Biography
Digby is an Associate Professor in Engineering Science, a member of the Oxford Robotics Institute, and a Tutorial Fellow at St Anne's College. He leads the Human Enhancing and Augmenting Technology (HEAT) Lab, with a goal of creating body-interfacing robots and technology that restore, improve, and even transform human abilities.
Before joining Oxford in 2026, Digby was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioengineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where he worked on wearable technology for rehabilitation of individuals post stroke.
Digby received his PhD from Imperial College London, where his thesis focused on “Improving Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand Control via a Multifaceted, User-Centred Approach”, and his MEng degree from the University of Cambridge, where his final year project investigated “Wearable Muscle Activity Sensors”.
Research
As Principal Investigator of the Human Enhancing and Augmenting Technology (HEAT) Lab, Digby's research explores how we can create personalised, body-interfacing robots and technology that restore, improve, and even transform human abilities. In particular, his research investigates how technology can supplement and extend the capabilities of the human body's musculoskeletal, sensory, and control systems. To achieve this, the HEAT Lab brings together expertise across the translation cycle of new technology and creative, cross-disciplinary teams, aiming to make real-world impact with our research and better understand what it means to be human.
Research Groups
Recent Publications
Examining the physical and psychological effects of combining multimodal feedback with continuous control in prosthetic hands
Chappell D, Yang Z, Clark AB, Berkovic A, Laganier C et al. (2025), Scientific Reports, 15(1)
BibTeX
@article{examiningthephy-2025/1,
title={Examining the physical and psychological effects of combining multimodal feedback with continuous control in prosthetic hands},
author={Chappell D, Yang Z, Clark AB, Berkovic A, Laganier C et al.},
journal={Scientific Reports},
volume={15},
number={3690},
publisher={Nature Research},
year = "2025"
}
Towards Instant Calibration in Myoelectric Prosthetic Hands: A Highly Data-Efficient Controller Based on the Wasserstein Distance
Chappell D, Yang Z, Son HW, Bello F, Kormushev P et al. (2022), 2011 IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, 00, 1-6
BibTeX
@inproceedings{towardsinstantc-2022/7,
title={Towards Instant Calibration in Myoelectric Prosthetic Hands: A Highly Data-Efficient Controller Based on the Wasserstein Distance},
author={Chappell D, Yang Z, Son HW, Bello F, Kormushev P et al.},
booktitle={2022 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)},
pages={1-6},
year = "2022"
}
Instinctive Real-time sEMG-based Control of Prosthetic Hand with Reduced Data Acquisition and Embedded Deep Learning Training
Yang Z, Clark AB, Chappell D & Rojas N (2022), 00, 5666-5672
BibTeX
@inproceedings{instinctivereal-2022/5,
title={Instinctive Real-time sEMG-based Control of Prosthetic Hand with Reduced Data Acquisition and Embedded Deep Learning Training},
author={Yang Z, Clark AB, Chappell D & Rojas N},
booktitle={2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)},
pages={5666-5672},
year = "2022"
}
Aerosolised fluorescein can quantify FFP mask faceseal leakage: a cost-effective adaptation to the existing point of care fit test.
Zaman S, Seligman H, Lloyd FH, Patel KT, Chappell D et al. (2021), Clinical medicine (London, England), 21(3), e263-e268
BibTeX
@article{aerosolisedfluo-2021/5,
title={Aerosolised fluorescein can quantify FFP mask faceseal leakage: a cost-effective adaptation to the existing point of care fit test.},
author={Zaman S, Seligman H, Lloyd FH, Patel KT, Chappell D et al.},
journal={Clinical medicine (London, England)},
volume={21},
pages={e263-e268},
year = "2021"
}
Virtual Reality Pre-Prosthetic Hand Training With Physics Simulation and Robotic Force Interaction
Chappell D, Son HW, Clark AB, Yang Z, Bello F et al. (0), IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 7(2), 4550-4557
BibTeX
@article{virtualrealityp-/,
title={Virtual Reality Pre-Prosthetic Hand Training With Physics Simulation and Robotic Force Interaction},
author={Chappell D, Son HW, Clark AB, Yang Z, Bello F et al.},
journal={IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
volume={7},
pages={4550-4557},
publisher={Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)}
}
