University Electronics

A humanoid robot, Roboray, can build real-time 3D visual maps, to help it move around more efficiently. The system has been developed by researchers from the University of Bristol Apparently, by using cameras, the robot builds a map reference relative to its surroundings and it is also able to store where it has been before. This is seen as a ...

A technology developed by a Computer Science PhD student, Tom Carter, and Professor Sriram Subramanian, has won top prize in a New Enterprise Competition. Ultrahaptics won £15,000 for its use of ultrasound to displace air, creating a pressure difference. Apparently, a noticeable pressure difference can be created and be felt by the human hand. Accorind to its inventor, the us ...

A renewable energy project has received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Pursuing new approaches to harvesting thermal energy using nanodiamond, it has been awarded a grant of £951,947. The project in question is ‘Beta-enhanced thermionic energy converters and nuclear batteries employing nanostructured diamond electrodes’, and it began in April 2013, to run for 42 months. ...

Researchers at the University of Bristol’s Communication Systems and Networks (CSN) Group have announced a new WiFi test process that combines 3D antenna measurements with in-home virtual reality modelling. The work has already been used to evaluate and optimise the performance of Virgin Media’s new Super Hub WiFi router. Professor Andrew Nix from the CSN Group, in the Department of ...

The University of Sheffield’s partnership with Boeing is bearing fruit – it is building a “research factory” designed to “meet the future needs of aerospace and other high-value manufacturing industries”, dubbed the AMRC Factory 2050. Specifically, the university’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has secured funding for the new £43 million facility, which will house around 50 researchers and engineers, ...

The University of Oxford – Isis Innovation, to be precise – is highlighting its work with Sprayed Graded Electrodes – “lithium-ion batteries with graded electrodes and tailored porosity”. After considering thge current state of the market for lithium-ion batteries – they estimate three billion cells are produced per annum for use in consumer, industrial and automotive applications, with a total ...

Five Raspberry Pis allow Erica the cyber-rhino to interact with passers by using cameras, LEDs, phones, and artificial intelligence algorithms. The creation of the University of Southampton’s Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) department, Erica is part of Go Rhinos, a public art event around Southampton to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Marwell Zoo. “Erica’s team has made it possible for ...

Researchers at the University of Bristol, supported by Nokia Siemens Networks, are working on the design and optimisation of novel 3D antenna arrays. They are investigating new ways of delivering a 1000x capacity boost by 2020 in the light of today’s cellular networks struggling to meet the capacity demands generated by smartphones. “Large capacity gains can be achieved by deploying ...

Professor Steve Furber has been announced as a 2013 recipient of IEEE Computer Society’s Computer Pioneer Award, which is designed to “recognise and honour the vision of those people whose efforts resulted in the creation and continued vitality of the computer industry”. He is the ICL Professor of Computer Engineering in the University of Manchester’s School of Computer Science. The ...

There’s an interesting piece on the University of Oxford science blog, about a team of researchers at the Department of Engineering Science and The Oxford Martin School and their prototype electric vehicle, dubbed PEGGIE. At an Eco-marathon Europe competition in Rotterdam recently – a showcase for ultra energy-efficient vehicles built by student teams – the Oxford team won the Technical ...