Leuven Medical Technology Centre

Leuven Health Technology Centre (L-HTC) will focus on technology enhanced active and healthy living. In the L-HTC vision new technology will be developed for active movement in the framework of lifestyle applications, rather than for sport performance applications. This choice is inspired by the societal importance of an active lifestyle for prevention, i.e. for keeping people healthy (primary prevention), reducing risks for chronically ill patients (secondary prevention) or avoiding relapse (tertiary prevention).

The technology developed within L-HTC will focus on healthy people as well as (chronically) ill people. Examples of chronically ill patients benefiting from active lifestyle technology are, among others, people suffering from obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, (neurological) movement disorders, back disorders, etc. As such, we envision a more holistic approach covering prevention – diagnosis – treatment – rehabilitation in relation to maintaining or restoring mobility.

Technology developed within L-HTC will be focusing on active and healthy living, with applications ranging from wearable technology for lifestyle advice up to the development of smart brain stimulation for movement enhancement. The technology for smart instrumentation will benefit from the experience within KU Leuven with respect to mechatronics, robotics, robot-assisted surgery and the biomechanics of tissue-instrument interaction.

The envisioned technology will be developed by integrating different expertise domains comprising, but not limited to, movement science, biomechanics, (exercise) physiology, cardiology, medical imaging, skeletal tissue engineering, neurology, sensor technology, signal processing, hardware technology, software technology, wearable technology, robotics and automation, physical activity policy, etc.

Healthy living is a very broad domain, but L-HTC will specifically focus on technology enhanced active and healthy living. In the L-HTC vision new technology will be developed for active movement in the framework of lifestyle applications, rather than for sport performance applications. This choice is inspired by the societal importance of an active lifestyle for prevention, i.e. for keeping people healthy (primary prevention), reducing risks for chronically ill patients (secondary prevention) or avoiding relapse (tertiary prevention).

The technology developed within L-HTC will focus on healthy people as well as (chronically) ill people. Examples of chronically ill patients benefiting from active lifestyle technology are, among others, people suffering from obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, (neurological) movement disorders, back disorders, etc. As such, we envision a more holistic approach covering prevention – diagnosis – treatment – rehabilitation in relation to maintaining or restoring mobility.

Technology developed within L-HTC will be focusing on active and healthy living, with applications ranging from wearable technology for lifestyle advice up to the development of smart brain stimulation for movement enhancement. The technology for smart instrumentation will benefit from the experience within KU Leuven with respect to mechatronics, robotics, robot-assisted surgery and the biomechanics of tissue-instrument interaction.

The envisioned technology will be developed by integrating different expertise domains comprising, but not limited to, movement science, biomechanics, (exercise) physiology, cardiology, medical imaging, skeletal tissue engineering, neurology, sensor technology, signal processing, hardware technology, software technology, wearable technology, robotics and automation, physical activity policy, etc.

L-HTC will initally focus on three research tracks:

- Track 1: Smart instrumentation

- Track 2: Electrical stimulation of abnormal brain cavity wall in patients with an abnormal brain cavity and associated symptoms

- Track 3: Mobile technology for primary and secondary prevention and rehabilitation