Research activities at Cardiff School of Technologies are organised around five research centres. These centres consist of highly active research and innovation teams investigating in all key areas of computer science and engineering including robotics, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and data science.
BioEngineering Research Group (BRG)
The Bioengineering Research Group lies at the intersection of Engineering and the healthcare domain. The group focuses on applying engineering principles and technology in the field of medicine, sports and healthcare.
Key Aims and Objectives:
- Apply bioinformatic techniques in analysing genome sequence and biological data to discover new drugs for treatment and develop more accurate diagnostic tests.
- Analyse biomedical signals, such as heart waves or brainwaves, to improve healthcare.
- Analyse medical imaging data, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerised Tomography (CT) scan, to reduce diagnostic time and make the process of developing healthcare products more efficient.
Centre for Industry 4.0 and Blockchain Research (CI4BCR)
Centre Lead: Dr Imtiaz Khan
This multidisciplinary research centre aims to establish Cardiff Met at the forefront of blockchain research and the industry 4.0 revolution by undertaking cutting-edge research on blockchain and other distributed technologies - like the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. By using these foundational and transformative technologies, the centre addresses the challenges of distributed and virtual societies, especially in the post-COVID era where most human interactions and transactions will be remote and automation will be ubiquitous. The centre takes a multidisciplinary approach (incorporating academics and researchers from four different schools) to address these societal, economical and governance challenges through research and innovation on both crypto-governance and the crypto-economy space.
Main Research Themes:
- Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)/Blockchain for public service and FinTech
- Internet of Things (IoT), mobile app, software development
- Data visualisation
- Data integration
- Trust on data/Research reproducibility
- GDPR/Open data
Recent Research Projects
Create an IoT integrated and big data driven business intelligent system (Innovate UK £151K): With Window Cleaning Warehouse, creating an AI and IoT integrated intelligent system to increase efficiency of window cleaning operation and to reduce the cost and water waste, which ultimately will benefit the environment.
Develop mobile app for mental health patient (UKRI £202K): In collaboration with Balsamee Ltd and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, developing a mobile app-based solution to address the challenges faced by healthcare professionals for managing the conditions of young mental health patients during COVID-19.
Business Butler chatbot (Welsh Government £87K): An AI driven business advisory chatbot for start-ups and small businesses.
Blockchain for public service (Welsh Government/European Social Fund £70K): With Companies House, designing and developing a distributed ledger technology (DLT) based system to guarantee the integrity of the company register.
Insuring cryptocurrency (Welsh Government/European Social Fund £70K): With Coin Cover, designing and developing a novel business intelligence approach to assess risks and safeguard transactions of cryptocurrency.
Blockchain for food safety (ERASMUS £30K): With Bangladesh Agricultural University, scoping the feasibility of establishing an aquaculture related food safety framework with distributed ledger technology for a developing country.
Blockchain driven digital health e-market place (DHEMP): With Balsamee Ltd, designing and developing a distributed ledger technology (DLT) driven digital health e-market place for medical data trading.
Data integration with blockchain: Formulating a novel scalable mathematical models and algorithms for Big Data integrity and validation using distributed ledger technologies (DLT).
Visualisation of hypertension (Welsh Government/European Social Fund £70K): With Cwn Taf University Health Board, designing and developing a visualisation based novel communication approach to augment adherence to blood pressure medication.
Creative Computing Research Centre
Centre Leads: Dr Simon Thorne (co-lead), Dr Fiona Carroll (co-lead)
The Centre is committed to addressing complex societal and human wellbeing challenges. By combining cutting edge research in data science, AI and human-centred design, its aims are to conduct internationally leading research that pushes computer science boundaries to develop innovative applications and technologies for a diverse range of users and experiences. We are particularly interested in exploring how to capture and model data to provide profound experiences that get the best from both humans and machines (i.e. utilising the strengths of both human and machine).
Our centre’s portfolio is broad and ranges from embedded smart technologies / physicalisations in everyday environments, to advanced predictive models for healthcare, to new ways of interacting and experiencing data and technology to name a few. The centre encompasses both the design and development of front-end and back-end technologies and has the potential to conduct a range of quantitative and qualitative studies of both an individual and collaborative nature.
Main Research Themes:
- Aesthetic Computing
- Creative & SMART Computing
- Educational Technologies
- Social Media Data Analysis
- AI and predictive analysis
- Data visualisation
- Human Computer Interaction
- Digital Media & User Experience Design
- Human factors of Cyber Security/ Cyber Security Awareness and privacy (link with CINC)
- Ethical & Legal Computing
- Green Computing
- Sustainable Computing (e.g. in the context of global challenges of pandemics and global warming)
- Social computing and creative interaction
- Human-AI interaction and collaboration
- Socio-technical HCI
- Accessibility of digital technology and the web
- Inclusivity and Diversity of digital technology and the web
Recent Research Projects
From data to business value: Developing a data physicalisation framework to transform data into value for Welsh business (http://daptec.org)
Funded by Smart Expertise (Welsh Government / European Commission under European Regional Development Funds regulations), £217,291 (2020-2022)
PI: Dr Fiona Carroll; Co-In: Dr Simon Thorne and Dr Jon Pigott, Cardiff Metropolitan University - School of Technologies; Paul Newbury, Yard Digital Ltd; Natalie Taylor, Cardiff City Council; and Luke Maggs, Natural Resource Wales.
