About

I am a Biomedical Engineer who has worked on the design, construction and application of advanced electronics to prosthetic limbs.

Research interests

I have conducted research in biomedical engineering since my PhD in 1990 when I built the first microprocessor-controlled artificial limb to be worn and used by a person in the field.  It had sensors to detect grip force and if the object was slipping.  The microprocessor then automatically increased the grip of the hand on the object. 

I am interested in bringing technology together with people to make a difference to the average person.  I am not working on sensory systems for prosthetic limbs which are connected to the nerves of the user, because their adoption by the NHS or any other public healthcare system is many years away.  The way to make a difference to the average person is to make affordable solutions that are easy to learn to use.  The feedback systems I am working on can be added to the person without surgery.

Membership of professional bodies

International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics - member of the board of the UK national members society

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Durham University, Hatfield College (1983)
• MSc Southampton University, Electronic Engineering Department (1985)
• PhD Southampton University, Electronic Engineering Department (1990)

Recent conferences

Chair of the Trent International Prosthetics Symposium - March 2022

International experience

I was a Canada Research Chair at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, from 2003 to 2015. I have worked with teams in Norway, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Canada, the USA, Haiti, Uganda and Jordan.  My international conferences enjoyed delegates from every continent except Antarctica.

Additional interests and activities

I am a runner, I help organise local road races. I am a qualified Ski instructor with the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance.

Recent publications

Kyberd - Making Hands: A history of prosthetic arms, Elsevier, November 2021. ISBN (Print): 9780128205440.

1        P Kyberd       Slip Detection Strategies for Automatic Grasping in Prosthetic Hands       Sensors 2023, 23, 4433. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23094433,  Published: 30th April 2023.

2        A.Hussaini, P.Kyberd, B.Mulindwa, R.Ssekitoleko, W.Keeble, L.Kenney, D.Howard    3D Printing in LMICs: Functional design for upper limb prosthetics in Uganda          Prostheses, 2023, 5(1), 130-147;, https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis5010011 Published: 1 February 2023.

3        P.J.Kyberd, D.Findlayson,  M.Jayasuriya, F.Chibante   A Strengthened and Sensorised Custom Silicone Glove for use with an Intelligent Prosthetic Hand, Medical Engineering and Physics 107 (2022) 103845, Available online. 2022

4        C.D.Novo, R.Boss, P Kyberd, E.N.Biden, J.E.T.Diaz, M.H.Ricardo, Testing the Microsoft Kinect skeletal tracking accuracy under varying external factors, MedCrave Online of Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 6(1), 7-11.  2022

5        S.G.R.Prabhu, P.J.Kyberd, W.J.C. Melis and J.C.Wetherall Does Lifelong Learning Affect Mobile Robot Evolution?     In: Matoušek R., Kůdela J. (eds) Recent Advances in Soft Computing and Cybernetics. Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing, vol 403. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61659-5_11, pp125-138. 2021.

6        D.J.A. Foord and P. Kyberd          Embedded research in rehabilitation engineering   Prometheus, 36:3: Pages 217-234, 2020.

7        Ø. Stavdahl, T. Mugaas, M. Vatshaug Ottermo, T. Magne, P. Kyberd, Mechanisms of Sporadic Control Failure Related to the Skin-Electrode Interface in Myoelectric Hand Prostheses          Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Volume 32, Number 1, 38-51, 2020.