Clinical trials of an innovative inflatable pillow designed to make moving intensive care unit (ICU) patients safer, faster, and less labour-intensive for NHS staff have begun in Bath.

Co-developed by researchers at the University of Bath and clinicians at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH), and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Inflatable Prone Repositioning Device – known as the ‘BathMat’ – is a flat balloon-like pillow that can be inflated in sections, and is the first medical device of its kind.

A new method uses AI to physically restore a damaged painting much more quickly than what’s possible using manual techniques. A digitally generated “mask” in the form of thin film is applied directly to the original painting, and can also be easily removed.

UC Davis researchers have developed a brain-computer interface that can instantaneously translate brain activity into voice as a person tries to speak — effectively creating a digital vocal tract.