How TITAN’s Research Supports Safer and Connected Care
The world of healthcare is evolving fast, but the systems that support it do not always keep pace. There is growing pressure on hospitals, rising demand for home-based care, and…
The world of healthcare is evolving fast, but the systems that support it do not always keep pace. There is growing pressure on hospitals, rising demand for home-based care, and…
The world of healthcare is evolving fast, but the systems that support it do not always keep pace. There is growing pressure on hospitals, rising demand for home-based care, and an urgent need to better utilise digital tools, data, and connectivity across the UK.
TITAN is conducting research aimed at creating innovative, responsive environments where technology enhances human care and support. Through innovations in sensing, connectivity, and machine learning, researchers are working to help clinicians make quicker decisions, patients feel safer, and the health system runs more smoothly.
Picture a hospital room that quietly knows when a patient is about to get out of bed and can tell whether that is safe. Wi-SenCom, developed by researchers at Heriot-Watt University, utilises high-frequency Wi-Fi not only to connect devices, but also to sense subtle movements in real-time. If a frail patient begins to shift or stand unsteadily, staff can be notified instantly to help prevent falls before they happen.
Layered on top is MA-CASS, a data-sharing system that interprets information based on the clinical situation. So, rather than flooding nurses with alerts, it surfaces only what is most relevant, such as a drop in oxygen during the night or a spike in heart rate after surgery.
Together, these tools support a smoother and safer patient flow from the ward to home and back.
Read More: Building Smarter Systems with Home-Connect Project
The shift toward care at home has made wearable health devices more crucial than ever. However, for many people, the experience can still be clunky.
That is why researchers at Queen Mary University of London are developing multi-modal learning techniques so that wearables can combine signals from different sensors (such as heart rate, temperature, and movement) and use machine learning to understand what is truly normal for each individual. Instead of sending constant updates, the device only raises a flag when a significant change occurs.
The result? More accurate, less intrusive monitoring and less strain on clinicians who don’t need to check every data point. It is a future where a health tracker fits more naturally into everyday life.
In busy clinical environments, time is often lost searching for equipment or even for an available bed. Optical Wireless Positioning (OWP) reseach at University of Cambridge can enable technology that utilises harmless light-based signals to pinpoint the location of staff, patients, and critical assets in real-time, without the need for cameras or invasive tags.
By making these spaces “location-aware,” hospitals can better manage resources, reduce delays, and simplify logistics. It is a quiet yet powerful way to make care settings more agile, visible, and efficient.
Also Read: FTH Impact in Focus: Securing Connected Care
Sometimes, the right specialist may not be in the building or even in the city. Reasearch on Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) at University of Strathclyde will contribute towards high-speed, wireless technology that can support everything from live holographic consultations to remote surgical guidance. It delivers massive data at ultra-low latency, without relying on conventional networks.
This opens the door to more flexible, distributed models of care, where expert input can travel instantly, wherever it is needed most.
Infection control remains one of the quiet fundamentals of safe healthcare. But what if rooms could clean themselves continuously, without disrupting care?
Strathclyde researchers are also exploring far-UV sterilisation alongside OWC, which uses a narrow band of ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses, without harming people. These systems can operate around the clock in theatres, waiting rooms, or even care homes, adding a built-in layer of protection without the need for manual intervention.
As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, keeping data safe, huge files such as medical images or genomic records, is more crucial than ever.
Quantum Key Distribution research across TITAN utilises the principles of quantum physics to generate encryption keys that are physically impossible to intercept or duplicate. Integrated into existing fibre-optic infrastructure, this technology provides future-proof protection for sensitive health data as it moves between hospitals, laboratories, and national systems.
In an age of increasing cyber threats, it is a step toward building trust into the system itself.
Also Read: Connected Care: The Future of Smarter Healthcare
Each of these innovations solves a different challenge. But what makes TITAN’s research unique is how they work together:
Our research is not just about faster technology; it is about more connected care. About enabling the NHS to move forward with confidence. And about supporting a system that serves everyone—patients, clinicians, and communities alike.
TITAN is part of the Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) alongside CHEDDAR, HASC, and JOINER. Together, we conduct world-leading R&D and create a new knowledge-sharing framework, roadmap technology, develop skills, and engage with standards while instilling a commercialisation-focused mindset across academia.
If you have any questions about the research discussed in this article, please contact titan-enquiries@eng.cam.ac.uk.
