SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOT · stage, with collaborations around the globe. CHANGING LIVES - TRANSFORMING OUR FUTURE CONTENTS 03 Research in science and technology at the

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTPresented at the Royal Academy of Engineering Summer Soirée and Exhibition 2013

Changing lives – transforming our future ��03

Environment

Engineering a better future ��04

A greener shade of orange ��06

High-flying scientists ��08

Making sure small is safe and sustainable ��10

Our plasma future ��12

Robots – engineered by man, inspired by nature ��14

Tuning in to glacial channels ��16

An eye in the sky ��18

Health

Care by design ��20

Engineering-improved care in Parkinson’s ��22

Engineers for life ��24

Getting Kinect-ed with the human brain ��26

Magnetic attractions for industry ��28

Real walking in virtual reality ��30

Seeing is believing ��32

Historical importance

A feat of engineering ��34

New light on the past ��36

Materials

Hard work from soft matter ��38

Light as a probe of surface shape and structure ��40

Sound and Communication

A question of compatibility ��42

Finding your voice ��44

Low noise, big impact ��46

Stimulating conversation ��48

Sound engineering principles ��50

The games academics play ��52

CONTENTS

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTTHE University of York

The University of York is a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities and is ranked in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2013/14. Among universities under 50 years old, York is ranked best UK university and seventh in the world (Times Higher Education). York has an impressive research profile in the UK and on the international stage, with collaborations around the globe.

CHANGING LIVES - TRANSFORMING OUR FUTURE

CONTENTS 03

Research in science and technology at the University of York is changing lives now, and has the potential to transform our future. This brochure provides a snapshot of some of our most innovative projects.

Much of the research at York takes place in collaboration with a range of external and private-sector partners and this particular selection includes examples with JEOL, IBM, Seagate, the NHS, BAE Systems, Intel and Johnson Matthey.

The University of York’s scientific and technological research ranges from the biosciences through environmental and sustainability science to the physical sciences. Our researchers are uncovering new materials, expanding our understanding of new areas of theoretical science and highlighting new strands of knowledge from within current understanding. We are seeking new solutions, learning from other disciplines, and applying this knowledge to some of the most serious issues facing the world today. For example, research teams are investigating new forms of energy and fuel, new treatments for disease and reducing the impact of our lives on the environment.

This learning is often inspired by knowledge forged by other disciplines and is being used to devise innovative solutions to existing problems, such as robotics experts learning from biologists about swarm behaviour and neuroimaging scientists adapting codes devised by the gaming industry to create educational tools.

We’re using microscopy to investigate the effect of nanoparticles on our environment and body tissue and exploring how a plasma, such as the sun, behaves when confined in a magnetic field. The research is illuminating, revealing previously invisible phenomena to inform biomedicine, using satellite imagery to shed light on ancient cultures, and even creating virtual worlds in which stroke patients can be treated.

The research in this brochure was selected for its particular relevance to a visit to the University by the Royal Academy of Engineering. These projects provide just a sample of the broad spectrum of research activity at York. To find out more, explore the departments’ research pages on our website: www.york.ac.uk.

Professor Brian Fulton Academic Co-ordinator for SciencesUniversity of York

Environment

The future of Britain’s economy – and the wellbeing of the wider society – requires the development of an education system that inspires young people to become the engineering talent of tomorrow.

Research shows that for this to happen, children have to be engaged at a very early age. Education experts at the University of York have been pioneering innovative ways of engaging children in science for three decades.

Groundbreaking initiativeFrom the groundbreaking Children Challenging Industry initiative, which has given more than 35,000 children a tantalising insight into the fascinating world of science and engineering, to cutting-edge science curriculum development programmes, York’s experts have been winning the hearts and minds of young people and their teachers since 1983.“Science education in primary and secondary schools plays a critically

important role in developing the engineering workforce of the future,” according to Professor Robin Millar, co-director of the Twenty First Century Science project. “It also helps develop a better understanding within the wider society of the part that science and engineering play in our personal and national wellbeing.”

Context-based approachProfessor Millar leads the University of York Centre for Innovation and Research in Science Education (CIRSE) which, together with CIEC Promoting Science, forms the University of York Science Education Group (UYSEG) – the largest science curriculum development group in the UK. The courses for which it is best known use a context-based approach in order to engage students’ interest and motivate the learning of fundamental ideas. Many of these contexts are drawn from diverse engineering fields – including civil, mechanical, electrical/electronic, materials, chemical and genetic.

Already more than 30,000 students a year are successfully completing the three context-based Salters’ A level courses in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, which have been developed and refined by the team at York.

In addition to this, over 120,000 students are studying the innovative research-informed Twenty First Century Science GCSE courses developed by UYSEG. These enhance the scientific literacy of all 15 to 16-year-old students and build a sound foundation for progress to AS and A level sciences, creating the talent pool for the engineers of the future.

Impact• Switching young people on to the

value of engineering

• Raising public awareness of the vital contribution of science and engineering to our national wellbeing

• Helping schools promote science through the curriculum

Key contact

Professor Robin Millar

Department of Education University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 323469 E robin.millar @york.ac.uk

ENGINEERING A BETTER FUTURE

Project partners and funders

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTThe University of York

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York education experts in the Science Education Group have given children the chance to experience the wonders of science

Environment

A GREENER SHADE OF ORANGE

More than eight million tonnes of food waste are produced in Britain every year, much of it from the food industry and agricultural sectors. Disposing of this waste is costly, uses up valuable landfill, and generates harmful greenhouse gases such as methane.

The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) – a not-for-profit company at the University of York – is now providing local industry with new processes to convert these plants and biowastes into high value products.

From waste to resourcesThe BDC is working with internationally renowned scientists at York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence to bridge the gap between laboratory development and commercial manufacture. Together, they are engineering ways in which this waste can be turned into a source of high value chemicals, materials and fuel – often using readily available technologies such as microwaves.Take oranges for example: after

extracting the juice from the orange, the global food industry throws away more than half the fruit. Brazil alone produces in excess of eight million tonnes of orange peel every year.

Collaborative workingDirector of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, Professor James Clark, and his team of scientists are developing processes that will turn this orange waste into chemicals that can be used in fragrances, flavourings, food and medicines.

The BDC is working with its chemical engineering partner, Bouygues E&S, to bring this cutting-edge research into commercial relevance.

Wider applicationsFurther development of these processes can also lead to the production of components that have wide applications in the manufacture of antioxidants, bioplastics, surface coatings and biofuels. Methods that have been

developed in the laboratory can now be scaled up in the BDC’s modular processing facilities to a level that is relevant to industrial application.

Working with orange peel is just one of many ways in which the BDC is building on the internationally recognised research at the University of York to help businesses convert their biowastes into products.

Impact• New processes to convert plants

and biowastes into products

• Faster transitions from laboratory to commercialisation

• Greener manufacturing technology for a low-carbon economy

Key contact

Professor James Clark

Department of Chemistry University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322559 E james.clark @york.ac.uk


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Plants • Processes • Products Added value glycerine from biodiesel waste Glycerine is a major by-product of biodiesel manufacture, but it is impure and not accepted in some applications because it is derived from waste oil. Glycerine is an important platform chemical for synthesis of many other essential compounds that are derived from fossil oil.

Researchers at York have worked with Brocklesby Ltd. to improve the quality of glycerine from biodiesel to achieve commercial specification product, thus converting a costly waste into a valuable product stream.

Brocklesby Ltd. is developing methods for utilisation of glycerine in the production of chemicals for use in fuel additives, plasticisers and other valuable applications. Both the environment and the bottom line benefit from converting a waste into useful products.

case study

� e Department of Biology

Don’t Waste Your Waste!

Three Steps to profiting from waste

* Step one is free for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in Yorkshire and Humber.

Initial two day consultancy (*free)• Site visit by our technical expert

• Collection of samples from your waste stream

• Analysis of those samples in our state of the art facilities

• Report on the valorization potential of your waste

• Recommended next steps

In depth analysis of waste streams with significant valorization potential• Further sampling

• Quantitative analysis

• Estimation of potential value

Development of a strategy to valorize waste• Analysis of process development needs

• Introduction to process development and business partners

• Support for access to finance

ContactMark Gronnow

Email: [email protected] Mobile: 01904 435364

www.biorenewables.org

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EUROPEAN UNIONInvesting in Your FutureEuropean RegionalDevelopment Fund 2007-13 TM


~ After extracting the juice of an orange, almost half the fruit is thrown away – despite the peel being a rich source of valuable compounds. York's Biorenewables

Development Centre is providing processes to convert biowastes into products

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HIGH-FLYING SCIENTISTS

Until very recently little has been known about what happens to pollutants when they are lofted into the atmosphere.

Now, researchers at the University of York have taken to the air to follow the trail of naturally occurring and man-made emissions to see how they spread, and to measure the impact they have on communities, often many thousands of miles from their original source.

Engineering challenges “We took the best GC mass spectroscopy laboratory equipment and made it compatible with being used inside an aircraft in-flight,” says Professor Ally Lewis who leads the Department of Chemistry’s atmospheric research team.

“To do this presented an engineering challenge. Measurements that would take an hour in the lab had to be done in one or

two minutes. We also had to ensure the equipment could withstand the motion and vibrations in the aircraft, and that it was not affected by the changing cabin pressure.”

