SIN launches engineering innovation workshop at the Paralympics

The XIV Paralympic Games open in London on 29 August, with around 4,200 athletes competing in 503 events across 20 disciplines. Assistive technologies play a huge part in these Games, allowing the competitors to perform at the highest level and bringing new developments and innovations to the non-sports markets. Aiming to capitalise on the concentration of expertise present at the Games, SIN France pulled in participants from around the world (working with SIN in Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Russia and the USA) and organised the Global Business Summit on Assistive Medical Technologies (Advances in Assistive Medical Technologies) and the International Workshop on Sport Engineering (How can sport drive engineering innovation?).

The Advances in Assistive Medical Technologies Summit, organised in collaboration with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), will focus on the business aspects of innovation in assistive technologies and rehabilitation. Businesspeople, engineers, government representatives and scientists will visit Stoke Mandeville Hospital‘s state-of-the-art spinal injury centre and take part in workshops on desing and sensing.

The How can sport drive engineering innovation? conference, organised in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, will focus on recent advances in rehailibtation science and their applicability to non-elite sports and wider society. Experts from academia and industry will discuss aspects of design, sensing, measurement and materials and compile findings into recommendations for sport driving engineering innovation.

In addition to the world-class athletes competing for Canada at the Games, representatives from the Rick Hansen Foundation will be at the above events to chat about opportunities in Canadian research and business.