ECS spin-out company Perpetuum has attracted £2.2 million in further investment. UK venture capital company Quester has committed £1.4 million in funding with additional investment coming from Top Technology Ventures and SULIS, a University Challenge Fund managed by Quester.

Perpetuum produces innovative micro-generators which harvest energy from vibrations, to provide power without batteries or external electrical supplies.

‘The innovative microgenerators convert energy from existing vibrations to electrical energy which then powers monitoring sensors for all types of machinery. These self-powered sensor systems eliminate the need for large batteries or cumbersome electrical wires which can be difficult to access and expensive to maintain,’ commented Roy Freeland, Chief Executive of Perpetuum. ‘The technology addresses the rapidly growing and substantial market for wireless sensor systems used to monitor and control equipment and machinery. This new investment will enable us to complete development of our first commercial products.’

The company which spun-out in 2004 has successfully demonstrated pre-production units in trial installations with three major international customers in military, water utility and petrochemical applications.

The company’s patented technology was developed at the University of Southampton by a team of academics led by Professor Neil White of the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS).

Henry Sallitt, an investment director at Quester, added: ‘This is a very exciting opportunity in what is forecast to be a very substantial market. Perpetuum is a good example of the strong technology coming out of the UK’s leading universities and is indicative of the increasing number of high quality early-stage investment opportunities we are seeing.’

The University of Southampton works with the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Surrey in the SETsquared Partnership, and the SULIS seedcorn fund to create and support new businesses across Southern England. Perpetuum was founded by academics from the University of Southampton with funding from the SULIS seedcorn fund and a fund managed by the University of Southampton and IP2IPO, the intellectual property (IP) company that commercialises university technology.

In a book just published, new evidence revealed about the impact of sex and symbiosis indicates that Darwin’s famous belief that evolution proceeds only gradually is in need of revision.

In Compositional Evolution (MIT Press) Dr Richard Watson, of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, claims that Darwin’s gradualist approach of evolution is only one possibility and that certain biological phenomena provide the possibility of implementing alternative processes.

He commented: ‘Challenging gradualism has been seen as evolutionary heresy, but I show that evolution by natural selection needs to be separated from the assumption of gradual change - large adaptive changes need not be seen as evolutionary heresy’

In his book he models a number of mechanisms within natural evolution which suggest non-gradual change--such as those involved in the formation of the eukaryotic cell (from which all plants and animals are descended). His new theory shows that sex, symbiosis and other mechanisms involving the coevolution of cooperating entities move beyond the normal evolutionary dogma of ‘accumulation of small changes’.

This has important consequences for what one considers difficult for evolution, he says: ‘For example, the concept of “irreducible complexityâ€? (believed to indicate that a system can’t be evolved) depends on the assumption of “successive slight modificationsâ€?.

‘Some systems that appear to be irreducibly complex could in fact be easily evolved by compositional mechanisms.

‘It also has implications for how we view the roles of competition and cooperation in nature,’ he adds. ‘Competition has been seen as the norm and cooperation as a weird aberration, but this is too simplistic.

‘The fact that important innovations can result from cooperative symbiosis needs to be integrated into evolutionary theory.’

Dr Watson, a member of the newly formed research group, Science and Engineering of Natural Systems at the University, has been named in IEEE Intelligent Systems’ first-ever “Ten to Watchâ€? awards, recognising the work of new researchers worldwide; the awardees will be featured in the May/June 2006 special issue which celebrates 50 years of Artificial Intelligence. He joined ECS in 2005 from Harvard University.

His work seeks to foster interdisciplinary exchange between computer science and biology, showing how some of the deepest questions of these fields can be approached with the tools and insights of the other.

He commented: ‘Hopefully, in the same way that symbiosis has provided innovation in nature, a union of ideas between computer science and biology promises a type of innovation that neither discipline could achieve through small modifications within its own local population of theories and methods.’

Melanie Mitchell, Portland State University, says ‘This book is a work of truly interdisciplinary science; it demonstrates that the joint study of evolutionary computation and evolutionary biology can produce important results for both fields ...essential reading for …[those] who want to know how ideas from computation can create new perspectives’.

Scientists at the University of Southampton are undertaking research leading to intelligent sensor networks which could accelerate developments in biometrics, health care and other fields.

A team at the University's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), led by Professor Neil White, has been awarded a £400,000 Platform Grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to explore new directions in the field of intelligent sensors.

The team will investigate potential in four key areas: wearable, self-powered sensors; novel biometric systems; intelligent, energy-aware wireless sensor nodes, and intelligent sensors in healthcare.

Professor White commented: 'The future of intelligent sensors lies in the integration of state-of-the art developments in both electronics and computer science and the Platform Grant will allow us to address advanced aspects of sensor technologies.'

