The University of Southampton

Published: 24 May 2013
Illustration

A single device designed by ECS engineers could enable us to find out which parts of our homes are the most energy-hungry without installing plug-in power monitors on each individual appliance.

Dr Reuben Wilcock, Senior Enterprise Fellow in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, and PhD student Robert Rudolf now have the opportunity to take their multi-core current clamp to market as joint winners of this year's Royal Academy of Engineering ERA Foundation Entrepreneurs Award. The Award was established to identify entrepreneurial researchers in UK universities, working in electro-technology and at an early stage of their careers, and to enable them to commercialise their research. Dr Wilcock and Mr Rudolf will receive the award at the Academy's Awards Dinner in London on 17 July.

There is a huge market for measuring energy use in the home, which is set to increase as we move towards greater use of smart meters. All home energy management systems rely on power measurement, usually by a single core current clamp sensor on the incoming live wire. However, this only gives the user a reading for the total electricity use and does not provide information on which parts of the house use most power. Individual monitors on each appliance can provide this data, but require access to sockets and the appliance to be powered down for fitting and removal.

Dr Wilcock and Mr Rudolf have developed a multi-core clamp sensor that can measure current flowing in any accessible mains cable, giving a more detailed picture of the electricity usage in a home. Through extensive modelling and analysis they have shown that they can calibrate the device and accurately measure mains cable current to a full scale of 16 Amps with an accuracy of better than 1 per cent.

"This is a world first," says Dr Wilcock. "Many people have tried to do this but non-invasive measurement of current in two- or three-core mains cables is extremely challenging because an equal and opposite current flows in the live and neutral wires, cancelling out the field you are trying to measure. Our system addresses this challenge by using state of the art sensors and elegant calibration and measurement algorithms."

The new clamp is also ideal for industrial power monitoring - many industrial machines are permanently wired in and have no plug to accommodate a conventional energy monitor. The system will also be invaluable for office energy audits, reducing the need to turn off equipment for fitting and removal, and for electrical test equipment to help electricians find faults.

"There is a £50billion market for energy management systems in the residential sector alone", says Don Spalinger, Director of Research and Innovation Services at the University of Southampton. "Reuben and Robert's invention has the potential to significantly impact not only the home, but also the office and industrial sectors. The innovation of a non-invasive device to measure the power utilisation of individual equipment will add a whole new approach to the markets, and we see commercialisation of this being done very quickly."

Professor Sir Richard Brook OBE FREng, Chairman of the ERA Foundation, says: "Reducing emissions is a huge challenge and this new sensor promises to advance the accurate monitoring of household energy use. This work is a fine example of the excellent research being done in British universities - as the Academy is currently highlighting through its Engineering for Growth campaign. We are delighted to support Dr Wilcock in developing this innovation further."

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 3 June 2013
Illustration

Researchers from Electronics and Computer Science have released a smartphone app designed to help in the search for a rare cicada found only in the New Forest National Park.

The New Forest Cicada (Cicadetta montana s. str.) is the only cicada native to the UK. During May to July it sings with a very characteristic high-pitched song, which is at the limits of human hearing and is particularly difficult for most adults to hear. Sightings of the cicada within the New Forest date back to 1812, but the last unconfirmed sighting was in 2000. However, it’s quite likely that colonies remain undiscovered in less visited parts of the forest.

The search for the cicada will be launched at the New Forest National Park BioBlitz, which is being organised by the New Forest National Park Authority on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 June 2013. The wildlife monitoring marathon will be held at Roydon Woods Nature Reserve near Brockenhurst. From 4pm on 7 June until 4pm on 8 June, nature lovers can join experts on bug hunts and river surveys, as well as take part in pond dipping, fungi forays and an early morning birdsong walk.

Dr Alex Rogers, a Reader in the Agents, Interaction and Complexity Research Group in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, who leads the work of the New Forest Cicada Project says: “Modern smartphones have extremely sensitive microphones and enough computing power to automatically detect and recognise the song of the New Forest cicada.

“We’re hoping that the millions of visitors to the New Forest can use their smartphones to help us locate any remaining colonies of the cicada that might remain in the forest.”

The app records a 30 second survey using the smartphone’s microphone and looks for the particular frequencies and sound patterns that characterise the cicada’s song. If it thinks a cicada might have been heard, it prompts the user to upload the recording, so that it can be analysed in more detail.

“The cicada likes sunny south-facing clearings, and will only sing on a warm day when there is little wind, so we’ll be encouraging people to use the app when conditions are best. We’ll be able to use the reports from the app to compile a map of areas that have already been searched, in order to focus the efforts of the professional entomologists who are also looking for the cicada”, says Davide Zilli, the PhD student who has developed the app.