Professor Lewis and his team worked closely with aviation engineers, equipment manufacturers and regulators to get the project quickly off the ground. “We avoided the academic urge to do everything ourselves and brought in partners to do the engineering and calibration that we couldn’t do in-house.”

Following forest firesWithin 15 months of the project starting, the team had flown over forest fires in Canada and followed smoke plumes over the Atlantic. “We were measuring how far the carcinogen benzene was travelling, and assessing its risk to health many thousands of miles away,” Professor Lewis explains.

The motivation behind the forest fire study was to provide policy-makers with accurate and reliable data on levels of naturally occurring atmospheric pollutants, so that sensible and achievable regulatory limits could be set for their man-made counterparts.

The next series of experiments will be conducted over the Arctic to measure naturally occurring dimethyl sulphide, and the accumulation of man-made pollutants that form an Arctic haze in the winter.

Impact• Better regulation of

man-made pollutants

• Improved sensitivity of measuring equipment

• Establishment of links between atmospheric and climate scientists

Key contact

Professor Alistair Lewis


T +44 (0)1904 322522 E ally.lewis @york.ac.uk

Environment

Avalon Aero


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BAe146 research aircraft – a collaborative facility shared by the NERC and the Met Office

~ In-flight GC–MS system developed at the University of York

Canadian forest fires viewed at 1,000ft from the aircraft flight deck

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MAKING SURE SMALL IS SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE

The accurate detection and measurement of engineered nanoparticles in the environment is vital to the safe and sustainable development of a technology that is transforming the way in which countless everyday products are manufactured – from medicines and cosmetics, through to clothing and food packaging.

Nanoparticles in the environment What happens to these engineered nanoparticles when these products are discarded and enter the soil and water systems is being put under a very special kind of microscope by researchers at the University of York.

Working alongside a private sector partner, NanoSight, which is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of nanoparticle visualisation and measuring instruments, environmental scientist Professor Alistair Boxall and his team are probing river water samples to see how nanoparticles behave when they enter the environment.

A flash of inspiration“The technology is elegant in its simplicity,” says Professor Boxall, “It may look like a microscope, but sophisticated lasers track through water samples contained in a vessel which cause the nanoparticles to flash, allowing us to detect how fast they are moving. This, in turn, enables us to calculate the size of the particles.”

From this raw material Professor Boxall and his team are plugging many of the gaps in our knowledge of the fate of specific nanoparticles. Such data is the key to reaping the benefits of nanotechnologies, while, at the same time, reassuring the public that this is a safe and sustainable form of engineering at a microscopic scale.

It will also help reassure policy-makers that REACH, the latest European legislation on the safe use of chemicals, which encompasses these engineered nanoparticles, can be properly enforced using accurate and reliable data.

Impact• Accurate detection and measurement

of nanoparticles in the environment

• Improved sensitivity and selectivity of instruments from research feedback

• Reassuring the public that nanoengineering is safe and sustainable

Key contact

Professor Alistair Boxall

Environment Department University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 324791 E alistair.boxall @york.ac.uk

~ An image of a water flea produced using the X-ray fluorescence beamline at the ANKA synchotron. Gold nanoparticles are shown in blue

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MAKING SURE SMALL IS SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE

Illumination of nanoscale particles by the Nanosight laser

NTA captures a video of particles moving under Brownian motion

NTA automatically locates and follows the center of each and every particle and measures the average distance moved per frame

This is done simultaneously for all particles while NTA reports particle size vs concentration distributions

NTA consolidates the particle-by-particle size measurements with 3D intensity vs. concentration vs. size plots

| NTA automatically locates and follows the centre of each particle and measures the average distance moved per frame

How nanoparticle tracking analysis works

NTA captures a video of particles moving under Brownian motion }

NTA consolidates the particle-by-particle size measurements with 3D

intensity vs concentration vs size plots }

| This is done simultaneously for all particles while NTA reports particle size vs concentration distributions

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OUR PLASMA FUTURE

From the quest for limitless, clean energy, to the use of nanotechnology to build faster, smarter computers, engineers and plasma scientists are at the forefront of the technological and engineering revolution that is changing the way we live.

A 'star in a box’ Professor Howard Wilson, Director of the York Plasma Institute (YPI), and his team of researchers at the University of York are using their knowledge of how hot plasma behaves when confined in a vacuum vessel, via shaped magnetic fields, to help design the next generation of fusion energy devices, ITER and DEMO, that will lead to the first fusion power plants. Fusion is the process that powers the stars.

Recreating a ‘star in a box’ on Earth could be mankind’s answer to the world’s looming energy crisis. Much of York's work for the development of fusion is performed at the MAST and JET fusion facilities in the UK, as well as in York's magnetic confinement laboratory, which contains a cylindrical plasma confinement device.

Engineering on the smallest scaleAt the cooler end of the plasma scale, modern computer chips are getting smaller, faster and more energy efficient, which means that plasmas are playing an even bigger role in their manufacture. York’s plasma experts are working alongside one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, Intel, to develop novel measurement and control techniques to improve the precision of the etching process on nanoscale surfaces.

Machining with lightLasers of visible and infrared wavelengths are now familiar tools for cutting and machining, but for some fine applications these instruments are rather too ‘blunt'. The development of ‘sharper’ Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lasers are still in their infancy, but here at York we are exploring how EUV lasers interact with materials. This will ultimately enable them to be used for laser ablation, cutting and machining in fields such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Impact• Leading the quest for

limitless clean energy

• Improving the design of fusion test reactors

• Helping global manufacturers make cleaner, faster, more efficient chips

• Opening new fields of engineering using advanced laser technology

Key contact

Professor Howard Wilson

Department of Physics University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322297 E howard.wilson @york.ac.uk

~ A GEC cell used to reproduce the plasma conditions inside a commercial plasma etching device

Environment


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OUR PLASMA FUTURE | Inside the JET fusion device at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire

A simulation of a plasma eruption using the Bout ++ code writtenImage: Dr Ben Dudson

~ A simulation of an EUV laser pulse boring into solid material Image: Andrew Rossall

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ROBOTS – ENGINEERED BY MAN, INSPIRED BY NATURE

Robots and nature may seem worlds apart, but scientists and computational modellers are increasingly turning to the field of biology in search of inspiration for ways to design ever more intelligent and responsive robots.

“Half my life these days is spent working with experimental biologists,” says Jon Timmis, Professor of Natural Computation and an authority on the behaviour of robot swarms. “We can achieve so much more when we work across disciplines. The whole field of swarm robotics came about from the study of one of the world’s most social creatures – the ant.”

Emergent swarm behaviourProfessor Timmis' collaboration with biologists is helping him develop sophisticated mathematical and computational models that allow him to step back and identify how nature could help solve particular engineering problems. “There is so much we can learn from the way nature solves problems, and the

challenge for us is to find useful analogues that can help in the world of robotics.” Already his research is showing how the members of a swarm behave in ways that an individual robot would not. This emergent, cooperative and collective behaviour has the potential to be hugely important in a number of areas – from the collection of environmental data in remote areas, to working in potentially hostile conditions where it would be unsafe for humans to venture.

Natural immune systemHowever, robots can and do go wrong. When this happens in a swarm, the impact can affect not only the individual robot, but the ability of the whole group to carry out its work. In finding solutions to this problem, Professor Timmis is again looking to the natural world for inspiration.

“The natural immune system has a variety of responses to deal with adversity and is able to detect and respond as appropriate. Modelling the immune system can aid

understanding of immune function and disease progression, and provides insights that are not possible through pure experimental approaches alone. In this research, we are combining modelling of the immune system with the development of novel approaches for the provision of fault tolerance in swarm robotic systems, using ideas from the immune system.”

From a robotics perspective, robotic systems that can operate for longer periods of time, in the presence of failure, have the potential to provide unmanned missions where human intervention is not an option.

The collaboration with the biological sciences works both ways. “The impact from the modelling work will be seen in the improvement of drug design,” says Professor Timmis. “We are working towards a spin-out company in this area, to provide modelling support for the design and monitoring of clinical trials.”

Key contact

Professor Jon Timmis

Department of Computer Science University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 325361 E jon.timmis @york.ac.uk

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), The Royal Society, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl), European Commission Framework Programme 7, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council

Environment


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ROBOTS – ENGINEERED BY MAN, INSPIRED BY NATURE

Impact• Bringing closer the day when robotics

become a part of everyday life

• Developing smart robots that can work as teams in difficult/remote conditions

• Modelling used to improve drug design and clinical trials

• Cross-disciplinary collaboration to speed the research/innovation process

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TUNING IN TO GLACIAL CHANNELS

Glaciologist David Rippin never thought of himself as a pilot – but he is taking to the skies above the Norwegian High Arctic in the quest for detailed aerial photographs of water channels on the Midtre Lovénbreen glacier in Svalbard during the summer melt season.

Fortunately for Dr Rippin, he will be keeping his feet firmly on the ground during the flights, as he will be controlling the aircraft via a small, handheld electronic console, while the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flies high above the glacier collecting the vital imagery. He will be supported by Dr Andrew Pomfret of the Department of Electronics, who is an expert in the control and guidance of UAVs.

