This year's list brings together 79 carefully selected research projects that address engineering and technology in the service of humanity. NeuRehab@home is a smart textile platform that facilitates neuromuscular rehabilitation and can be used at home, for example by patients with phantom pain after an amputation.

This project is led by Li Guo, Senior Lecturer at the Swedish School of Textiles, and is conducted together with Leif Sandsjö, Associate Professor and Senior Lecture at the Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare, and Anna Björkquist, Research Assistant at the Swedish School of Textiles. The project, which started in 2020, is funded by the Knowledge Foundation. It is being conducted in collaboration with the companies Bola, Integrum, and Daralabs, as well as researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and Manchester University.

Watch the film describing how smart textile solutions can be used

“We are of course very glad to be selected for the 100 List by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. It is a great honour but also a kind of recognition from society that our research is considered relevant and that it can contribute to the development of new methods and opportunities for rehabilitation in the home environment. It is also proof of what can be achieved with interdisciplinary research between the Faculties at the University of Borås. In this case, it has to do with textile engineering of the highest quality combined with biomedical engineering and the digitalisation of healthcare,” said Leif Sandsjö.

The project is almost over; what happens now?
“Yes, it is true that the project is in its final phase. We think this attention will be a very valuable contribution to the final report to the Knowledge Foundation, which funded our project. We will continue this work as this autumn we will receive reinforcement in our project via a postdoc position funded by Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships. We have also submitted a new application to the Knowledge Foundation and hope to be able to take these ideas further with continued funding from them.”

About the 100 List

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’s 100 List 2023 highlights a wide range of research projects from Swedish higher education institutions on the theme of engineering and technology in the service of humanity in the areas of climate change, energy supply, welfare technology, cyber security, and crisis preparedness. The projects selected have been assessed as having great potential to create impact through commercialisation, business and method development, or societal impact. All participating researchers are interested in increased contacts with business and industry for the application and further development of their projects. 

Representatives of the selected research projects are invited to participate in tailor-made activities aimed at increasing opportunities for collaboration when it comes to societal benefits.

Read more on the website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences