Bridging disciplines through making : competency development in interdisciplinary wearable rehabilitation technology education

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Georgiev, Georgi V. and Soomro, Sohail Ahmed and Balzan, E. and Gauci, Maria and Buhagiar, Nathalie and Vella, Pierre and Tamburrino, Francesco and Neri, Paolo and Aruanno, Beatrice and Wodehouse, Andrew and MacLachlan, Ross and Hadjionisiforou, Onisiforos and Latif, Ummi and Fernando, Roshan and Kuivila, Heli and Kitkala-Murto, Noora and Mikkonen, Kristina and Abela, Edward and Farrugia, Philip (2026) Bridging disciplines through making : competency development in interdisciplinary wearable rehabilitation technology education. In: 28th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE26), 2026-09-03 - 2026-09-04, University of Bristol. (In Press)

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Abstract

Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential in engineering and product design education, yet educators struggle to identify and develop the competencies it requires. This paper presents findings from an intensive workshop in which 21 students from engineering, design, and occupational therapy across four universities collaboratively developed wearable rehabilitation devices. A progressive four-session structure covered the full development cycle: 3D scanning, CAD modelling, electronics integration, and performance testing. Evaluation exposed critical gaps in traditional engineering education. Students flagged regulatory and clinical requirements as the most significant missing competency, followed by electronics and programming skills. Most consistently, participants lacked understanding of clinical rehabilitation contexts, such as patient needs, human anatomy, and real-world device usage, highlighting that contextual knowledge is as essential as technical skill in healthcare technology design. This research provides practical curricula frameworks for developing both technical and collaborative competencies. The findings confirm that hands-on, interdisciplinary learning bridges educational divides but requires deliberate integration of clinical context and cross-disciplinary exchange, further offering actionable guidance for educators in engineering and product design.

ORCID iDs

Georgiev, Georgi V., Soomro, Sohail Ahmed, Balzan, E., Gauci, Maria, Buhagiar, Nathalie, Vella, Pierre, Tamburrino, Francesco, Neri, Paolo, Aruanno, Beatrice, Wodehouse, Andrew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9605-3497, MacLachlan, Ross ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5581-9529, Hadjionisiforou, Onisiforos, Latif, Ummi, Fernando, Roshan, Kuivila, Heli, Kitkala-Murto, Noora, Mikkonen, Kristina, Abela, Edward and Farrugia, Philip;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)