Imaging the surface of a glacier “The UAV is specially designed for taking high-resolution images,’ said Dr Rippin. While he will be trained in how to fly the UAV manually, its flight path

can also be managed by an advanced autopilot system that guides the aircraft along a pre-programmed route.

“We will be visiting the island of Svalbard in the far North Atlantic and our study will look at the evolution of drainage channels that form on the surface of glaciers there,” explained Dr Rippin. “Relatively little is known about the mechanisms involved in the evolution of these channels and little study has been carried out on them in recent years,” he continued. “They are important though, because such channels deliver water to locations where it can access the glacier bed and influence ice dynamics.

“New technologies are enabling us to get to places that were almost impossible, or too costly, to access in the past,” he said. “If you are looking at change in a glacier you need to be able to make very accurate measurements. This technology should allow us to do that – at a fraction of the cost of using manned aircraft.”

A deeper understandingDr Rippin went on to say that “The UAV has a high-resolution camera and a GPS tracking system which allows us to effectively tell it where we want it to go, and also to locate the photographs it collects very accurately. We will launch it from the forefield of the glacier and it will survey a specific area that we programme in to the craft.

“These images will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the drainage systems of glaciers and their part in the Arctic landscape.”

Impact• Establish links with climate change

science (as drainage density may well increase as glaciers retreat and thin)

• Enhance aerial equipment for use in extreme conditions

• Develop a greater understanding of the evolution of glaciers

Key contact

Dr David Rippin

Environment Department University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 324703 E david.rippin @york.ac.uk

Environment

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The unmanned aerial vehicle QuestUAV just landed in Horseshoe Valley, West Antarctica (austral summer of 2012/13) Image: Stuart Dunning, Northumbria University

~ QuestUAV is launched in Horseshoe Valley, West Antarctica

(austral summer of 2012/13)Image: Stuart Dunning, Northumbria University

~ The glacier Midtre Lovénbreen, from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

Image: David Rippin

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AN EYE IN THE SKY

Inspiration for engineering solutions can come from the most unlikely of sources. It was while watching a football game – rather than fieldwork with crops – that the team led by internationally renowned biologist, Phil Ineson, Professor of Global Change Ecology at the University of York, first hit upon the idea of a fully automated system for monitoring natural and agricultural ecosystems from the air.

Automated monitoring of crops“The SkyGas system we have invented at York was inspired by the mobile cameras we saw being used to televise sport, where four tall towers support a flying mobile head which can be moved anywhere in a three-dimensional arena,” said the Professor Ineson.

“Such systems frequently carry a camera under the control of a human operator using a joystick. In our case, the head is a sophisticated chamber for monitoring greenhouse gases rather than a camera, and the operator is replaced by a computer-based control system on the ground,” he added.

With the aid of a generous grant from the Natural Environment Research Council, Professor Ineson has assembled a powerful, multi-disciplinary team of researchers based at the University of York who have been overcoming the many difficult technical problems that block the path to designing and developing a fully automated monitoring system.

Flight control systemsProfessor Ineson continued, “One of the issues we had to deal with was how to prevent the head from jiggling when we brought it to a stop. This has been achieved by incorporating advanced flight control systems specifically designed and built here at York by experts in the University’s Department of Electronics who are world leaders in the field.”

Other mechanical and electrical components have been designed and assembled in the Department of Biology, enabling the state-of-the-art analysis equipment contained within the elevated chamber to provide accurate information that will enhance the scientific community’s

understanding of global warming and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

Commercial and scientific benefits“Our prototype has the potential to provide both commercial and scientific benefits. At present we collect data in a very labour-intensive and time-consuming way. This system allows us to do it much more frequently and, potentially, much more cheaply,” Professor Ineson said.

The data collected are crucial to making policy decisions such as whether to subsidise the cultivation of energy crops. Professor Ineson was recently on the way to such a crop site when he heard Sir David King, the former Chief Scientific Officer, say that a full life-cycle analysis of the crop was needed before such a decision could be made. But, crucially, such information is not yet available. “It made me realise just how relevant our work is to making the right decisions on energy and climate,” Professor Ineson added.

Key contact

Professor Phil Ineson

Department of Biology University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 328551 E phil.ineson @york.ac.uk

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Environment



Open path IRGACarried inside the chamber, the Licor LI 7500A

open path infra-red gas analyser measures and stores both the atmospheric CO2 concentration

and chamber fluxes at 10 times a second� A similar open path CH4 analyser is now

also available }

~ Flux measurementUnder the automatic control of the Qmotion software the sampling chamber will be flown to a series pre-programmed X-Y coordinates and then lowered onto the plot to be measured� Once in place the system determines net system CO2 exchange and then moves on to the next location

| The systemThe chamber analysis unit is suspended from four cables, attached at the base of the four pulley towers to independent synchronised winches under computer control

Impact• Provision of reliable, regular and

accurate data on trace gas emissions to aid understanding of climate change and global warming

• Potential commercial spin-out from a fully automated monitoring system

• System easily adapted to monitor vegetation growth rates, small mammal activity, stream water dynamics and for the delivery of precision land treatments

Control cablesThese are responsible for controlling the X-Y-Z position of the sampling chamber and carry fibre optic cables

Automatic control centreThis is the location of the computer control for the winch system and the laser sources and detectors

| The chamberConstructed from transparent Mylar©film on an aluminium frame, the large flux chamber contains either on-board cells for trace gas analysis (see below) and/or sample tubing for remote analysis (for N2 O & 13CO2)

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CARE BY DESIGN

Researchers are working with one of the UK’s leading providers of care and information for those with cancer to see whether the architectural design of their buildings can have a therapeutic effect on those experiencing potentially life-threatening conditions.

The ‘Care by Design’ project is being carried out by Dr Daryl Martin from the Department of Sociology and the Centre for Urban Research (CURB) at the University of York, in collaboration with Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres.

Holistic serviceMaggie’s Centres are a series of non-clinical centres that are open to those living with all types of cancer, and their families and friends. The Centres offer a holistic prgramme of care, complementary to clinical treatments and including advice, information and psychological support.

Key to the Maggie’s approach is the commissioning of site-specific, bespoke buildings notable for their creative use of space and design, and designed by globally renowned architectural practices.

Given the scale of chronic illness and mortality rates in contemporary societies due to different cancers, Maggie’s Centres offer an innovative response to a pressing public health need, and also a valuable series of case studies through which to explore the role that the built environment plays in the experience of health, illness and wellbeing more widely.

Capturing the visitor experienceThe ‘Care by Design’ project utilises a series of research methodologies to capture the experience of Maggie’s Centres by visitors, volunteers and staff members who use the buildings on an everyday basis.

It will gather data from a range of stakeholders on the responses to a number of recently opened centres with different designs and situated in diverse urban settings. The research aims to provide data that deepens our understanding of the embodied experience of cancer – and the role that design and the built environment can play in this experience.

Impact• Understanding the effect that building

design can have on care and wellbeing of those living with cancer, and their families and friends

• Gaining first-hand knowledge of what it feels like to be a person with cancer or someone who supports or cares for those with cancer

• Innovative response to the growing need for better care for people with cancer and their families and friends

Key contact

Dr Daryl Martin

Department of Sociology University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322633 E daryl.martin @york.ac.uk

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The 'Care by Design' project aims to deepen our understanding of the therapeutic role that design and the built environment can play in those experiencing cancer

ENGINEERING-IMPROVED CARE IN PARKINSON’S

Electronic engineers at the University of York have developed a novel technology to accurately monitor and measure the wellbeing of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease – and all in the comfort of their own homes.

The technology, which is the brainchild of Dr Stephen Smith, is attracting medical interest around the world, from clinicians in Melbourne to the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, which is a world leader in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

“Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 120,000 people in the UK alone and will increase dramatically over the next decade as people live longer,” said Dr Smith, a senior lecturer in York's Department of Electronics. He is working with two consultant neurologists at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Stuart Jamieson and Dr Jane Atly.

“The most effective form of treatment for the symptoms is a drug called levodopa, but approximately 90 per cent of patients who

take it for ten years or more develop involuntary movements called dyskinesia – a major source of disability, severely affecting the patient’s quality of life. But the clinical management of dyskinesia is difficult as it occurs sporadically and no accurate monitoring is available.

Those difficulties could soon be over. Dr Smith and his colleagues have developed a system to measure dyskinesia that is simple, reliable and safe to use. This requires the patient to wear six small wireless sensors – on the limbs, head and trunk – that continually monitor the patient’s movements over a period of 24 hours.

“These measurements are recorded on a smartphone and then analysed using an advanced form of computer program called evolutionary algorithms trained. This is to recognise dyskinesia and distinguish it from other movements,” he said.

Here in the UK, the technology is being trialled in clinical studies at Leeds General Infirmary and will be the first product to be commercialised through

a new University spin-out company called ClearSky Medical Diagnostics. But Dr Smith’s technology is also attracting worldwide interest. It is being trialled at the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Monash Medical Center, Melbourne, Australia. Health professionals working with dyspraxia are also exploring how this new technology could benefit their patients.