“We use an approach similar to that used in human speech recognition to detect the cicada’s song. As we collect more recordings from the forest we hope to be able to extend this to automatically recognise many more common insects.”

Natalie Fisher, Interpretation Officer at The New Forest National Park Authority, adds: “The New Forest has a unique mix of habitats, which make it one of the best places for wildlife in Britain. We’re very excited by the fact that this app, and the activities going on during the BioBlitz, will draw attention to the rich wildlife that we have right on our doorsteps”.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android smartphones and is available on the iTunes and Google Play app stores by searching for ‘Cicada Hunt’. More information about the cicada and the app can be found on the project’s website – www.newforestcicada.info.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 4 June 2013
Illustration

Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) has recorded outstanding results in one of the UK’s leading university league tables.

In the Guardian University Guide 2014, published today (Tuesday 4 June), the University of Southampton leads the table for Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and is ranked in the top five for Computer Science and IT.

‘This is another terrific result for ECS,’ said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. ‘It’s great news for our students and our staff, but also for prospective students who are currently holding offers to come to Southampton to study on our degree programmes later this year. Internationally, our students from outside the UK have confirmation that they will be studying in one of the best places in the world.

‘ECS students can be sure that they will benefit from the highest-quality teaching and facilities, and that when they graduate they will be in demand by the leading high-tech companies in the world,’ he added.

The Guardian has traditionally put a strong emphasis on student-centred issues in the construction of their league table, which continues to be an important factor in student choice, particularly in the international market. One of the areas in which ECS has done particularly well in recent years is in its record for graduate employability, and its range of partnerships with some of the world's leading companies and graduate employers.

Our video - "Why I chose ECS", gives some idea of the opportunities available to students at ECS. "I came here simply to be among the best,’ says MEng Electronic Engineering student Alex Forward. ‘You get taught by the best, you get to learn with the best. It’s a great place – the best in the country.”

University of Southampton Open Days this year take place on 5 and 6 July and on 6 and 7 September. ECS will be providing tours of its facilities with the opportunity to speak to current students and staff, and to find out about student project work and our careers and employability activity. Full information is available on our University Open Day booking pages.

For further information on this news story contact: Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 6 June 2013
Illustration

Meet Erica the Rhino - a six-feet long cyber-rhino, designed and built by ECS staff and students.

Erica is part of Marwell Wildlife’s Go! Rhinos campaign, which will see a spectacular trail of colourful and creative sculptures in the streets and parks of Southampton this summer. Erica has been designed and built by Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) staff and students at the University of Southampton. The state-of-the-art rhino, which has been decorated by Chris Clancy, a student from the University’s Winchester School of Art, can move her ears and eyes, change her mood and even tweet. Using small low-power computers Erica, a fibreglass sculpture, can respond to nearby people and even has her own WiFi network so the public can interact with her via smart phones. Erica is currently being customised with digital features including LED lights to help her blink and adjust to focus on her fans, read QR codes and move her ears. Erica tweets, reads tweets and her various Raspberry Pi computers, created especially for schools and hobbyists, will interact inside just like web servers in the World Wide Web. Erica even has a specialist “brain team” who have made it possible for her to learn about her environment and provided her with both short and long term memory. The short term memory enables her to react instantly to an action, while the long term memory recalls accumulated actions so that her mood and behaviour can change throughout the day. The people of Southampton will be able to visit Erica in the Marlands Shopping Centre during the summer months and improve her mood by “feeding” or tweeting her or interacting with their phones. Dr Kirk Martinez, who is leading the team, says: “We are really enjoying bringing together lots of cool technology to make our rhino interactive. The team of volunteers building it are specialists in areas like web technology or electronics and are really excited about the project.” Kirstie Mathieson, Go! Rhinos Project Manager, says: “We are thrilled to see the transformation of Erica into a truly interactive and unique piece of art and science. The team at ECS have worked so hard and everyone at Marwell Wildlife is so excited to have her as part of the trail.”

Go! Rhinos is a mass, world-class public art exhibition brought to the streets and parks of Southampton by Marwell Wildlife. From the 13 July until 22 September, rhino sculptures will trail all over the city, demonstrating the artistic talent that Southampton has to offer. Although Erica is still being digitised you can follow her journey on Twitter, Instagram and through her blog. You can find out more information at www.gorhinos.co.uk and http://www.ericatherhino.org/

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 7 June 2013
Illustration

Dr Geoff Merrett of the Electronics and Electrical Engineering research group in ECS is appearing at the prestigious Times Cheltenham Science Festival today (Friday 7 June).