This project has particular significance for the field of biometrics, where the researchers have already used polymer thick-film sensors to identify people by the way they tap out rhythms on a keypad. They now propose to develop a smart keypad to develop this work further.

Professor White noted: 'Security is a major application area for smart environments, particularly in the field of biometrics where an individual is identified by a behavioural or physiological feature. In order to fully assess the effectiveness of our earlier research, we will need to develop an intelligent keypad, which is able to measure the force and timing information related to each key press, analyse an individual's characteristic signature and transmit secure data.'

The ECS team has 25 years experience in developing intelligent sensors. The challenge now is to develop networks of low-power wireless sensors which can operate autonomously in uncertain environments, respond to changing environmental conditions and carry out automated diagnosis and recovery.

The researchers will also seek to develop intelligent energy-aware sensor nodes capable of harvesting power within the environment through the use of photovoltaic cells and vibration generators integrated within a network. Their quest to develop human-powered microgenerators, which are operated by the natural movement of the body, could also make self-powered heart pacemakers a reality and make it possible for people to wear human-powered devices.

The team of investigators, which will work on this project for three years, is based in the ECS Electronic Systems Design and the Grid and Pervasive Computing research groups and includes Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi, Professor David De Roure, Dr Paul Chappell, Dr Nick Harris and Dr Steve Beeby.

Professor Wendy Hall named one of UK science's outstanding women

International Women's Day, 8 March makes a fitting backdrop for the launch of a contemporary photographic collection celebrating the outstanding achievements of six world-class British women working in the fields of science, engineering and technology (SET) who have achieved leadership positions.

One of these six women is Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton and Head of the world-leading School of Electronics and Computer Science. She is one of two winners in the category 'Scientific Discovery and SET Innovation'.

Professor Wendy Hall has achieved real research eminence in computer science in the areas of hypermedia, multimedia and knowledge technologies, and now holds important strategic roles in science and technology education and policy formation. She is currently Senior Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a member of the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, and was recently appointed to the Scientific Council of the new European Research Council.

'I am really thrilled to have been named among these six outstanding women and to be part of the collection's foundation,' says Wendy Hall. 'It is a tremendous honour for me to be able to represent women's achievements in science and technology in this way, especially on International Women's Day, and I hope the exhibition will inspire many other women in the future.'

Commissioned by the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET (UKRC) and executed by acclaimed photographer, Robert Taylor, the collection offers a personal and unexpected interpretation of the groundbreaking women. On show for the first time at the British Library at the UKRC's 2nd annual conference on Wednesday 8 March, the visiting collection will be enlarged each year to create a comprehensive and inspiring legacy for future generations.

Rt. Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Minister of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equality comments: 'We know that 70 per cent of women with science, engineering and technology qualifications are not working in these professions, so it is particularly appropriate to celebrate those that are making significant contributions. I hope by launching this exhibition on International Women's Day it will not only inspire and encourage more women into SET, helping to create a more equitable and diverse workforce in the UK, but also ensure that women in these fields are included and celebrated as part of our scientific heritage.'

The women featured in the collection come from a variety of backgrounds, united by their outstanding contributions to pioneering work, for which many of them have received international recognition. The photographed women were nominated to take part in the exhibition earlier this year. A judging panel selected two finalists to be photographed in each of the following three categories:

Scientific Discovery and SET Innovation: Jocelyn Bell Burnell CBE, Visiting Chair in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, whose research on pulsars was recognised by a Nobel Prize to her supervisor Professor Wendy Hall CBE, Head of School of Electronics & Computer Science at the University of Southampton, one of the world's leading computer scientists Science Communication Professor Kathy Sykes, who holds the Collier Chair for Public Engagement of Science & Engineering at the University of Bristol, regarded as a leading figure in Britain promoting public engagement in science (regular presenter of BBC's Rough Science and other BBC science/society programmes) Dr Maggie Aderin, Senior Project Manager of Space Science at SIRA Technology Ltd, and runs a public engagement company in her spare time aiming to improve the participation of girls and ethnic minorities in science. Breaking through the Glass Ceiling into Leadership Dr Julia Goodfellow CBE, Chief Executive of the Biotechnology & Biological Research Council, the first female chief executive of any UK research council; Rebecca George OBE, who manages IBM's Central Government Business in the UK and is one of the most senior women in the 25,000 strong company. Her achievements earned her an OBE in 2005.

The supply of scientists and engineers is critical to the UK economy, which is targeting an increase in research and development investment to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2010. Despite forming half of the working population women represent just 24.1 per cent of those working in SET and of all managers, only 12.5 per cent are women. This is an average and hides even more extremes within certain areas such as physics. The recruitment, retention and progression of women in SET are considered intrinsic to future success.

The portrait collection will be exhibited at various public buildings and galleries throughout the UK; exhibiting opportunities include the National Portrait Gallery, Welsh Assembly and Westminster Hall.

