Multi-million euro boost for sensor research

15-04-2008

by Bryan Collins

Micheal Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has announced the investment of EUR16.4 million into a new Science Foundation Ireland research programme.

The newly-established Clarity research centre came about from a partnership between University College Dublin and Dublin City University, supported by research at the Tyndall National Institute (TNI) Cork.

The Clarity Research centre "will develop innovative new information technologies of critical importance to Ireland's future industry base," said Minister Martin.

The research undertaken at Clarity will investigate the integration of sensor data from the physical world with information processing and artificial intelligence techniques from computer science. The real-world applications range from environmental to personal healthcare.

Professor Barry Smyth, Director of Clarity outlined a few of the projects that will be undertaken at the centre: "We are spending long hours in front of our desks, slouching down over the computer. If you look at the statistics you will see that there is hundreds of thousands of... days of work lost due to back problems. We have... built a normal shirt with sensors that go down your spine at the back of your shirt. You can't feel it but it talks to your desktop machine. If your posture degrades it issues a warning," said Professor Smyth, speaking with ENN.

"We would work on wide range of different projects. We are also working with Tennis Ireland. We have kitted out a tennis court with a whole range of sensors... so that the tennis coaches can get accurate feedback on player performance."

Science Foundation Ireland is investing EUR11.8 million in the centre over the next five years while the centre's industrial partners will contribute EUR4.6 million. They include IBM, Vodafone and Ericsson as well as the likes of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Museum of Ireland. The involvement of these companies gives an indication of the commercial implications of the centre's work.

"Sensors are taking the marketplace by storm. The Nintendo Wii is a great example of that. A simple sensor -- the game controllers -- has had a huge impact on the gaming industry. More generally our partners... they see these technologies as playing a pivotal role in their businesses," said Professor Smyth.

The Clarity programme will form part of the Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) programme. This is the ninth CSET programme established to date, since the initiative first launched in 2003.

"A CSET is not a single individual working on his own. It is where a number [of researchers] come together in a co-ordinated way in a defined area or topic which has commercial consequences. There is a level of skill and excitement that engages not just the scientist but the industry," said Frank Gannon, director of Science Foundation Ireland.

A typical CSET is not based in one central location, but instead consists of a team or researchers around the country managed by the likes of Professor Smyth. In total, over 90 personnel will work as part of the Clarity centre, with 45 PhD students graduating as a result.

"You are getting a new type of graduate, someone who understands not just the software but also the hardware and also the application side of this technology. It is really about preparing a new generation of researchers for life outside of academia and into knowledge industry," said Professor Smyth.

One of the more prominent CSETs in recent times is CRANN -- the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices. It focuses on advancing the frontiers of nanoscience.