The other members of the energy harvesting panel are Paul Mitcheson and heart surgeon Sukumaran Nair, who is looking at the use of wireless power transfer to keep artificial hearts pumping. The discussion will cover energy harvesting devices which capture energy that would otherwise be wasted and store it for future use. Vibration from engines, temperature gradients and even energy in blood sugar can all generate enough energy to power electronic devices. Dr Merrett writes about his appearance at the Festival and the impact of his research on his website

Another member of ECS has a prominent role in the Festival. Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, is Guest Director this year. Writing on the Festival website, Dame Wendy expresses her support for the breadth of the Festival’s coverage of science: "What I love about the Cheltenham Science Festival is the appetite for science I see there. From children all the way through to senior citizens, the audiences, as well as the topics, are so diverse and people just love it! The thing that really surprises me is how much science is packed into the Festival."

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival is a six-day celebration of science, engineering and the arts aimed solely at the general public. It is widely acclaimed as the UK's leading science festival and is renowned for its creative programming. Aiming to present a broad range of science and scientific issues in an exciting and engaging environment, the event includes a variety of formats including debates, panel discussions, single speaker talks, interactive workshops and exhibitions. The Festival continues to grow each year, with 39,000 tickets issued in 2012 and 17,000 visitors at free exhibitions and events.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 10 June 2013
Illustration

Marc de Vos, a third-year student in ECS has developed the world’s first screen-printed digital watch on fabric for his Part III Individual Project.

Marc's work was selected for presentation at the annual Smart Textiles Salon, held last week in Gent, Belgium. This event showcases prototype smart fabrics from industry and academia to a wide European audience.

The watch display is printed directly on to fabric to achieve the world’s first printed smart-fabric watch. The watch is printed layer by layer using screen-printable pastes with electronic functionality such as conduction, insulation and electroluminescence.

The electroluminescent displays were printed by Marc using the thick-film printing facilities in the Southampton Nanofabrication Centre cleanroom.

“Marc has used the world-class facilities available in the department to produce his prototype. Presenting his work at the conference shows what is possible for our undergraduate students to achieve during their time here,” says his supervisor Dr Russel Torah, Senior Research Fellow in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.

Marc, who has just completed the third-year of his four-year MEng degree in Electromechanical Engineering, commented: “The project has given me the chance to put the theory learnt over the last three years into practice and led to my involvement in the brand new field of printed smart fabrics.” Marc’s project is a continuation of the development of smart fabrics as part of the successful EU FP7 “MICROFLEX” project which was successfully completed recently within the department.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 10 June 2013
Illustration

Researchers at the University of Southampton have proposed an answer to the long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is. The Earth, with its core-driven magnetic field, oceans of liquid water, dynamic climate and abundant life is arguably the most complex system in the known Universe. Life arose on Earth over three and a half billion years ago and it would appear that despite planetary scale calamities such as the impacts of massive meteorites, runaway climate change and increases in brightness of the Sun, it has continued to grow, reproduce and evolve ever since. Has life on Earth simply been lucky in withstanding these events or are there any self-stabilising processes operating in the Earth system that would reduce the severity of such perturbations? If such planetary processes exist, to what extent are they the result of the actions of life? Forty years ago James Lovelock formulated his Gaia Hypothesis in which life controls aspects of the planet and in doing so maintains conditions that are suitable for widespread life despite shocks and perturbations. This hypothesis was and remains controversial in part because there is no understood mechanism by which such a planetary self-stabilising system could emerge. In research published in PLOS Computational Biology, University of Southampton lecturer Dr James Dyke and PhD student Iain Weaver detail a mechanism that shows how when life is both affected by and alters environmental conditions, then what emerges is a control system that stabilises environmental conditions. This control system was first described around the middle of the 20th Century during the development of the cybernetics movement and has until now been largely neglected. Their findings are in principle applicable to a wide range of real world systems - from microbial mats to aquatic ecosystems up to and including the entire biosphere. Dr Dyke says: “As well as being a fascinating issue in its own right, we quite desperately need to understand what is currently happening to the Earth and in particular the impacts of our own behaviour. “Pretty much whatever we do, life on Earth will carry on, just as it did for the previous 3.5 billion years or so. It is only by discovering the mechanisms by which our living planet has evolved in the past can we hope to continue to be part of its future.” A copy of the paper “The emergence of environmental homeostasis in complex ecosystems” published in PLOS Computational Biology is available in full.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 12 June 2013
Illustration

ECS researchers are part of an interdisciplinary research collaboration that has been awarded a £12m grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop a 24/7 digital home health assistant.

