December 2025

Happy New Year! As we step into 2026, I’m thrilled to share some exciting milestones from December, a month that brought external recognition, hands-on testing, and a peek behind the creative curtain… but also some well-deserved rest.

🏆 MEMoPAD Wins Milbotix SmartSocks® Competition

MEMoPAD has been selected as the winner of the Stress category in Milbotix’s SmartSocks®DISCOVERY Pioneers Competition. Our proposal explores SmartSocks, wearable sensors embedded in socks, as an alternative to smartwatches for emotion monitoring in anxiety disorders.

This means MEMoPAD will receive SmartSocks®DISCOVERY Kits to test whether this unobtrusive approach could complement or replace wrist-worn devices, particularly for users who find smartwatches uncomfortable or conspicuous.

Thank you to the expert judging panel including Prof Helen Dawes, Dr Silvia Del Din, Dr Lizzie Hill, Prof Kavita Vedhara, and Adam Smith for believing in our proposal, as well as to Milbotix for supporting mental health technology research.

👉 Read the full press release

Please note that this is not related to the side project involving HUG by LAUGH that I mentioned to you previously, which I will provide more information on at the end of Phase V.

🧪 Phase V Simulation: Supervisors in the Hot Seat

December also saw a crucial internal milestone: Phase V simulation testing with my PhD supervisors Dr David Western, Dr Miles Thompson, Dr Paul Matthews, and Dr Michael Loizou. Before inviting participants into the lab, we put the entire protocol through its paces: supervisors wore the watch, interacted with the prototypes, and experienced the full 2-hour session as participants would.

This “dry run” caught minor usability issues, refined timing estimates, and confirmed the protocol flows smoothly. It’s been unjoyful and constructive as it will ensures participants’ time is respected and the data we collect is meaningful.

We are using Google Pixel Watch, but Parag Sharma tested the current version of the prototype also on Samsung Healthcare Galaxy Watch, and it works!

Phase V participant invitations are expected by the end of January. If you’ve expressed interest in taking part, keep an eye on your inbox in the coming weeks, we’re nearly ready to begin the in-person activities!

🎥 Behind the Scenes: How the MEMoPAD Video Was Made

Many of you saw the short MEMoPAD project video I shared recently. Several people asked: “Did AI make this?” The answer: AI helped, but this was hard work.

I wrote a LinkedIn post breaking down the process step-by-step, from scripting and voiceover recording to iterative AI-assisted editing and countless refinements. I hope this approach is appreciated and can be a more inclusive and engaging than traditional written documentation, particularly for PPIE projects. Research isn’t just lab work and papers; it’s also storytelling, and I’m committed to sharing that process openly.

👉 Read the full breakdown here

🌐 Opportunities You Might Find Interesting

Connecting Current and Future Digital Health Leaders 📅 21 January 2026 | 🕑 14:00–16:00 | 📍 Engine Shed, Bristol The Digital Health and Care, University of Bristol and LEAP Digital Health Hub are bringing together organisations, academics, and PhD researchers working across AI, HCI, data science, and health technologies. Expect quickfire talks, research posters, and networking. 👉 Register your interest

The Academy Change Lab: Leadership by Design 📅 25–26 February 2026 | 🕑 10:00–16:00 | 📍 Engineers’ House, Clifton Down, Bristol A two-day interactive workshop for NHS staff and those in health and social care organised by Health Innovation West of England. Blend design thinking with leadership skills: learn to generate innovative ideas, lead through uncertainty, and build practical skills you can bring straight back to your team. Open to all levels. 👉 Register your interest

Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re a participant, collaborator, or simply following along with curiosity, your engagement makes this work possible.

Questions? Ideas? Just want to say hello? Hit reply, I’d love to hear from you.