EDUWEAR, an EU-funded project designed to reshape how future professionals learn to develop customisable wearable rehabilitation devices. EDUWEAR aims to bridge engineering and health sciences by creating a comprehensive, interdisciplinary e-learning course enhanced with hands-on learning experiences. Its core goal is to equip students with the competencies required to design and prototype new wearable technologies that support rehabilitation processes.
UBICOMP hosted the project’s intensive summer workshop, providing FabLab Oulu as the hands-on environment where students from four European countries worked together to design and prototype smart rehabilitation wearables, including a device concept for tracking finger movements.
Over three days, 22 students worked in mixed teams, including engineers, computer scientists, and allied health professionals, combining technical, anatomical, and clinical insights to design a smart wearable device capable of tracking finger movements and supporting rehabilitation for patients with neurological or motor-impairment.
Rehabilitation technologies increasingly rely on user-centred engineering, sensor-rich wearables, and interdisciplinary design frameworks. EDUWEAR directly addresses competence gaps identified across Europe by:
· Standardising interdisciplinary training
· Strengthening engineering-healthcare collaboration
· Promoting hands-on learning through FabLab
· Guiding educators on best practices
· Supporting the development of customizable, user-driven rehabilitation devices
Looking Ahead
With EDUWEAR running through 2027, UBICOMP will continue contributing to the project’s development, dissemination, and evaluation of its impact on future professionals. UBICOMP remains dedicated to shaping the future of ubiquitous and wearable computing—empowering students, researchers, and industry partners to collaborate on meaningful technologies that improve human wellbeing.
For more details: eduwear-project.eu
Text by: Sohail Soomro