Impact• Measures dyskinesia more

accurately than is currently possible to better guide treatment

• Will save the NHS money as the measurements can be undertaken in the patient’s home

• Will be useful in evaluating new drugs and other treatments for dyskinesia and possibly other diseases where movement detection is an indicator

Key contact

Dr Stephen Smith (RAEng Enterprise Fellow 2013/14)

Department of Electronics University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322351 E stephen.smith @york.ac.uk

United States Department of Veterans AffairsUCSF Medical Center

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~ A number of devices have been developed to fully evaluate patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions

~ The device can be comfortably wornby the patient for long periods of time

~ An example device used for monitoring the patient’s movements

Devices are attached to each

of the patient’s limbs, waist

and head

~ Computer data gloves are also used to evaluate the patient’s performance in undertaking conventional clinical assessment

| Patients' responses to conventional figure copying tests are also assessed using new technology �

23

ENGINEERS FOR LIFE

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field in which the principles of engineering are combined with life science and materials science to build functional tissues and organs from isolated stem or other cells.

Regenerative medicineAs a cornerstone of the new field of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering offers a radical new way of treating disease and injury. The principle involves delivering cells, bioactive molecules and/or supporting structures to replace damaged or defective tissues.

Tissue engineers are exploiting both synthetic and naturally-derived biomaterials as scaffolds to replace damaged or defective tissues, such as bone, skin and even whole organs. The idea of tissue engineering can be applied to almost every tissue in the body, but as each tissue is unique, so too are the approaches and solutions needed.

More effective therapiesThe ultimate aim of this research carried out in the Jack Birch Unit for Molecular Carcinogenesis by Professor Jennifer Southgate, Director, and her team is to find effective therapies to repair or replace tissues compromised as a result of injury, disease and degeneration. This is of vital importance in a society with an ageing population and a declining number of potential donors coupled with a lack of donor tissues.

At least three people a day are said to die needlessly in Britain because of the lack of a suitable donor. In the United States alone, 10,000 people have died in the last five years while waiting for a suitable transplant. Engineered replacement organs could sidestep many of the hazards and problems associated with donor organs, and at a lower cost.

Meanwhile, by developing 3D functioning tissues in the laboratory, tissue engineers are developing novel research tools for studying human tissue development/physiology/disease processes and

helping to create relevant human systems for drug discovery and toxicology to replace animal testing.So, in both the laboratory and in the operating theatre, tissue engineers are developing solutions that could improve the lives of millions of patients and provide much more cost effective therapies and treatments.

Impact• Potential to radically improve the

quality of life for millions of patients

• Significant savings to be made in healthcare delivery

• Replacement of animal testing

• Improved efficiency for the pharmaceutical industry

Key contact

Professor Jennifer Southgate


T +44 (0)1904 328705 E jennifer.southgate @york.ac.uk

24


Health SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTThe University of York

Tissue engineered boneHigh magnification

image of stem cells growing on a support scaffold }

~ Bladder tissue engineering surgery

A flap of bowel lined by tissue-engineered

bladder epithelium is about to be incorporated

as a patch into the augmented bladder

~ 3D scaffold of collagen used to engineer stromal cell networks

| Human bladder stromal cell growing on an artificial fibrous scaffold Electrospinning is a fabrication process that uses a high voltage electric field to control the deposition of fine(nano- to micro-scale) polymer fibres onto a substrate

~ Engineering an artificial lymph node 3D culture of stromal cells (green) with B lymphocytes (purple)

Spheroid cultureFluorescently labelled stem cells in

a 3D-engineered 'spheroid'

25

GETTING KINECT-ED WITH THE HUMAN BRAIN

Neuroimaging software engineers are designing powerful three-dimensional educational tools by adapting the code used to drive the most popular gaming machines on the entertainment market, raising awareness and understanding of the inner workings of the brain.

Off-the-shelf open-source solutionsBy integrating open-source software such as Python, VTK and Open CV, with the Kinect motion sensor hardware behind the hugely successful Xbox, researchers at the York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC) led by its Director, Professor Gary Green, have created a three-dimensional platform from which to explore the remarkable brain data YNiC has collected from MRI scanners and other sensitive brain screening devices.

“We recognised the opportunity to use the Xbox motion sensor's popularity and intuitive interface to engage users with interactive educational virtual environments,” says YNiC’s

Support Manager, André Gouws. “As a result we have developed an interactive three-dimensional anatomical dissection toolbox using Kinect to demonstrate this capability."

It’s easy to play with data André Gouws continues, “Users are able to manipulate anatomical data in 3D using simple hand gestures, virtually slicing through three-dimensional MRI-generated data. As user interaction does not require manual manipulation of the hardware, the equipment can be mounted behind a window and left running 24 hours a day. Users simply stand at a marked point and perform basic recognition movements to initiate the application.”

The result is an engaging, interactive and fun learning environment that makes the best use of images collected by researchers at YNiC, which was set up in 2005 to explore non-invasive ways of understanding the chemistry, physiology and psychology of human brain function.

“This project is a demonstration that, with a little bit of imagination, complex hardware and software applications can be integrated rapidly and inexpensively to generate captivating learning environments without the need to become an expert in a multitude of different technical or methodological fields,” says Professor Green.

Impact• Engaging and instructive tool

for teaching about the inner workings of the brain

• Huge possibility to develop other educational packages from open-source coding

• Cheap, cost-effective way of developing state-of-the-art educational tools

Key contact

Professor Gary Green

Department of Psychology University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 325349 E gary.green @york.ac.uk

26

Health



Peeling back the layers: understanding the inner workings of the human brain

Although we are primarily interested in the human brain, the interactive 3D platform could be used to visualise, interact with and dissect virtually any 3D data. Examples here show interaction with 3D human whole body data

27

MAGNETIC ATTRACTIONS FOR INDUSTRY

Fundamental academic research in the field of magnetics, combined with close private sector collaboration, is developing new solutions to two very different issues facing modern society: arresting the growth of malignant and non-malignant tumours in patients, and improving the energy efficiency and capacity of modern computers.

Benefits for industry and university“Our research shows that, when correctly planned and oriented, close collaboration with industry can lead to significant funding for university work and economic benefits for industry,” said Professor Kevin O’Grady of the Department of Physics at the University of York.

“For example, the fundamental work we are carrying out on the complex phenomenon of exchange bias used in the development of magnetic recording heads helped stimulate the rapid industrial implementation of this technology between 2006 to 2010 while bringing significant academic credit to the University of York,” he said.

All the world’s read heads“Our work on exchange bias is highly distinctive because it is now utilised in the read heads of every hard disc drive produced in the world. Our private sector partner, Seagate Technology, is thought to produce around 30 per cent of the world’s read heads – that’s around 2.5 million components per day and employment for 1,000 people,” he added.

Work is also being undertaken that could assist the development of future technologies such as solid state Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM). This could radically transform the information technology landscape, replacing Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and other energy intensive technologies. Indeed, this new approach could combine the best of today’s technologies: the storage capacity and low cost of DRAM, the high speed of SRAM, and the nonvolatility of Flash memory.

Hyperthermia and tumoursProfessor O’Grady and his team at the Magnetic Materials Research Group are also world leaders in magnetic hyperthermia – a phenomenon that occurs when a magnetic material is cycled round a hysteresis loop, usually at high frequency, and the sample is observed to warm up. It is this heating effect that could have an impact on a targeted tumour treatment.

Here, too, they are collaborating with a private sector partner, Liquids Research Ltd, an SME based in North Wales. Human trials of these materials are already underway for the remediation of enlarged prostate glands and frontal lobe brain. “This research has huge potential benefit could significantly improve the treatment of cancer,” Professor O'Grady says.

Impact• Improving the performance and energy

efficiency of computer technology

• Improving competitiveness of UK industry in vital market sectors

• Potential for novel treatments of life-threatening cancers

Key contact

Professor Kevin O'Grady

Department of Physics University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322289 E kevin.ogrady @york.ac.uk

28


Health SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTThe University of York

29

This surface instability effect occurs when a magnetic liquid is exposed to a magnetic field

gradient. The spikes observed on the surface of the liquid are in a truly liquid phase

REAL WALKING IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Stroke victims could soon be making an early step to recovery through the use of a sophisticated virtual reality treadmill being developed by electronic engineers in collaboration with some of the world’s leading neuroscientists.

Speeding stroke recovery“StroMoHab is an advanced virtual reality and motion capture medical device, designed and developed for the rehabilitation of walking after stroke and other gait-impairing conditions,” said its inventor, Dr Adar Pelah, of the University of York’s Department of Electronics.

“It is configured as a physical locomotion simulator that allows the user to walk on a treadmill within a virtual environment while receiving biofeedback about their own movements through a virtual avatar they can see walking at the same time.”

It is this subtle detection of motion and the feedback to the brain that is the key to

speeding the road to recovery for stroke victims and others with gait-impaired conditions. StroMoHab is already being clinically evaluated at Addenbrookes Hospital in the UK and was voted among the six most commercially viable propositions from UK academia by the RCUK Business Plan Competition.

StroMoHab measures the user’s full-body movements without the need for cumbersome and complicated markers to be placed on the body. It also produces vital diagnostics such as step length, step frequency, swing-stance parameters, body symmetry and others, that previously required the use of very expensive and support-heavy systems.

Attracting interest in the US“Stroke is the largest cause of disability and has been identified as a key priority by the Department of Health, with rehabilitation being an essential and most expensive element in its

treatment,“ said Dr Pelah, whose device is attracting considerable interest among clinicians in the United States.

