Dr. Sarath B. Tennakoon
Staffordshire University
School of Engineering & Advance Technology
Electronic Devices & Power Technology Group
P O Box 333
  Beaconside
 Stafford
UK
ST18 0DF

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/edesign/
Telephone : +44-1785-253488
Fax : +44-1785-353488
s.b.tennakoon@staffs.ac.uk  

Our research in medical and health related applications are in a number of areas including Fracture Healing using External Fixators and VLSI Implants for Skeletal Muscle Assistance to the Heart. This work has led to the development of appropriate patient monitoring systems and specialist equipment for the remote monitoring of fracture healing, outpatient clinical measurement of fracture stiffness using a three axis force plate and a goniometer and implant devices for testing in vivo. A new project on implantable stimulators for directly controlling skeletal muscle has recently commenced.  Also projects to develop remote data download through communication links and to develop a clinical monitoring system to allow easy use by the hospital staff are planned.

The institute has also a wide experience in image and video processing including compression, analysis, authentication, watermarking and copyright protection. Compression and subsequent authentication of data would be one of the critical issues for a reliable patient monitoring system. It is important that relevant digital medical data is not distorted due to image processing algorithms such as compression; otherwise the whole diagnoses process could become unreliable. The commercialisation of this system would also require copyright protection of the digital data and therefore medical watermarking would be essential for commercial success.

We also have expertise in the area of analogue and digital electronics design. Currently we are one of the eight centres in UK selected by Department of Trade and Industry to support small & medium size companies (SMEs) in the Midlands region in the area of electronics design (for details see: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/edesign/). The institute has also a wide experience in data conversion and associated building blocks including A/Ds, D/A, low power integrated analogue filters and equalisers using CMOS and switch current technology as well as power semiconductor packaging technology.

Staff who could participate:

Research: Dr Ian Moorcroft, Prof Peter Ogrodnik, Dr M Moniri, Dr Frank Dudek, Dr N Y A Shammas.

Enterprise & Development: Prof Steve Granger, Dr Ian Taylor

Management: Dr Sarath B Tennakoon

Their short CVs are attached to this document. 

Areas of contribution: The work at TRI can be integrated into the Computer Aided Monitoring System (CAMS) explained in your “Expression of Interest for a Network of Excellence on Patient Monitoring.

Referring to your e-mail TRI can make a contribution to the JPAs identified below.

T2:    Signal conditioning and conversion: Miniaturization, lowest power consumption.

T4:    Signal processing, classification, recognition and evaluation.

If you like to find out more about our research work and publications please visit the website

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/engineering_and_technology/downlevel/research/research_home.htm

Short CVs of Participating Staff

Dr Sarath  B Tennakoon: Research Manager

Dr Tennakoon was a Senior Design Engineer at GEC - Alstom before joining Staffordshire University as a Senior Lecturer. At present Dr Tennakoon is the Reader in Electrical Engineering, the Research Manager and Head of Electronic Systems and Power Technology Research group. He has extensive experience in managing projects with industry and other external bodies. He is active in professional institutions and is currently the secretary of the UK IEEE Power Electronics Chapter. He has organised short courses for industry and was member of the local organising committee of the 37^th International Universities Power Engineering Conference. His role in the NOE will be in managing the activities. His research interests include power electronic application to high power systems, harmonics, and energy saving motor drives.

Dr M Moniri: Director of Technology Research Institute

Dr Moniri is the Director of TRI and Head of Multi-Dimensional Signal Processing Research Group. He Obtained R.O.Dunmore prize in electronic Engineering and is currently a Reader in the School of Engineering & Advanced Technology. His participation in the NOE will be partly managerial and partly technical.  His particular expertise is in signal, image and video processing. His current research area  in brief are: Processing, Compression, Authentication, Watermarking of images and video as well as the implementation of analogue and digital signal processing hardware including filters and data converters(A/D, D/A). He has developed novel algorithms for modelling and processing images using Finite Automata which is gaining international recognition.

Professor Peter Ogrodnik: Professor of Engineering Design.

Professor Ogrodnik leads the Medical & Health Technology research group which focuses on the design and development of medical devices to aid healing and healing assessment as well as modelling & simulation of  the fracture healing process. Grants have been obtained from LINK, Department of Health, National Health Service and industry. Research results have produced several national and international patents. Prof Ogrodnik has extensively published in journals and conference proceedings, and has authored two books. He has run short courses for industry and has acted as consultant for industry. Prof Ogrodnik is in the process of starting a spin-off company to commercialise the external fixators for fracture healing.

Professor Steve Grainger: Professor in Microelectronics and Manager, Midlands Electronic Design Support Centre

Prof Steve Grainger the  professor in microelectronic design and  is currently the head of Midlands Electronic Design Support Centre which is one of the eight such centres funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 1995. The centre is self funding now and provides services to businesses and industry. A well equipped EMC testing laboratory with a screened room and an open area test site is also managed by the centre. The centre can also offer design consultancy, PCB layout and prototype and test and rapid prototyping of mechanical parts. These facilities can be made available to the NOE.

For more details visit the website  http://www.staffs.ac.uk/edesign/

Dr N Y A Shammas: Reader

Dr Shammas was Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Higher Petroleum Institute, Tobruk, before joining GEC Engineering Research Centre, Stafford, UK as a Senior Research Engineer. Then He joined Staffordshire University in 1987 as a senior lecturer and is now a reader. His expertise is in the design and fabrication of power semiconductor devices.  Some recent projects include “Switching Characteristics of Fast Power Diodes in IGBT Circuits, Transient Thermal performance of high Power Semiconductors, Reliability and Performance of Advanced Mos-Gated Power Semiconductor devices, and Series Connection of IGBTs”.   

Dr Frank Dudek: Senior Lecturer

Dr Dudek obtained his PhD in the area of analogue circuit design from Staffordshire University where he is a Senior Lecturer now. He is also the CISCO Regional Networking Academy programme Coordinator. He has acted as Design Consultant for fully-integrated continuous-time video filters for Faraday Technology and WML and has run short courses for industry in pSpice simulation and Digital System Design.

Dr Dudek has many publications in the area of analogue integrated circuits for signal processing applications using switched current and OTA technology.

Dr Ian Taylor: Senior Lecturer

Dr Ian Taylor was a Design Engineer at Racal Communications Ltd, Bracknell and is now a lecturer in 1986. He obtained his PhD in 1988 researching into “VLSI Implants for skeletal muscle assistance to the heart”.  He has supervised M Sc projects in “Transcutaneous data and Power Transmission,” prototype Operational Amplifier for Low Power Operation, Design a Microprocessor in RISC architecture, Low Power Analogue to Digital Converter Using semi-custom approach and is currently supervising a Ph D project on “An artificial Storma implementation through electrical muscle stimulation”

Dr Ian Moorcroft: Senior Lecturer

Dr Moorcroft obtained his Ph D degree from Staffordshire University in 1999 and his thesis was on “Control and measurement of movement in human tibial fractures using external fixators”. Subsequently he joined Staffordshire University as a senior lecturer and his direction of research is aimed at the design and development external fixators and associated data logging and intelligent monitoring systems for fracture healing and healing assessment. Modelling & simulation of the fracture healing process is an integral part of this work. fracture healing. Since 1998 he has published more than 20 papers.