The University of Southampton joins the University of Reading, Bristol City Council, IBM, Toshiba and Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC), in the Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment (SPHERE) project that will be led by the University of Bristol.

SPHERE aims to have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of people with a range of different health challenges by developing a practical technology to monitor people’s health in the home environment, targeting health concerns such as obesity, depression, stroke, falls, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases.

As part of this five-year project the ECS team from the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Group will be exploring ways in which energy can be supplied to body worn devices without the need for batteries.

Their work will build on extensive research that they have already carried out into energy harvesting and creating micro-devices that are powered by external sources such as vibrations rather than batteries. This new project allows them to investigate how their results so far can be incorporated into textiles to be worn by the patient at home.

Professor Steve Beeby, who is leading SPHERE’s ECS group, said: “It is an absolutely fantastic opportunity for us to be part of a major project like this. It enables us to do some really good investigations into the future use of energy harvesting technology and electronic textiles.”

As well as the ECS involvement the University of Southampton also has UK-leading expertise and lab facilities for studying movement in stroke and Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation, and also conducts research into falls and impaired balance.

Professor Ann Ashburn, Professor of Rehabilitation at the University of Southampton, says: “We have limited knowledge of the ways in which individuals move about, negotiate obstacles and on some occasions become unsteady and fall over in their homes. This exciting research opportunity will allow us to detect these situations and make major contributions to fall prevention among the older population.”

SPHERE’s vision is not to develop fundamentally-new sensor technologies for individual health conditions, but rather to impact all these healthcare needs simultaneously through data-fusion and pattern-recognition from a common platform of non-medical/environmental sensors at home.

The system will be general-purpose, low-cost and accessible. Sensors will be entirely passive, requiring no action by the user and suitable for all patients, including the most vulnerable. An example of SPHERE’s home sensor system could be to detect an overnight stroke or mini-stroke on waking, by detecting small changes in behaviour, expression and gait. It could also monitor a patient’s compliance with their prescribed drugs.

Importantly, SPHERE will work hand-in-hand with the local community through Bristol City Council and its partners at KWMC. Leading clinicians in heart surgery, orthopaedics, stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and recognised authorities on depression and obesity will also be involved with the project, along with the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, Bristol Health Partners and Bristol’s NIHR-funded Biomedical Research Units.

Professor Jeremy Tavaré, Deputy Director of the collaboration, comments: “The involvement of patients, carers, nurses and clinicians from the outset of this project will be key in ensuring acceptability of these exciting new technologies.”

Once practical, user-friendly technologies have been developed further, they will be piloted in a large number of homes over extended periods of time.

Professional William Harwin in the School of Systems Engineering at the University of Reading, adds: “The production of ubiquitous and unobtrusive 'passive sensors' is a key constituent part of this project. These sensors could be embedded in clothing or jewellery, or more ambitiously implanted, possibly in association with remedial surgery.

“Information from these sensors will monitor and track the signature movements of people in their homes and trigger a response in accordance with health needs. This will enable health care experts to respond as appropriate.”

Rodric Yates, Program Director in IBM's Chief Technology Office, says: “Although healthcare budgets and changing demographics are creating serious challenges, the latest technological advances can help society keep pace with this environment. We were pleased to be invited by the University of Bristol to join this important project and will contribute by drawing upon some of the best examples from around the world in healthcare sensing, medical data collection and analysis, and the delivery of healthcare systems. Improving patient care in a cost-effective way and helping people stay independent, for longer, is an objective we share with the University and the city.”

The money awarded to the University of Bristol by the EPSRC is part of a wider package of £32m investment in three new healthcare IRCs. The other two projects are:

Early-warning sensing systems for infectious diseases - next generation smartphone test and tracking systems for serious infections including new strains of influenza, MRSA and HIV - led by UCL (University College London) with Newcastle University, Imperial College London, and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Multiplexed ‘Touch and Tell’ Optical Molecular Sensing and Imaging - a fibre-optic device to detect potentially fatal lung conditions in intensive care patients, and to continuously monitor the blood in critically ill adults and babies without the need for blood sampling. Led by the University of Edinburgh with Heriot-Watt University and the University of Bath.

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 15 June 2013
Illustration

Professor Nigel Shadbolt, one of the world’s leading experts in Web Science and the pioneering co-founder of the Open Data Institute (ODI) , has been knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to science and engineering.