“StroMoHab effectively restores mobility independence through exercise not only of a patient’s body but also their brain. It makes use of the brain’s inherent neuroplastic mechanisms for self-repair through exposure to carefully constructed visual environments while the patient walks on a treadmill in the clinic or at home,” added Dr Pelah, a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellow.

The new device is being commercialised by Asuuta Ltd, a University of York spin-out company. “It will radically transform the way clinicians and physiotherapists support the rehabilitation of stroke sufferers. It will give them, for the first time, accurate and reliable data that can be used to assess a patient’s progress and inform the rehabilitation process – speeding the path to recovery.”

Key contact

Dr Adar Pelah (RAEng Enterprise Fellow 2013/14)


T +44 (0)1904 322364 E adar.pelah @york.ac.uk

Health

30



Impact• Significant savings to the NHS in

terms of patient rehabilitation – estimated in the region of £200m

• Improved quality of life for stroke victims

• Accurate and measurable data for clinicians and physiotherapists

• Brings care and rehabilitation closer to the home – frees hospital space

• Reaches a global market where stroke is the single biggest cause of disability

• Possible applications for elite sports performance and coaching

• Adaptation to massive sports industry market – gait analysis

~ StroMoHab artificial immersive environments with avatar options

The StroMoHab system }

31

~ StroMoHab diagnostic screenshots

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Close collaboration between biologists and engineers is helping to make a step change in the world of high-tech microscopy, giving researchers potential new tools to help them in the fight against neurodegenerative disease, cancer and other debilitating diseases.

Scientists at the University of York’s BioScience Technology Facility in the Department of Biology are working alongside world-leading microscope manufacturers such as Zeiss, Beckman Coulter, and JEOL – together with one of the UK’s most innovative young companies, Phase Focus – to help engineer and design the next generation of microscopes.

A deeper understanding“By working with biologists at York, these companies are able to get a deeper understanding of what the ultimate end-users need from their equipment,” said Dr Peter O’Toole, Head of Imaging and

Ctyometry. “We have the only JEOL ClairScope in Europe here at York, and are working with the Japanese manufacturers to help them re-engineer and re-design the equipment to improve and extend its applications into the needs of biomedical research.

“The ClairScope enables us to use a light microscope to image specimens and then capture electron microscopy images while the sample remains outside the chamber and in a more natural environment.”

Label free imagingCloser to home, Dr O’Toole and his team are collaborating with Sheffield-based company Phase Focus on a novel phase reconstruction microscope that uses algorithms to reveal stunning label free images, and is the only biological system of this type in the world. “This will be of huge benefit in drug design and will help us see clearly which drugs can stop the cancer in its tracks and at which stage the cancer is dividing.”

A rich phase of developmentToday’s microscopy developments are heavily dependent on biologists, engineers, physicists and chemists working together to help us see, study and understand these key stages of biological processes.

“Microscopy is far more than simply looking down a light microscope and seeing a cell outline; we can now explore cells in incredible multi-coloured, three-dimensional detail,” said Dr O’Toole. “Microscopy is one of the most fundamentally important high-end tools in today’s studies of biological/biomedical research and is currently in a rich phase of development. These developments are driving our ability to understand fundamental biological processes.”

Impact• Developing new weapons in the fight

against cancer and other diseases

• Providing new insights into fundamental biology and processes

• Collaboration with world-leading advanced engineering manufacturers

Key contact

Dr Peter O'Toole


T +44 (0)1904 328722 E peter.otoole @york.ac.uk

Health

32



This image of a perfectly intact root

tip, just 150 microns across, was produced

using a £350,000 microscope within

the BioScience Technology Facility,

just one tool used to support cutting-edge

research }

The new microscope system allows

nanometre-resolved images of complex

biological units that will be vital to help our understanding

of biomedical functions. This system is only

available at the University of York and forms part of a national hub for

high-end imaging }

Mammalian sperm. ‘Red’ spermatozoa have acquired the ability to fertilise while ‘white’ spermatozoa are dead. These patterns help us understand the process of fertilisation

33

A FEAT OF ENGINEERING

When the Westminster Bridge was opened in 1750 it captured the imagination of eighteenth-century Britain – so much so that the construction process was followed in popular periodicals like The Gentleman’s Magazine, reflecting a broader Enlightenment interest in scientific inquiry.

Research by Dr Alison O’Byrne of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York shows how competition to build the bridge had been fierce, with rumours circulating that the country had yet to produce the kind of engineer required to do the work.

“Proposals flooded in from renowned architects like Nicholas Hawksmoor and Batty Langley. In the end, however, the commission was awarded to the Swiss engineer and mathematician, Charles Labelye,” said Dr O’Byrne.

A symbol of London’s modernity Despite criticisms of the government’s financial management of the project, the construction work was celebrated in prints that demonstrate a fascination with the process of building, from scenes of the partially completed bridge and views through its still supported arches, to accounts of the machinery and technical processes involved.

The bridge quickly became a symbol of London’s – and thus the nation’s – modernity, a feat of engineering at which visitors and inhabitants could marvel.

When the bridge’s central pier began to sink shortly before it was due to open, Batty Langley seized the opportunity to criticise Labelye’s work. Langley presented the structural problems as a national and personal insult, claiming that Labelye had pirated his method of construction while misapplying it, publishing an image presenting the Swiss engineer as having been hanged from the structure he failed to build securely.

Impressive engineering endeavourOthers took a more sympathetic view of the difficulties Labelye faced. William Halfpenny published A Perspective View of the Sunk Pier, regretting that “an accident or misfortune of that kind” had happened to “so great a structure…which was erected for public utility”. Despite Langley’s attempts to tarnish Labelye’s reputation, the efforts to correct the sunken pier simply became one more impressive example of engineering endeavour.

After its opening, Westminster Bridge remained a frequent subject of topographical prints and was regularly celebrated in guidebooks and histories of the metropolis. Labelye’s bridge was replaced a century later, after construction work on the new London Bridge damaged Westminster Bridge’s structural foundations.

Impact• Demonstrates the power of modern

engineering to capture popular sentiment

• Shows the role of modern engineering in the creation of modern cityscapes

Key contact

Dr Alison O’Byrne

Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies University of York YO1 7EP

T +44 (0)1904 324992 E alison.obyrne @york.ac.uk


34


Antonio Canaletto, Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor’s Procession on the Thames (1747)

Yale Center for British Art

~ A Perspective View of the Engine,used for Driving the Piles of the

New Bridge at Westminster (1748)© Trustees of the British Museum

~ Richard Parr after AntonioCanaletto, View of London through an

Arch of Westminster Bridge (1747)© Trustees of the British Museum

~ After William Halfpenny,A Perspective View of the Sunk Pier (1749)

© Trustees of the British Museum

35

NEW LIGHT ON THE PAST

Archaeologists are using futuristic satellite and three-dimensional imagery to understand the way the landscape has influenced and shaped human behaviour and cultures down the millennia.

From close-up images of cave drawings in the Alps, to the open deserts of Saudi Arabia – with the rolling Wiltshire countryside somewhere in between – archaeologists at the University of York are using the most modern imaging technologies to shed new light on old debates and even older civilisations.

Satellite imagery The international Dynamic Landscapes, Coastal Environments and Hominin Dispersals (DISPERSE) project is developing systematic methods for reconstructing landscapes associated with active tectonics and sea level change to assess their impact on patterns of human evolution and dispersal in the southern Red Sea.

In the Jizan Province of Saudi Arabia, satellite data, such as elevation data and panchromatic colour and false colour composite images, are used to assess geomorphological features and geology, characterise landforms and target archaeological survey based on these observations.

University of York research associate Dr Robyn Inglis explains: “Using satellite imagery allows us to observe and interpret the evolution of the landscape at the broad scale. By understanding the development of the landscape over time, we can identify where archaeological material could be preserved, as well as reconstructing what the landscape may have looked like when the earliest humans were first dispersing from Africa.”

Farasan IslandsOn the Farasan Islands, high-resolution satellite images reveal shell mound sites ranging in size from 0.5m square and only one layer of shells deep to 100m across and 6m high. These are then visited and sites selected for excavation.

“Once excavated and recorded, high-resolution overlapping photographs are taken, which allows for photogrammetry modelling to be performed. These are high-resolution 3D models of the site that show detail down to individual shells in an archaeological layer,” said Dr Matt Meredith-Williams.

Wiltshire Roman shrineIn Wiltshire, research student David Roberts is using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDaR) data to reveal earthworks that would not be visible to the naked eye. “We were able to use this data and

Key contact

Dr Robyn Inglis

Department of Archaeology University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 328559 E robyn.inglis @york.ac.uk

Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council


36



compare it with the Ordnance Survey data and were able to locate a large, rectangular anomaly, which was the site of a Roman shrine we were looking for.”

The results of these investigations form a highly detailed archaeological recording strategy that allows sites to be viewed in new ways and new interpretations to be made. The relationship between the archaeological sites and their environment, as well as change in those environments, can more clearly be seen using these methodologies.

