Challenging environments

Challenging environments are all around us and require specialised approaches to understand and mitigate their effects, allowing people, devices and systems to operate safely and effectively.

This theme focuses on developing technologies that exploit discovery research from wireless communications and robotics to device physics and radiation detection.

These are brought together to tackle specific aspects, from nuclear and underground environments, to supporting hard to reach users and devices be they underwater, in remote areas or situations best served by non-terrestrial networks, or areas which struggle through high densities of users.

We consider specific solutions to support ultra reliable and secure communications, how quantum communications and sensors will support the next generation of devices and systems, and techniques to deliver positioning outside of the range of conventional GNSS services.

Challenging environments also cannot support human life, so this theme considers how to best develop and exploit robotic and autonomous systems.

Scope

Development of technologies for:

Physical environments where current technology does not serve the needs of end users and systems, including underserved users and to serve the public good
Use cases where it is highly challenging to apply technology, due to extreme requirements.

emergency workers attending a disaster zone

Our application areas

Facilities

a radio communications lab, with software radio devices and anechoic chamber
an aerial platform lab, which supports our activities relating to development and test of bespoke payloads (housed in the Institute for Safe Autonomy)
an underwater lab and tank facility, allowing using to develop and test state of the art underwater networks (housed in the Institute for Safe Autonomy)
Helikite tethered aerostat systems and test facility, allowing payloads of up to 17kg to be tested at low altitudes
an electromagnetics lab with reverberation chamber
a full six-sided acoustically anechoic chamber
an interactive multi-channel loudspeaker listening room
a standards-compliant listening space
three professional recording studios.

Our links with centres, institutes and professional bodies

Centres and institutes

Centre for High Altitude Platform Applications
Department of Chemistry
Department of Computer Science
Department of Environment and Geography
EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub
Institute for Safe Autonomy
Stockholm Environment Institute
Wolfson Atmospheric Science Institute
YESI
York Centre for Quantum Technologies

Professional bodies

HAPS Alliance
Near Space Group
Cambridge Wireless
Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
Ofcom
International Telecommunications Union-Radio
3GPP especially non-terrestrial networks
ETSI

Academic institutions

EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub
University of Newcastle
Zhejiang University, China
Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia