Research at the University of Bath is developing innovative technology to improve lives. Our Institute for the Augmented Human, a multi-disciplinary community of researchers, policy makers and entrepreneurs, is delivering cutting-edge projects and showing how machines can have a wide-reaching impact on society and individuals. Our expertise in robotics, engineering, computer science, health, neuroscience and psychology has led to the development and deployment of human augmentation which promises to improve health and wellbeing for millions.
Developing brain-computer interfaces
University research has developed a brain-computer interface that, in the future, may enable a person of tetraplegia or locked-in syndrome to autonomously steer a wheelchair, control a robotic manipulator or use a smartphone. The high-precision neuro technology could go on to improve the autonomy and social participation of people with severe physical disabilities. In 2024, the research reached a significant milestone when it was crowned winner at the annual international CYBATHLON Challenge, a competition where cybathletes race against each other in computer game-like challenges using brainwaves alone.
Improving early diagnosis of dementia
Research at the University has created a passive, completely non-invasive test which can improve early detection for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The test, ‘Fastball’, measures patients’ brain waves whilst they watch a series of flashing images displayed on a screen. Developed in-house by University researchers, the technology requires users to wear an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset, which is linked to a computer for analysis. Tests have shown Fastball to be highly effective at picking up small, subtle changes in brain waves. As this response changes during the onset of dementia, the research offers hope as a breakthrough for early diagnosis. By testing more people earlier and more regularly, the team believes it could help lower the age of diagnosis by up to five years in the short-term and by more in the future.
Allowing people with neurological conditions to communicate using a hidden ear muscle
Earswitch is a revolutionary assistive technology developed with a team of researchers that allows people to communicate by tensing a tiny muscle in the inner ear. The device, attached to the tensor tympani muscle, is linked to an assistive keyboard. Current existing assistive devices can become unusable as neurological conditions such as MND worsen over time, and it’s hoped that Earswitch could offer a breakthrough for individuals with severe communications restrictions.

The Centre for 21st Century Public Health is an international, award-winning, multi-disciplinary team whose research advances our understanding of the world’s biggest and most complex public health challenges, and how to address them. The Centre is pioneering studies that evaluate the complex systems of commercial, political, economic, and social influences that affect population health across the globe. It uses these findings to generate innovative policy approaches to improve population health at global, regional and national levels.
Studying and addressing commercial sector influences on public health
Approximately 40 percent of chronic disease deaths globally are directly linked to just four products manufactured by transnational corporations – tobacco, ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and fossil fuels. The University of Bath has been at the forefront of research to understand and conceptualise these issues and is now leading an £8 million project to find solutions with a focus at local government level. The study will identify, implement, and evaluate interventions most likely to improve health, wellbeing, and equity at scale. It brings together researchers, NGOs, public health professionals, citizens, and local government for the first time to do this. This work, conducted under the Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP) consortium, is driving discussions on the need for robust regulations to protect health and policy integrity. The consortium - a coalition of leading researchers from the Universities of Bath, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and LSHTM with civil society organisations - is supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of its Population Health Improvement UK (PHI-UK) network.
Evaluating the impact of Low Emission Zones
Researchers at the Centre undertook a robust and independent studyevaluating the impact of London's Low Emission Zones, a scheme to limit the presence and use of highly polluting vehicles in the city. Using large administrative and survey data, they showed that the scheme improved air quality, physical health, and people’s well-being.
Investigating Big Tobacco’s influence on public health
Tobacco is the only legal consumer product that kills at least half of its users when used exactly as the manufacturer intends. For over a decade, the multidisciplinary and award-winning Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) has uncovered how the tobacco industry promotes smoking, blocks public health policies, and avoids tax on a massive scale.

Millions of people worldwide are subjected to forced labour. Research from the University of Bath’s School of Management is educating academics, professionals and policymakers about how to spot modern slavery and, crucially, what to do about it.
Sharing expertise
Professor Andrew Crane, Director of the Centre for Business, Organisations and Society, is one of the world’s leading experts in business and modern slavery, having published his first paper in the field in 2013. One of his recent projects focused on how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can successfully get involved in tackling forced labour. He found that the most important elements for NGOs’ credibility were being viewed as experts in their specific industry or country, having a good reputation within that industry, and a deep connection to workers. In 2023, Andrew brought together the largest ever gathering of modern slavery researchers and practitioners for the second annual Crossing Boundaries conference.
Examining public sector supply chains
Dr Johanne Grosvold uncovered substantial gaps in procurement teams’ knowledge during her project ‘Climate Change and Modern Slavery in Public Procurement’. The research was carried out with the Modern Slavery & Human Rights Policy & Evidence Centre, London Universities Purchasing Consortium and Unseen UK, as well as colleagues from the Universities of Sussex and the West of England. Their key recommendations included the implementation of different forms of training for staff based on their role; stronger tendering requirements for public sector contracts; and the introduction of processes to actively manage known risks, such as in the electronics supply chain.
Supporting dignity for all
Professor Vivek Soundararajan leads Embed Dignity, a research initiative based at the School of Management that aims to improve working conditions across all facets of organisations. His research focuses on a range of areas, including the garment and software industries, and caste – a form of traditional social stratification in South Asia that has a pervasive socio-economic influence to this day. Vivek and his Bath colleague Dr Pankhuri Agarwal investigated the aftermath of the 2020 Boohoo scandal, where large-scale exploitation was found in brand’s Leicester factories amid allegations of modern slavery. The team spent four months in the city during 2023 carrying out interviews and focus groups with affected people, finding that government and brand interventions were essentially no more than a sticking plaster. The team demonstrated that more should be invested in community-based solutions, such as initiatives that bring together unions, workers and brands to address working conditions in factories. More attention is also needed on the wider social issues that render people vulnerable to labour exploitation in the first place.