Impact• Shedding new light on the impact

of landscape on ancient cultures

• Using digital imaging to bring the past to life for the wider public

• Aiding the search for history-rich sites

| Broad landform classification in Jizan Region, Saudi Arabia False colour composite images from Landsat (left, Landsat GeoCover ETM+ 2000, © USGS) are used as the basis for identifying and classifying landforms (right) and their relationship to archaeology observed in the field, to highlight areas of high archaeological potential for future survey

| Teffont landscape LiDAR data with waterwaysThe data reveals a range of features dating from prehistory to the present which can be analysed together with a range of other data sources to establish how the landscape has changed over time

37

HARD WORK FROM SOFT MATTER

Soft materials, which include liquid crystals and gels, are often described as nature’s delicate state of matter – they are the materials of our cell membranes. But these soft and fluid conditions are now being engineered by scientists to provide solutions to problems that traditionally require the use of high tensile-strength materials and the ability to operate under extreme conditions of X-rays, pressure and heat.

Versatile materialsThe versatility that liquid crystals and gels provides is now being directed to sectors as diverse as healthcare and energy, where its benefits include the development of much more effective and safe radiotherapy treatments of cancer, and the more efficient exploration and extraction of oil from underground reserves.

Our aim is to address issues in healthcare and energy as exemplified by former chief medical officer for England, Liam Donaldson, who noted, “Despite global efforts to minimise harm from radiotherapy, cases where patients

have been harmed in apparently similar circumstances are reported. This is corrosive to public trust and confidence in services and undermines the credibility of professionals who provide healthcare.”

Elegant studiesUniversity of York's Professor John Goodby, whose elegant studies of the processes of molecular aggregation/disaggregation have made him a world authority on soft materials, is designing new materials based on gelators and polymers that can be deployed in the imaging of tumours: this technology can be used in artificial patients, or phantoms, used in the radiotherapy treatment of cancer, thereby ensuring that treatment is safe and with greatly reduced side effects.

His work, a collaboration between the University of York’s Department of Chemistry and the NHS Oncology Department of Castle Hill Hospital, East Yorkshire, reveals a new dimension to the application of soft materials in sensors, imaging devices, the generation of 3D models, and the calibrations of external stimuli and fields.

But yet another application is being explored by his colleague at York, Professor Duncan Bruce, who is developing ‘smart’ loss circulation fluids that are capable of use in the extreme conditions encountered down-well in the drilling industry.

“Loss circulation fluids are used to fill cracks and fissures that appear during drilling in order that drilling muds are not consumed," said Professor Bruce, whose work was co-sponsored by METRC, an organisation of the N8 group of universities specialising in nanotechnology, science and engineering research, and the global drilling company, Baker Hughes.

“Certain liquid crystal preparations have the necessary mechanical properties to act as loss circulation pills that can subsequently be dispersed, allowing enhanced recovery from the well,” he added. This means that exploration for oil and gas can be conducted more effectively.

Key contactS

Professor John Goodby and Professor Duncan W Bruce


T +44 (0)1904 324085 E duncan.bruce @york.ac.uk


38

Materials SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTThe University of York

Impact• Improved patient care and recovery

through use of new imaging methods found for soft materials

• Enhanced extraction – and reduced wastage – from oil exploration

The red, computer- generated simulation shows the locations

of the X-ray beams as they focus on a

central point }

~ Strong and unchanged liquid crystal preparation (clear gel-like material) after exposure to high temperature and pressure. Opaque material on top is drilling mud, to which the preparation is impervious

~ Irradiated area of neck tumour

showing the shape of the tumour written into a gel dosimeter

| MRI of a gel bottle written on by X-rays to give a cube

| Facility for the preparation of gel dosimeters

39

LIGHT AS A PROBE OF SURFACE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE40

Computer scientists are combining the physics of light and techniques from computer vision and pattern recognition to develop algorithms for probing the shape, structure and material composition of surfaces using light.

This leads to practical techniques for surface analysis and inspection that have found applications in areas such as face recognition and synthesis, radar-clinometry, biosecurity and surveillance.

Light as a waveform“Our approach brings together computer science, statistics and physics (applied optics) in a unique way,” says Professor Edwin Hancock of the Department of Computer Science at York. “One of the key elements of the work is to develop algorithms that utilise the wave properties of light – interference and polarisation – rather than treating it as a waveform.

“The second important element is to use detailed statistical models of surface shape, so that complex objects such as human faces can be analysed to determine attributes such as gender and age. The work thus impacts in areas such as biosecurity and surveillance.”

Polarisation visionPolarisation vision provides an interesting case study for the methods used in this research. When unpolarised light is refracted into a surface, and then remitted into air again, it acquires a spontaneous degree of polarisation.This so-called diffuse polarisation can be used not only to determine surface shape directly, but also to determine both the refractive index of surfaces and whether they possess a layered structure.

“Polarisation measurements thus provide a powerful way of determining both surface shape and composition,” said Professor Hancock. “There is evidence that certain animals, such as the mantis shrimp, use polarisation information in their natural vision systems.”

One important area where this research has had benefits is in the field of biosecurity. “Our approach has been adapted by the Australian Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to improve the country’s protection against potentially harmful, invasive species,” Professor Hancock said.

Impact• Improving biosecurity capabilities

• Collaborating with private and public sector partners to develop novel technologies

• Improving facial recognition technology for use in security and surveillance

Key contact

Professor Edwin Hancock


T +44 (0)1904 325497 E edwin.hancock @york.ac.uk


Funding for work has come from EPSRC, Qinetiq, the Australian National ICT organisation NICTA and the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL)

Materials SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A SNAPSHOTThe University of York

LIGHT AS A PROBE OF SURFACE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE 41

164 Int J Comput Vis (2010) 86: 152–170

We choose to set the diffuse coefficient as ρd = 1 −ρs , suchthat each synthetic image is normalised to the range [0,1].

In Fig. 7(a) we show the percentage error in the esti-mated radiance function. In (b) we show the mean angularsurface normal error, i.e. the average angular difference be-tween the estimated and ground truth surface normals. In(c) we show the mean absolute error between the estimated

Fig. 5 Example results of the radiance estimation process on syn-thetic images. First column: synthetic Phong images with parame-ters: (ρd = 1,ρs = 0,ηs = 0), (ρd = 0.7,ρs = 0.3,ηs = 100) and(ρd = 0.6,ρs = 0.4,ηs = 10) respectively. Second column: image ofa unit sphere rendered with the radiance function estimated using ourmethod. Third column: image of a unit sphere rendered with the groundtruth radiance function

and ground truth surface height function. From the surfaceshape error plots we note that the error tends to increase withshininess, i.e. as the specular spike becomes narrower. Thisadds empirical support to the anecdotal observation that itis harder to recover shape-from-shading for shiny objects(Ragheb and Hancock 2003). There is also a trend for theerror to increase as the specular coefficient increases, i.e. asthe specular spike becomes taller. This is because the ef-fect of a larger specular coefficient is to compress a widerrange of incident angles into a smaller range of intensity val-ues. Hence, quantisation noise becomes more significant. Inother words, fewer gray levels are used to represent a certainrange of incident angles as the specular coefficient increases.

7.3 Real World Data

We now present the results of applying Algorithm 2 to realworld face images. In the first column of Fig. 8 we showa selection of input images from the Yale Face Database B(Georghiades et al. 2001). In the second column we showunit spheres rendered with the estimated radiance functions.These appear to capture the corresponding reflectance prop-erties well. In the third column we show Lambertian cor-rected images, in which the estimated shape has been ren-dered with Lambertian reflectance. The estimated shape ap-pears qualitatively good (distinguishing features are sharplydefined) and the effect of varying reflectance properties hasbeen removed. Finally, in the last two columns we showthe results of fitting the Phong reflectance model to theestimated data using the technique described in Sect. 5.2.We show the estimated diffuse and specular components ofthe Phong model. The estimated specular reflectance agreeswell with empirically measured results (Georghiades 2003;Debevec et al. 2000).

Fig. 6 Examples of estimated radiance functions. Estimated (solidline) and ground truth (broken line) radiance functions for syntheticPhong images. From top to bottom, the images were rendered with

Phong parameters (ρd = 1,ρs = 0,ηs = 0), (ρd = 0.7,ρs = 0.3,ηs =100) and (ρd = 0.6,ρs = 0.4,ηs = 10) respectively

166 Int J Comput Vis (2010) 86: 152–170

Fig. 9 Synthesising novelviewpoints directly using theestimated radiance functionsand albedo maps. The viewerand light source directionremain coincident. Note that thespecularities change position asthe head rotates

Fig. 10 Comparing real views (top row) against synthesised (bottom row) for changes in pose

of each image, as described in Sect. 6.1. In Fig. 12(a) weshow the estimated light source colour vectors as a scatterplot in RGB space. Because of the unknown scaling factorpresent in (2), these vectors cannot be compared directly. In-stead, we consider the hue of the light source (i.e. its intrin-sic colour) by normalising the RGB vectors to unit length.We show a scatter plot of these vectors in Fig. 12(b). It isclear that the hue of the light source estimated from the68 input images is very stable (the points are tightly clus-tered). The intrinsic mean of this distribution of unit vec-tors is: srgb = [0.48,0.53,0.70]T . This agrees well with theinformation available about the illumination used, i.e. it isstrongest in the blue channel and the intensity of the lightsource increases as the wavelength decreases. The distribu-tion of estimated hues also cluster well, the standard devia-tion across the 68 samples is only 0.0459 radians or 2.63◦

(these values are based on the directional errors of unit vec-tors in RGB space).

