West Wittering beach in Sussex is set for field trials conducted by experts in robotics at University of Surrey. They are looking to test a range of problem surfaces that are apparently similar to those that would be faced by small planetary rovers in space. Academics and researchers from the University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre will be testing a prototype ...
University Electronics
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Engineering mentoring makes headway at Bristol University
Bristol University is highlighting the success of its new mentoring scheme for engineering and computer science undergraduates. Mentors have been recruited from 70 companies to help guide 600 new first year students, offering a possible early step on the careers ladder. The university’s Industrial Mentoring Scheme was launched last year by the Industrial Liaison Office in the Faculty of Engineering. ...
Smartphone portable eye examination kit prevents blindness
A portable eye examination kit – the Peek – has been created by scientists at the University of St Andrews, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It’s currently being tested in Kenya as a potential tool to revolutionise the prevention of blindness in low-income countries, says the university. The – a smartphone ...
Universities sign up for fair access for all
Realising Opportunities, led by Newcastle University, is a national scheme to help under-represented groups get into top universities, generally encouraging social mobility. The University of Sheffield, Goldsmiths, University of London and the University of Sussex are the latest institutions to join the programme. As part of the scheme, reports Sheffield University, year 12 and 13 students access events, activities and ...
Living machines explore the Science Museum
Living Machines was a week long event that took place at the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum in London, bringing together academics to showcase the latest advances in their field, discuss the social implications and debate the future of artificial intelligence. The event was organised by the EU-funded Convergent Science Network (csnetwork.eu) and was led in the UK ...
University of Exeter partners with IBM for smart meters
IBM will be one of the first University of Exeter Strategic Corporate Partners, the university has announced. Projects supported by the partnership, it says, include initiatives addressing water management, climate change, sustainability and health. Other areas of collaboration include smart metering, analytics and the management of big data. “Solving global challenges is only possible through meaningful collaboration and I am ...
Inorganics-in-organics technology improves harvesting for 4G solar energy
The University of Surrey is reporting on a development that “opens the door for more efficient, cost-effective and larger scale solar power generation”. Professor Ravi Silva, of the university’s Advanced Technology Institute has identified the range of combinations of organic and inorganic materials that will underpin new 4th generation solar cell technology. According to its report (“New technology to enable ...
Graphene inspires search for atomic lego
The University of Manchester is highlighting a review written for Nature, discussing how layered materials can be split into isolated atomic planes and then reassembled back in an intelligently-chosen sequence. Inspired by the promise of graphene, the idea is to create new kinds of materials and structures that do not exist in nature. The authors? None other than Nobel Laureate ...
University of Glasgow wins funds to improve efficiency of electronic, optical components
The University of Glasgow has been received a £3m share of £85m new government funding for equipment to support pioneering research to improve the efficiency of electronic and optical components. This research, states the university, includes developing advanced processes on multiple commercial micro- and nano-fabrication tools manufactured in the UK by Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology that can be transferred directly ...
Ultrafast lasers use ‘lantern light’ to reveal secrets of the universe
Researchers at the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences (IPaQS) at Heriot-Watt University have been using ultrashort pulses of laser light to make ‘photonic lanterns’ – optical circuits that could revolutionise how telescopes are used to observe the universe. Dr Robert Thomson, an expert in ultrafast laser inscription at Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences (IPaQS), has developed a ...