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Invitation to participate in research on medical devices
‘Everyday Cyborgs 2.0: Law’s Boundary-work and Alternative Legal Futures’
The University of Birmingham are working on a project titled ‘Everyday Cyborgs 2.0: Law’s Boundary-work and Alternative Legal Futures’.
We are currently conducting interviews with stakeholders with expertise in relation to medical devices and users of devices.
Our project examines questions relating to the law and governance of technological innovations in attached and implanted medical devices. We are considering currently unanswered questions such as:
- Should internally implanted devices which keep a person alive (such as a pacemaker) be viewed as part of the person or as mere objects (or something else)?
- Is damage to neuro-prostheses personal injury or damage to property?;
- Who ought to control/own the software run by implanted medical devices?; and
- How should the law deal with risks around unauthorised third-party access and hacking?
During our interviews, a number of device users have raised questions about how their device will be treated upon their death and we believe it would be useful to gain insight into what procedures and processes currently exist in this area.
It would be great to set up an interview to discuss this topic and get your insight into what challenges smart medical devices might raise.
Downloadable is a Participant Information Sheet and consent form which details what the interview would be like. The University would also be very happy to discuss the research and answer any questions you may have about it via phone/Zoom.
The research is funded by the Wellcome Trust and has received approval from the University of Birmingham’s Ethics Committee. The Principal Investigator for this project is Professor Muireann Quigley of Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham. Further information on the project and our work so far can be found on our website.