In Fig. 13 we show the results of our facial colour con-stancy algorithm. Having recovered the facial shape and

fitted the Phong reflectance model to the input colour im-ages as described above, we synthesise an image in whichthe strength and colour of the illuminant is normalised tounity. The resulting images effectively normalise for thecolour and strength of the illumination. Qualitatively, the re-sults demonstrate that the method works. The illumination-normalised images appear more natural and traces of theblue illumination have been removed. Also note that becauseof the increase in the strength of the illuminant, the specu-larities increase in size.

7.5 Towards Non-Frontal Illumination

Finally, we present preliminary results of applying our tech-nique to images in which the face is illuminated by a non-frontal light source. To do this, Algorithm 1 was modifiedas described in Sects. 2.3 and 3.2.1. The result is that weestimate a radiance function of two variables. We show anexample of the smooth surface fitted to the scattered 2D ra-diance measurements in Fig. 14. In Fig. 15 we show visual

Int J Comput Vis (2010) 86: 152–170 165

Fig. 7 Error plots for synthetic data rendered using the Phong model

Fig. 8 In the first column weshow the input images and inthe second we show a unitsphere rendered with theestimated radiance function. Inthe third column we show theestimated shape rendered withLambertian reflectance. Finallywe show the estimated diffuse(column 4) and specular(column 5) components of thesurface reflectance having fittedthe Phong model to theestimated data

7.3.1 Direct Synthesis

We now show the results of synthesising images in a novelpose directly using the estimated radiance function and com-bined albedo values as described in Sect. 4.3. We show syn-thesised views in which the face is rotated about the verti-cal axis by an angle of −45◦, −22.5◦, 0◦, 22.5◦ and 45◦.The viewing and light source directions remain coincidentand hence the position of specularities varies as the face ro-tates. Qualitatively, the effect is convincing and shows thatwe can synthesise realistic images using the estimated radi-ance function directly.

In Fig. 10 we synthesise images under varying pose in thesame manner. However, this time we provide real views inapproximately the same pose in order to provide a compar-ison between the predicted and actual view. In many casesthe position of the specularities and the global shape esti-mate appear accurate.

7.3.2 Synthesis Using Fitted Phong Reflectance Model

By fitting the Phong reflectance model to the estimated datawe are able to synthesise images using a different slice of

the BRDF to the one that was present in the original inputimage. In Fig. 11 we show each subject under 4 differentsynthesised illumination conditions. In each case the lightsource subtends an angle of 45◦ with the viewing directionand, from left to right, is moved left, right, above and belowthe subject. The input images are shown in the first column.Note how the synthesised images capture the complex dis-tribution of specular reflectance.

7.4 Colour Images

We now present results related to the estimation of thecolour of the illuminant and normalising for its effect. Webegin by examining the stability of this process on the 68subjects in the CMU PIE (Sim et al. 2003) database. Foreach subject, we apply the colour shape-from-shading al-gorithm described in Sect. 6 to input images in which thesubject is illuminated by a frontal light source. The colourof the illumination is biased towards shorter wavelengths,and hence is strongest in the blue channel (this is evidentin the input images in which the subjects appear unnatu-rally blue). We fit the Phong model to each colour channel

~ Using detailed statistical models of the shape of the human face together with the physics of light reflectance from human skin, we can reconstruct the three-dimensional shape of a face from a single 2D image. The spheres show samples of surface that reflect light in the same way as skin in our models of the face

The Lightstage allows subjects to be illuminated with light of known spectral composition, direction and polarisation, so that their surface reflectance properties can be analysed and their surface structure probed in detail �

The mantis shrimp is an example of an animal whose vision system uses

polarisation information to better understand its underwater environment.

In our work we are using polarisation measurements to recover surface shape,

and determine surface characteristics such as refractive index. These algorithms

can be used in applications such as range-imaging and biosecurity

A QUESTION OF COMPATIBILITY

With the development of modern radio communications in the first half of the 20th century, it rapidly became clear that interference was a serious issue and international regulations were established to promote interference-free communications.

Since those early days, however, the spread of digital, mobile communications and the proliferation of broadcast media have put huge pressure on the available radio spectrum. Regulators are squeezing band allocations closer and closer together, relying on increasingly sophisticated control methods to keep interference to acceptable levels.

Electromagnetic compatibilityWhat is less well-known is that other electronic equipment can suffer from and cause electromagnetic interference and devices that are not intended to be radio receivers or transmitters can be affected. An early example was ignition interference from cars and ‘brush noise’ from electric

motors both requiring ‘suppression’ to prevent radio interference. Today our sophisticated electronic equipment is still subject to the laws of physics, and interference issues in cars, trains, aircraft and computer systems require careful control.

The control of electromagnetic interference (a more general term than radio) is known as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). EMC is achieved when electronic devices are able to operate as intended without causing or suffering from interference from other, neighbouring devices.

Research to spin-offProfessor Andy Marvin and his team of researchers in the University of York’s Department of Electronics are world leaders in the field of EMC and the spin-off company York EMC Services Ltd has developed a number of test instruments that set benchmark standards for regulators and the industry. The company also operates three commercial

EMC test-houses in Bristol, Castleford and Fife, helping manufacturers and importers to achieve EMC with their products. One such tool is the BiLog antenna which has revolutionised Electromagnetic Compatibility measurements and was developed in collaboration with the Department of Electronics. These measurements must be conducted on all electronic equipment placed on the market within the EU, the US, Japan and across most of the world. The BiLog is the first antenna to cover the full frequency range required by the tests and its novel design has been widely imitated.

Impact• Provides robust testing technologies

to minimise interference

• Allows regulators to maximise use of crowded bandwidth

• Sets benchmark standards for interference-free communications

Key contact

Professor Andy Marvin


T +44 (0)1904 322342 E andy.marvin @york.ac.uk

42

Sound andcommunication


~ Graph showing the radiated field strength of the YRS01 source used for calibrating radiated interference

measurement systems such as the anechoic chamber shown left in the frequency range 30MHz to 1GHz

A miniature active receiving antenna with performance

comparable to a conventional antenna developed for

measuring radio interference in confined locations �

~ CGE01 battery-powered calibration source for radiated interference measurement systems. Three versions of these sources cover the frequency range up to 40GHz

43

FINDING YOUR VOICE

For a singer to be able to fill Covent Garden Opera House with sound – often above the competing noise of an orchestra – is a remarkable feat.

Armed only with a small, flexible tube measuring no more than 18cm in length, many might think the singer is fighting a losing battle. But the vocal tract is a wonderful piece of evolved acoustic engineering, and a formidable instrument when developed to its full.

The vocal tractAcoustic modelling of the vocal tract is beginning to reveal how changing the shape of this delicate tube can affect its acoustic output in ways that are relevant and beneficial to professional singers and their coaches.

“We use MRI scanners to measure the contours of real vocal tracts,” said Professor David Howard of the Department

of Electronics. “This gives us access to real vocal tract shapes for individual speech sounds such as vowels. We then create a virtual three-dimensional vocal tract and calculate the result of an acoustic pressure wave propagating along it, interpolating between shapes for individual sounds with a view to synthesising natural speech.”

Computers and singingThe measurements, coupled with computer simulation and three-dimensional prints of the airways, can then be used to create sound and to show how changes in the shape of the tract produce changes in the output.

“No one is saying that computers will ever replace singing teachers in teaching musicality, or what it is like to work with a composer or to work on a stage – that will always remain a very personal and human thing needing a human teacher,” said Professor Howard.

“But singing pedagogy tends to rely on an oral tradition handed down from generation to generation. We have developed real-time computer displays of the acoustic output for use in singing teaching, and the use of these models could seriously change appreciation ofhow the voice works in the future. Everyone needs a voice.”

Impact• Creating a scientific understanding of

how the vocal tract contributes to singing

• Providing a valuable tool to help teachers bring the best out of their singers

• Possible linkages with the health sector dealing with those suffering vocal injuries

Key contact

Professor David Howard


T +44 (0)1904 322405 E david.howard @york.ac.uk


44


Looking into the mouth of a 3D printed vocal tract

| 3D model for the vowel in ‘bee’

3D models for different vowels and tract sizes �

45

LOW NOISE, BIG IMPACT

Low phase noise (low jitter) signal generation is the key to setting the ultimate performance limit of all communications, radar, navigation and timing systems.

Professor Jeremy Everard and his team at the University of York’s Department of Electronics have developed robust and highly accurate theories (~1dB) for predicting phase noise in oscillators. This has enabled them to not only develop new topologies and design rules but also to support the production of some of the best performing equipment in the world.

International reputationProfessor Everard’s work in radio frequency and microwave circuit design is of international renown and includes: low noise oscillators; ultra-high Q distributed Bragg resonators with Q = 200,000 at 10GHz; ultra-compact printed resonators and filters; fractional frequency dividers; high efficiency broadband power amplifiers; compact broadband aerials and compact atomic clocks using semiconductor lasers.

Collaboration with BAE SystemsThe group has developed the reference Stable Local Oscillators (STALO) for demonstrator phased array radars in the UK and USA. These are under the UK and US ARTIST programme (Advanced Radar Technology Integrated System Testbed).