Professor Shadbolt, Head of the Web and Internet Science Group at the University of Southampton and ODI Chairman, is one of the co-creators of the interdisciplinary field of Web Science. Confirmation of this prestigious honour comes just months after colleague and fellow Southampton Professor Sir David Payne was awarded a knighthood for services to photonics, the science and application of light and electronics.

Professor Shadbolt is a Director of the Web Science Trust and of the Web Foundation - both organisations with a common commitment to advance the world’s understanding of the Web and to promote the Web's positive impact on society. Together with fellow Southampton Professor and inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Professor Shadbolt established the ODI in East London’s Tech City last December. The organisation is a catalyst for innovation, focused on unlocking supply and creating demand for open data to generate economic, environmental and social benefits.

“I’m surprised and delighted to be recognised with this very special honour,” said Professor Shadbolt. “I'm fortunate to have been involved at a crucial period working with outstanding colleagues in the development of both Web Science and the Open Data movement. I hope that I can continue to make a difference as we seek to understand how the web is evolving, and ensure that we are empowered individually and collectively.”

In a career spanning some 30 years, Professor Shadbolt has over 400 publications to his credit in topics ranging from cognitive psychology to computational neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence to the Semantic Web. In 2009 the Prime Minister appointed Professors Shadbolt and Berners-Lee as Information Advisors to transform access to Public Sector Information. This work led to the highly acclaimed data.gov.uk site that now provides a portal to thousands of datasets.

In April 2011 Professor Shadbolt became Chair of the UK Government’s midata programme -which seeks to empower consumers by releasing their data back to them.

University of Southampton Vice-Chancellor Professor Don Nutbeam commented: “I am delighted that the unique contribution Nigel has made through his research and advisory work is being recognised with this prestigious honour.”

ODI Chief Executive, Gavin Starks said: “This is very well deserved. Nigel has been instrumental in helping government understand the power of the Web and Open Data over the past decade. As the founder and Chairman of the ODI, he is inspirational in his support of our work and we would like to congratulate him on being awarded this honour.”

Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering at the University of Southampton added: "This honour is richly deserved and I know that all of his colleagues at the University of Southampton will celebrate his success. Nigel is at the forefront of some of the most important and historic developments of the way in which we use and interact with the web and a true world leader in the field of open data and its benefits to society."

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Published: 17 June 2013
Illustration

Vodafone UK has unveiled its Power Shorts and Recharge Sleeping Bag ahead of the Isle of Wight Festival - two innovations that have the capability to harvest body heat and movement to boost the battery life of mobile devices at summer events.

The technology is being developed in partnership with the Electronics and Computer Science experts at the University of Southampton, with the aim of providing a 24-hour source of power for people camping at outdoor music events.

State of the art materials and smart fabrics are being trialled to enable the Power Pocket to function via two different energy-gathering methods – thermal for the sleeping bag and kinetic for the shorts:

• Kinetic energy is mechanically gathered when ferroelectret materials incorporated into the product are squashed or deformed. These foam-like materials contain voids - the surfaces of which are permanently charged. As the size and shape of the voids changes, a net charge is produced at the surface of the material.

• Thermal energy harvesting comes from the ‘Seebeck effect’, a process that produces a voltage from the temperature differences across a thermoelectric module. In this case, the modules are printed on the fabric of the sleeping bag.

Current trials show that after a full day’s walking and dancing, the harvesting material in the Power Shorts will have been through enough activity to charge a smartphone for over four hours. In addition, heat generated during an eight-hour snooze in the Recharge Sleeping Bag could add 11 hours onto a smartphone’s battery life.

Stephen Beeby, Professor of Electronic Systems at the University of Southampton, has consulted with Vodafone to assess the state-of-the-art development. Professor Beeby, who holds of an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship in the field of energy harvesting, is leading a team of researchers to provide a toolbox of materials and processes suitable for a range of different fabrics that will enable users to develop the energy harvesting fabric best suited to their requirements. Applications for the research include using the energy to power wireless health monitoring systems, as well as consumer products such as MP3 players. Applications also exist in the automotive sector.

"With Vodafone we are exploring two specific technologies to charge the Power Pocket: thermoelectrics and kinetic energy harvesting," he explained. "Both represent cutting edge research around smart fabrics and we are looking to integrate these into consumer products, in this case, a sleeping bag and a pair of denim shorts.”

Vodafone UK’s Director of Communications, Christian Cull said: “Our ambition was to create a practical but exciting solution to the charging-related issues experienced by many at outdoor events. We hope that people harness the power in their pocket to keep them chatting, texting, browsing and photographing throughout their entire festival season!”

Articles that may also interest you

Share this article FacebookTwitterWeibo

Pages