A new research project led from ECS will look at how spatial connections can be managed and will use air traffic control as a model.

The ambitious £1.5m, three-year project is called 'Spatially Embedded Complex Systems Engineering' (SECSE). It is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and has brought together experts in neuroscience, artificial intelligence, geography and complex systems, to understand the role of the spatial organisation and spatial processes in complex networks.

Dr Seth Bullock from the School of Electronics & Computer Science (ECS), the principal investigator on the project, is working with academics at the Universities of Sussex and Leeds and University College London to look at the possibility of engineering large-scale IT networks based on natural systems.

The researchers will look, in particular, at applying their research to air traffic control systems to understand how to manage air-space so that efficiency, robustness and flexibility can be balanced.

They will also look at issues such as social and geographical networks to understand how academics work together, to identify academic hotspots around the country and to look at how the Internet has changed how individuals collaborate.

They will turn to the human brain and other natural systems for examples of how spatial connections are made. Dr Bullock commented: 'We are interested in the networks of connected neurons but also the space within which those networks are embedded: a chemical soup. The human brain can guide us as to how space and spatial processes can be exploited by a complex network.'

For today's engineers, a key challenge is to manage the network transition from systems comprising many relatively isolated computational elements to large-scale, massively interconnected systems that are physically distributed and affected by local conditions, yet must remain robust and efficient.

Dr Bullock added: 'We are already surrounded by systems that are attempting to achieve this transition: from e-government, the digital NHS and virtual universities, to peer-to-peer communities, grid computing and e-science. Traditional, centralised approaches do not scale to cope with these systems, and as yet we have no established design methodology capable of guiding this type of transition. We believe that our research will change this state of affairs.'

An unusual booklet published this month by one of the UK's leading computer scientists aims to highlight the development of agent-based computing and to illustrate the wide reach of this exciting technology in our everyday lives.

Agents are autonomous problem-solving software systems that respond effectively to changing dynamic environments, and agent technologies already impact on our life and work -- from our household appliances and transport systems, to the operations of companies which provide many of our goods and services.

50 Facts about Agent-Based Computing, produced by Professor Michael Luck of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, presents a high-impact snapshot of how agent-based computing has already transformed processes like automated market trading, logistics, and industrial robotics.

‘Agent-based systems are a basic building block of some of the most compelling developments in IT today, and are already having real commercial impact,’ says Professor Luck, Executive Director of the EU-funded AgentLink programme and co-ordinating editor of its Roadmapping activity.

The booklet features companies and organizations which have successfully implemented agent technologies in their operations, including DaimlerChrysler, Whitestein Technologies, IBM, and the UK Ministry of Defence. Many of the 50 Facts demonstrate that agent technologies can outperform human operators, enable companies to make significant cost savings, and to manage complex processes more efficiently.

For example: autonomous market trading agents already outperform human commodity traders by 7 per cent, and DaimlerChrysler experienced a 20 per cent increase in productivity by using agent-based systems to direct individual workpieces in one of its production areas.

AgentLink, an influential project in the EU Information Society Technologies programme, promotes the adoption of agent technologies across the continent, raising awareness, supporting teaching and training, and liaising with industry. The AgentLink III Roadmap is a strategic document intended to guide the direction of agent-based computing over the next decade.

‘Agent-based computing is here to stay and its use is likely to multiply in the future’ says Professor Luck. ‘But the growing complexity of the interactions in emerging distributed systems means that we need to introduce new dynamic techniques to provide more flexible mediation and management. This is our next challenge. Building control into systems is hard enough, but some of the systems being developed now will have properties that we can’t envisage at the moment. And we don’t want to preclude the very great potential benefits of these new systems by introducing traditional controls that are too rigid.’

50 Facts about Agent-Based Computing is now being distributed widely throughout the business and academic research community in order to promote awareness of agent-based technology and to highlight its applications.

‘Agent technologies that are flexible and effective will help us ensure the maximum success and interoperability of the next generation interactive computing environments,’ says Michael Luck. ‘This little book provides an indication of the extent to which we are already reliant on the technology.’

Science Day 2006 Science Day was at our Boldrewood Campus on Saturday 25th March from 10:30 am to 16:30 pm. Young enthusiasts were able to create their own video game that plugs into their television at home. ECS staff and students helped visitors make own computer game, complete with pictures, sounds and play. They were able to make their own version of Pong, Breakout or Tetris and, for a few pounds, program it into the computer chip of a game that they soldered together. The Boldrewood centre is at the junction of The Avenue and Burgess Road. More details are at http://www.creatingthefuture.net/.

The University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) has launched the first video podcast news service from a UK university.