Other collaborationsRecent collaborations with a tri-national company consortium under the SIMCLAIRS programme (Selex ES, Thales UK Ltd, Thales Systèmes Aéroportés (France) and Saab AB (Sweden) have produced smaller low-noise oscillators with low vibration sensitivity. Professor Everard's group – in collaboration with SEMTECH, a world leader in the supply of high-quality analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products – has developed ultra-compact multilayer PCB helical printed filters for use with integrated circuits. These are essential in all radio frequency and microwave oscillators and filters.

Mobile phone-sized atomic clocks Professor Everard is also designing and developing ultra-accurate atomic clocks the size of a mobile phone, using vertical contact semiconductor lasers for probing the highly precise atomic resonance mechanism.

Advanced measurement systems Elsewhere, in collaboration with Agilent, one of the world’s leading measurement technology companies, Professor Everard and his team have joined forces with the UK National Physical Laboratory to build a cross-correlation phase noise measurement system with a noise floor of −200dBc/Hz, 10-20 below the signal power.

Key contact

Professor Jeremy Everard (BAE Systems/RAEng Research Chair 2007/12)


T +44 (0)1904 322410 E jeremy.everard @york.ac.uk


46


BAE Systems, Selex ES, Thales UK Ltd, Thales Systèmes Aéroportés (France), Saab AB (Sweden), SEMTECH Ltd, HCD Research Ltd


Impact• Design and construction of

world-leading oscillator technology

• Improving clarity and purity of communications signals

• Working with industry to develop and improve products in key market sectors such as mobile communications and navigation

• Advanced international teaching material and design kits

Acknowledgements:I would like to thank Simon Bale, Carl Broomfield, Tsvetan Burtichelov, Pratik Deshpande, Mark Hough, Konstantinos Theodoropoulos, Andy White and Min Xu for their help in generating new ideas and results�

~ Prototype atomic clock test bench

~ PCompact low noise oscillator for SIMCLAIRS consortium

~ Schematic of multi-layer high Q printed resonator for use with integrated circuit

oscillators and compact filters

~ Spectrum of fractional frequency divider which divides by ¾ and ¼

| Prototype temperature stabilised semiconductor laser system for compact atomic clocks

Battery-powered lab equipment used on

international courses }

47

STIMULATING CONVERSATION

Conversational Kiosk is a digital installation created by a diverse, multi-disciplinary group of academic researchers – and their private sector collaborators – whose experience spans the sciences, arts and humanities.

The result of this remarkable two-year collaboration, which was led jointly by the University of York and the University of Hull, is a ‘conversational digital entity’ that is able to talk to its human counterparts using a digitally synthesised voice.

Feelings and emotionsMost significantly, Conversational Kiosk also listens to what the human is saying and responds in a way that expresses its own feelings and emotions. For Dr Sandra Pauletto, who is one of the Voice Expressivity and Emotion Working Group’s members, “At its core is the digital transformation of expressive dialogue. The voice is digital, the listening mechanism is digital and the emotions are digital.”

By combining both an artistic and a scientific approach, Conversational Kiosk explores how far digital technologies such as speech synthesis, speech recognition and voice expressivity design have come. It also provokes questions about how easily this kind of technology could be adapted for speech technology users – the most famous of whom is perhaps the eminent physicist Stephen Hawking – and about the possibility of developing much more human-like computer interfaces.

Human relationshipThis project – part of the EPSRC funded Creative Speech Technology Network – provokes other, more profound questions, such as what is the nature of human emotions and how can a machine have such emotions? What is the identity behind the voice and how can it possibly speak? And how do we, as humans, relate to it?

“Our research is of great impact for a variety of communities,” said Dr Pauletto. Speech technology users – such as those who have lost, or have never had, the ability to speak – speech processing engineers, computer scientists and usability experts to artists interested in new forms of expression using interactive digital technology are also interested in this kind of work.”

Impact• Develops and improves digital

voice technology for patients

• Draws together interdisciplinary teams to push back technical boundaries

• Potential for commercial development of new ideas and technologies

• Implications for sound engineers and professional sound designers

Key contact

Dr Sandra Pauletto

Department of Theatre, Film and Television University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 325223 E sandra.pauletto @york.ac.uk

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48



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49

SOUND ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES

Is recording engineering? For some – such as the petitioners to a Downing Street website who want to restrict the term to chartered engineers – the answer is an emphatic ‘no'.

But for University of York audio expert Jez Wells, who recently made the transition from the Department of Electronics to the Department of Music, the answer is neither that simple nor as clear cut.

Public engagementDr Jez Wells and his Sociology colleague Dr David Beer, have just completed an 11-month public engagement programme under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Ingenious Project.

While the final results have yet to be ‘mixed’, the raw materials are like listening in to an articulate and often passionate conversation by some of the leading players in the industry. It will provide food for thought for policy-makers, the recording industry, the world of engineering and academia for a long time to come.

Along with the larger, public engagement set pieces, however, Dr Wells and Dr Beer also conducted interviews with individual thought leaders in the field. One of those is Dave Fisher, Emeritus Professor of Sound Recording at the University of Surrey, who built his first hi-fi as a teenager in his bedroom – much to his mother’s alarm. “An engineer is someone who is interested in how stuff works,” says Fisher. “When I bought a bit of equipment as a kid I would take the lid off and have a look inside to see how it was built.”

A window on soundAnother interviewee, Tony Faulkner, one of the most celebrated sound recording engineers felt, like Fisher, that all too often modern engineers reached for the latest gimmick. He recalled an occasion in which he had made a classical recording with the simplest of equipment. It sold four million copies.

“It was a window, it might have been a little bit dirty round the corner and had a crack in it but it was a window to the performance and people bought it. What more do you want? But many of these audio production/technology courses don’t teach you to work that way, from what I’ve seen of them, any of them. They don’t teach you that philosophy of trying to keep it as simple as possible and just listen to what the artists come back with.”

Impact• Providing policy-makers with industry-

leading thinking on the nature of a popular example of engineering

• Challenging assumptions of what it means to be a sound engineer

• Better understanding of the mind and skill set of the sound engineer

• Opening up career opportunities within a growing industry

Key contact

Dr Jez Wells

Departments of Electronics and Music University of York YO10 5DD

T +44 (0)1904 322436 E jez.wells @york.ac.uk

A guide to our visual identity



50


~ A coincident pair of microphones for stereo

recording. First developed by Alan Blumlein (also regarded

by many as the father of circuit engineering) in the

1930s, still in use today

| Jez showing visiting school children around one of the University’s recording studios for the annual Science Trail

| Jez Wells (far left) at the Royal Academy of Engineering with key recording industry figures (from left to right) Tony Platt, Ben Hillier, Tony Faulkner and Peter Filleul

51

THE GAMES ACADEMICS PLAY

With the games development industry in Britain contributing over £3bn a year to the economy, it is vital that the industry is able to maintain a competitive advantage by drawing on some of the best and brightest brains in the country.

As a result, the quest for smarter Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create the next generation of games is seeing new partnerships form between university researchers and some of the most dynamic young companies in the market place.

Industry-leading collaborationComputer scientists at the University of York, who have been pioneering the use of a method for making optimal decisions in AI that combines the generality of random simulation with the precision of tree search, are working with a number of industry-leading companies to help transform the gaming market place.

“Our research is looking at how to develop a general purpose method for

making decisions, the result of which provides a more intelligent adversary, and, therefore, a more interesting game,” says Professor Peter Cowling of the Department of Computer Science.

With partners such as Stainless, who have developed Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, a PC and console game based on one of the world’s most popular card games, and AI Factory, whose games for Android phones and tablets have had more than 50 million downloads, Peter and his team are using Monte Carlo Tree Search to radically improve the performance of the AI that helps drive the gaming industry.

Looking into the future“In the past, games have relied on a form of AI that is very specific to a domain, based on strategic knowledge from human experts. Our model is very different: it involves creating a player who makes decisions by looking into the future and making the decision leading to the best possible outcome. Our player

knows nothing about the game, but our researchers have designed and created clever algorithms that enable decisions which are often much better than those based on capturing human expert knowledge,” Professor Cowling added.

This approach is hugely attractive to the industry, not only because it makes for more interesting and compelling games, but also because this kind of development substantially reduces the time it takes to produce new AI. “In the past it could take years to develop the coding behind a game, but with our approach you have a solution that is of a quality and sophistication that is ready to deploy in a matter of days or weeks.”

Impact• Bringing the benefits of computer

science research to a key sector of the economy

• Potential use in other fields, including the defence sector

• Collaborating with industry to develop new games products

Key contact

Professor Peter Cowling


T +44 (0)1904 325355 E peter.cowling @york.ac.uk



52


Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 by Stainless Games �Spades by AI Factory �

A tree of possible futures from the start of a game of Connect Four

53


The research in this brochure was showcased at the Royal Academy of Engineering Summer Soirée Exhibition Engineering: Design for Living, on 27 June, 2013 in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal, as Royal Fellow of the Academy. The event was hosted by the University of York in the Ron Cooke Hub.

Images: Ian Martindale

CONTACTS

Academic Co-ordinator for SciencesProfessor Brian Fulton+44 (0)1904 [email protected]

Director of Research and EnterpriseDr Mark Mortimer+44 (0)1904 [email protected] [email protected]

Published by the Communications Office+44 (0)1904 [email protected]

Designed by: Common 07789 551904

www.york.ac.uk

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