University Electronics

SensaBubbles are described as a “chrono-sensory mid-air display system that generates scented bubbles to deliver information to people using different senses”. In essence, they are soap bubbles that can have images projected onto them or – when they are burst – release a scent… The research at Bristol University is led by Professor Sriram Subramanian from the Department of Computer ...

Simple robots that are able to form a dense cluster without the need for complex computation have been developed by a team of researchers working in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics (SCentRo). This is based in the University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering. The work paves the way, says the University, for robot ‘swarms’ to be used in industries such as ...

Researchers have announced a breakthrough in the design of signal amplifiers for mobile phone masts that could deliver a 200MW cut in the load on UK power stations. The Universities of Bristol and Cardiff have designed an amplifier that works at 50 per cent efficiency compared with the 30 per cent now typically achieved, they say. The power efficiency was ...

A new look at PCB fabrication could lead to on-the-spot medical tests for disease, reports Steve Bush. Key to the development is the identification, by University of Southampton researchers, that a PCB manufacturing plant has everything needed to make micro-fluidic bio-chemical sensors. Disposable cartridges made like PCBs would clip into a hand-held analyser – also being development at Southampton. The ...

A celebration of university research will take place at the Natural History Museum in London in June. Leeds University is among those taking part, showcasing its interactive robotic work aimed at such things as disaster response, exploration, surgery, prosthetics and patient rehabilitation. The showcase is part of Universities Week (9 – 15 June 2014), an annual Universities UK campaign to ...

Engineers in the US have demonstrated soft diagnostic skin patches that use off-the-shelf ICs. The announcement follows a flexible patch with all-flexible components earlier this week. The patches stick to the skin like a temporary tattoo and incorporate a unique fluid-filled construction with serpentined-serpentine conductive tracks to allow the patch to bend and flex without being constrained by its rigid ...

Research work on gigabit wireless comms – carried out at the University of Bristol – has been presented at the wireless communications and networking conference IEEE WCNC 2014 in Turkey. Specifically, the research behind two papers has involved millimetre-wave band (58-63GHz), which is seen as a perfect candidate for short-range gigabit wireless communications. According to the university, these networks are ...

Researchers at Newcastle University are investigating Google Glass as an assistive aid for people with Parkinson’s, to help retain their independence for longer. The researchers are part of the University’s Digital Interaction group, in its School of Computing Science. Led by Dr John Vines, PhD student Roisin McNaney and Dr Ivan Poliakov, this is the first UK trial of Glass, ...

Researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) – working in collaboration with Nokia – are working on a quantum-based ultra-high security system for mobile phones. They are attempting to get quantum cryptography using Quantum Key Distribution into smartphones, requiring only the integration of an optical chip into a mobile handset. The university reports that the work ...

The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has awarded the University of Leeds £5 million to host and lead two national centres for studying the Earth from space. These two centres – the Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET) and the Centre for Polar Observation & Modelling (CPOM) – moved to the University of ...