Faculty of Engineering and Computing header
Faculty of Engineering and Computing
Shows Dr Shirley Coyle fixing sensors to dummies head
Dr Shirley Coyle fixes sensors to a model. Credit: Daire Hall

Groundbreaking DCU wearable sensor research for stroke rehabilitation featured on RTÉ News

RTÉ News recently highlighted innovative research led by Dublin City University into wearable sensor technology that could transform stroke rehabilitation, bringing national attention to a promising breakthrough in personalised healthcare. Dr Shirley Coyle from the Faculty of Engineering and Computing collaborated with other researchers from DCU on this piece as well as with researchers from Arizona State University Tempe.

The RTE article detailed how Dr Shirley Coyle and team are developing lightweight, wearable sensors to monitor brain and muscle activity in stroke patients. The initiative, part of a transatlantic collaboration with Arizona State University, is backed by a €1 million collaborative doctoral programme involving four PhD researchers, two based at DCU and two at ASU.

The wearable sensors use advanced metasurface-enhanced functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to record neuromotor signals in real-world environments, an approach that could revolutionise personalised rehabilitation outside clinical settings. This builds on DCU’s strong record in sensor and rehabilitation technology.

Alongside Dr Coyle, other DCU contributors mentioned in the report include Dr Paul Buchanan and Dr Alex Eustace, who are working in parallel on a separate project addressing triple-negative breast cancer using drug screening and tumour‑on‑chip technologies. Their research aims to uncover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets linked to TP53 mutations, enhancing treatment prospects for aggressive cancers.

The RTE exposé underscores DCU’s ongoing commitment to impactful, interdisciplinary health and engineering research, positioning the University at the forefront of wearable health technologies and cancer innovation.

Read the RTE piece here.