project description does not specify a clinical trial. (HRA guidance on research involving children, Cardiff research ethics)
4. Ask how “low-cost,” “adaptable to growth” and “validated co-design methods” will be evaluated, what outputs will be open, and how intellectual property and data governance will be handled.

Before Accepting an Offer

Obtain written confirmation of the formal registration school and duration, DLA award start and end dates, annual stipend, tuition and international fee coverage, project expenses, and any required student contribution. Check that the project’s participant access, supervision split, lab resources and ethics-support arrangements are sufficiently clear for the proposed work.

Evidence and Sources

University, School and Doctoral Training

• Cardiff University rankings
• REF 2021 UoA 11: Computer Science and Informatics
• Computer Science and Informatics postgraduate research programme
• Cardiff advertised-project application routes
• Human-centred computing
• AI and Robotics laboratories
• Cardiff Doctoral Academy

Supervisors and Research

• Dr Maria Galvez Trigo — Cardiff profile
• Dr Seyed Amir Tafrishi — Cardiff profile
• Co-creating museum robots with people that are autistic and/or have learning disabilities
• Challenges and opportunities for HRI adoption and integration
• Co-designed adult stroke-rehabilitation decision support paper
• SPIRO compliant-actuator paper

Field, Funding, Costs and Ethics

• Pediatric upper-extremity rehabilitation-device systematic review
• Soft robotics in upper-limb rehabilitation: clinical evidence and recommendations
• Pediatric exoskeleton user-needs study
• Adjustable upper-limb soft wearable study
• EPSRC Algorithmic Grant Doctoral Landscape Award
• UKRI stipend and fee levels
• UKRI-funded studentship guidance
• Cardiff UKRI fee-discount information
• Cardiff living costs calculator
• Private accommodation in Cardiff
• HRA research-involving-children guidance
• Cardiff research ethics
• EngineeringUK workforce data update