Jam the Mess - A get-together to create educational digital games for untangling the messy mechanics of cancer
Funded by ISSF3 Public Engagement Proof-of-Concept Award, £4,967 (April and May 2021)
PI: Dr Giusy Tornillo, Cardiff University; Co-In: Dr Fiona Carroll and Dr Glenn Jenkins, Cardiff Metropolitan University - School of Technologies.
Using Brain Computer Technology (BCI) to identify the neural signature of perceived threat in an online environment
Funded by Welsh Crucible Seedcorn Funding Scheme, £5773 (January 2020 to September 2020)
PI: Dr Fiona Carroll, Cardiff Metropolitan University - School of Technologies; Co-In: Dr James Kolasinski, Cubric, Cardiff University
Cybersecurity, Information Networks Centre (CINC)
Centre Leads: Dr Chaminda Hewage (lead), Dr Thanuja Mallikarachchi (co-lead), Dr Liqaa Nawaf (co-lead)
The Internet of Everything (IoE) bubble will generate a vast amount of data (e.g. video data is expected to consume 80% of Internet traffic by 2023). In order to respond to the anticipated demand, it is crucial to research, design and develop secure, privacy preserving and reliable information networks (e.g. sensor networks) and provide the necessary processing and storage facilities which will meet end users' Quality of Experience (QoE). The Cybersecurity, Information Networks Centre (CINC) research centre aims to find solutions for next generation end-to-end information networks from data capture, compression, pre- and post-processing and transmission to end user devices through a multidisciplinary approach. The envisaged solutions will provide continuous access to the information that user expects while delivering acceptable QoE, Quality of Security (QoSec) and Quality of Privacy (QoP).
Main Research Themes:
- Quality of Security (QoSec) for emerging information networks
- Quality of Experience (QoE) for next generation multimedia communication
- AI and ML for cyber security, image/video & data compression, and communication
- Privacy preserving technologies
- Optimization of IoT, Sensor and Wireless networks
- Human centred cyber security
- Cyber security architectures
Recent Research Projects
Secure cloud storage solutions: This project aims to find an efficient solution for multi-cloud storage systems. This is a joint project with Ultranyx Ltd, and is funded under the European Social Fund (ESF) KESSII project.
Human pose estimation in life science applications: This project aims at developing methods for fast and efficient collection of data on multiple human poses using sensors. The project will also design and develop novel machine learning models to detect specific human poses more accurately and efficiently. This is a joint project funded by Agile Kinetic LTD and Welsh Government.
Cyber Security Architecture project: This research study aims to provide solutions in the field of wireless mesh networks by applying Metaheuristic Algorithms to detect foreign nodes.
EUREKA Robotics Centre
Centre Leads: Dr Esyin Chew (Director), Dr Wai-Keung Fung (Deputy Director), Dr Barry Bentley (Deputy Director) and Dr Sia Chow Siing (Head of STEAM Lab and Co-Lead)
From the world-class ethical humanoid robotics research inquiry that embraces STEAM-H education innovation (Science, Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics/Agriculture, Maths & Healthcare), through the science of advancing, designing and piloting cutting edge robots in real-world life applications. Since 2019, EUREKA Robotics is profiled by the International Trade Department of the UK government as one of the 11 specialist centres in the UK to access cutting-edge robotics facilities, i.e. more than 80 robots. We are also one of the 14 research groups for long-term healthcare robotics R&D (pp.11 & 21) and is 1 of the 6 in Wales on the KTN Robotics & AI Innovation Network Map for "Specific Capabilities & Technologies".
Main Research Labs:
- RobotiCare Lab for Healthcare and Hospitality
- STEAM Lab and Intelligent Robot Maker Lab
-
Autonomous Robotics Lab
- BioAI Lab
Main Research Themes: Healthcare Robotics as a Service (HRaaS) Framework, Humanoid Roboticsfor Elderly Women Care; Bio-inspired robotic design and modelling; Cognitive Robotics with RBL/CBR, Classifications and Deep Learning; Educational Robotics; Biological and medical applications; neurorobotics and neural engineering; laboratory automation; bio-inspired design; Demonstration, Autonomous Mobile Robotics (Mapping, Navigation, Path Planning, Localisation, SLAM of wheeled robots, UAVs, AUVs), Shared Autonomy, Networked Robotics, Swarm Robotics, Computational Intelligence (Neural Networks, Fuzzy Systems, Evolutionary Computing, Deep Learning), Intelligent Control, Digital Twins; Robotics for Finance Technologies (FinTech) and Maths Tutor, Bayesians; Robotic systems including flying/ground robots, aerial/ground manipulators, and homogeneous/heterogeneous multi-robot systems; control strategies include robust, predictive, cooperative, and distributed; Electromagnetics, Metamaterials, Mircowave/THz Electronics, 2D Optoelectronics and Analogue Electronics.
Please
click here for more information on the official website of
EUREKA Robotics Centre.
For more information about the research undertaken at Cardiff School of Technologies, please contact
cstresearch@cardiffmet.ac.uk.