The School, which carries out world-leading research in multimedia and mobile communications, unveiled the first editions of ECS News this month. The programme is available on the School's web site (www.ecs.soton.ac.uk), and can be downloaded either to be viewed on a portable device (such as an i-Pod video or PSP), or a laptop or desktop screen, or to be listened to as a conventional audio podcast for MP3 players, or i-Pods.

ECS News will provide coverage of research, people, and events in the School. The first editions feature interviews with Professor Michael Luck on agent-based computing, with Professor Neil White on intelligent sensors, and with Dr Les Carr on this May's World Wide Web conference in Edinburgh.

The technology was developed by David Tarrant, Project Manager of ECS TV. 'Video podcasting involves some of the latest video compression streaming techniques,' he said. 'Through using advanced encoding algorithms we can produce a greatly compressed high quality video. The service developed here in ECS is not just being used for news broadcasts. We can take video from any source and enable lecturers and students alike to create a video, either of a lecture, a seminar, or to record an experiment or presentation.

'The great benefit is that this can be downloaded to be watched or listened to at any time and in any place.'

ECS News is presented by Joyce Lewis, Communications Manager for the School. 'Once it was apparent that the technology was available, it seemed obvious to create our own news programme,' she said. 'As a School we have so much happening and so many stories to tell, and ECS News takes us way beyond the conventional newsletter, or even web interview. It's also a wonderfully dynamic feature to have on our web pages, both for our students, who are already using this technology to get news and information from other sources, and for potential students, alumni, the media, and indeed anyone wanting to find out more about what's happening in ECS.

'People can subscribe to the service and the content is then delivered to them automatically. This gives us a great way of keeping in touch and letting people know about new developments in the School,' she added.

Over half of all UK government and local authority websites have errors on their home pages and are problematic for disabled access, a survey in the run up to a major World Wide Web conference reveals.

In advance of WWW2006, which will be held in Edinburgh in May, research carried out by academics at the University of Southampton has revealed that 60 per cent of UK Government websites contain HTML errors. A further 61 per cent do not fully comply with guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium (Web Content Accessibility Guide - WCAG), which could prevent some individuals from being able to access them.

WWW2006 has called on webmasters from UK local authority and central government to attend the conference in order to increase their understanding of the latest Web standards and encourage them to adopt them.

According to Adam Field from the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) who conducted the survey, a website may look fine and be error-free but this does not mean that it will work with all browsers and for all users and may not always be accessible for visually impaired people. The aim is for websites to function with any browser and any size screen, which can happen if site developers follow the proper guidelines.

The good news for the UK Government is that 25 per cent of all home pages are error-free and fully compliant with WCAG.

'There is a big push within Government to improve web accessibility,' commented Mr Field. 'Although 61 per cent of sites do not comply with WCAG, the 39 per cent which do is encouraging.'

The conference, organized by the University of Southampton in association with the British Computer Society and other international organisations, will bring together key players from the international web community. Some of the events from which webmasters may benefit are:

* Professional Development Tutorial: Current Best Practices in Web Development and Design * Tutorial: Internationalizing XHTML, HTML and CSS Web Content * Web Consortium Standards Briefing: Web Accessibility Guidelines * Workshop: 3rd International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility

Speakers at the conference, which is expected to attract up to 2,000 delegates, include key players from the world web technology and communications sectors including Sir Tim Berners Lee, director of the World Wide Web Consortium; David Brown, chairman of Motorola; Mike Harris, executive vice chairman and founder, Egg PLC; and Gillian Kent, director, MSN.co.uk.

This year’s Computational Electromagnetics conference in Aachen brought together the three main communities in the field and encourage them to look at a multidisciplinary approach.

The Sixth International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics (held in Aachen, Germany from 4-6 April), offered a full programme of speakers from Computational Magnetics, Antennas and Propagation, and Electromagnetic Compatibility.

This conference is the flagship event of the Professional Network Electromagnetics of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) of which Professor Jan Sykulski, Head of Electrical Power Engineering at the University of Southampton’s School of Computer Science (ECS), is the Chairman.

According to Professor Sykulski, who is also on the conference international steering committee (and was previously chair of CEM 2002 and CEM 2004), representatives from the three communities in electromagnetics rarely meet so this conference will provide them with an ideal opportunity to work together.

He commented: ‘The Computational Magnetics community, of which I am part, looks at the modelling and simulation of fields in all sorts of devices from nanotechnology to heavy power engineering, so it spans across the communities. The CEM conference is the only event which brings these communities together in a serious manner.’

CEM 2006 also looked at methods and techniques for predicting the behaviour of various electromagnetic devices so that their design and performance can be optimised.

Professor Sykulski added: ‘Most of these devices, from mobile telephones to big power generators, have many other aspects apart from their electromagnetic components. Therefore, one of our big challenges is to find ways to adopt a multiphysics approach, which would enable us to not just work across communities, but also across disciplines.’