From tissue regeneration to improved robotic vision - ERC awards 6.5m Euros to new research at Imperial

Imperial College London’s Faculty of Engineering receives over 6 million Euros in funding for research <em> - News Release</em>

For immediate release
Thursday 20 December 2007

Computers designed to read human emotion and research into new techniques for growing human tissue are amongst research projects at Imperial College London awarded a total of 6.5 million Euros (£4.6 million approx.) by the European Research Council this month.

Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering has been recognised with four grants in the ERC’s inaugural Starting Independent Research competition.

The grants are designed to boost the careers of promising researchers who are establishing themselves as leaders of independent research teams. More than 9,000 applications were submitted across the EU, with only 275 projects receiving funding.

Three projects from Imperial’s Department of Computing were awarded funds for research into new technologies to analyse human behaviour; improve robotic vision; and develop models for complex software systems. Imperial’s Department of Materials and Institute for Biomedical Engineering also received funds for potentially life-saving research into new techniques for growing human tissue.

One of the winners, Dr Maja Pantic, is leading a team developing new computer vision and signal processing technology that can automatically analyse human behaviour from facial expressions, body movements and audio cues such as laughter, to interpret human emotion.

Dr Pantic believes this technology could be used to automatically recognise fatigue in drivers, detect aggressive behaviour in public spaces, and analyse deceptive behaviour - of particular use, she feels, in border control. She also believes her work could make the homes of the future much more comfortable.

“Imagine smart homes able to sense that you are tired after a busy day and help you to relax by playing your favourite music; or technology that understands that you are confused by the DVD recorder and helps by projecting operating instructions on the wall in front of you. I believe this type of technology has the potential to improve our daily lives,” said Dr Pantic.

Designing new algorithms to improve robot vision will form the basis of a research project led by another winner, Dr Andrew Davison, also from Imperial's Department of Computing.

Dr Davison believes his technology could take the drudgery out of house work. He says his research will have applications in ‘consumer robotics' in which low-cost self-navigating machines are able to clean the home. He also thinks this technology will have applications in the automotive industry where cars of the future will drive without human involvement.

Dr Davison plans to improve current computer vision methods for robotics by developing new super-fast algorithms for tracking motion in images. These algorithms will process visual information continuously fed into a computer from cameras to create continually updated 3D maps of environments. The key goal is to enable the tracking of faster, more dynamic motions than currently possible.

“These algorithms will run in real-time at extreme frame rates in the 100-1000Hz range. This goes way beyond standard video camera rates of 25-60hz,” Dr Davison said.

He said his Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) techniques will also be of particular benefit in humanoid robotics.

“Vision-based SLAM systems have many applications. A camera attached to a humanoid robot's head could provide all the information it needs for balancing. Cameras mounted to the feet or hands might offer accurate local information to assist in movement,” he explained.

A new approach to modelling how complex software systems should function also received funding. Lead researcher, Dr Sebastian Uchitel, and his team believe their theoretical technique will aid engineers in constructing higher quality software systems.

“People typically know that a blueprint for a house is used for reasoning whether the design of a building meets the aesthetic and functional requirements of a customer. In complex software design, we’re not quite sure what a blueprint for a complex software system should look like. My research involves trying to answer that question,” Dr Uchitel explains.

When completed, Dr Uchitel believes this project will enhance the ability of software designers around the world to construct elaborate software models with greater ease. It will also allow them to validate requirements against his models and implement new systems with greater confidence.

“These models will allow software engineers to identify flaws early and prevent financial loss,” he said.

Imperial’s last award will support new techniques for growing human tissue to improve the quality of life for patients with cancer.

A team, led by Dr Molly Stevens of the Department of Materials and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, will develop improved “scaffolds” to help new tissue grow.

Dr Stevens says her research will have enormous potential for cancer patients with large bone defects. She says the scaffolds could grow sections of bones, which cannot heal naturally after tumour removal. She also believes her work could help people with debilitating diseases like osteoarthritis where cartilage gets damaged and needs to be replaced.

These ‘nanostructured’ scaffolds consist of intricate fibres which provide a backdrop to support the growth of cells and tissue. They are inserted into the body and mesh with human tissue. Believing they are natural structures the tissue is ‘duped’ into growing. They also provide an ideal environment for the growth of stem cells, which in the future could play a vital role in the regeneration of all organs.

“With an aging population, these new therapies could improve the quality of life for many people with debilitating diseases. Our main focus is on bone and cartilage regeneration but the lessons we will learn will be applied to the regeneration of many other types of body tissue such as the heart and liver,” said Dr Stevens.

The ERC is a new research funding body created under the EU’s seventh framework Programme for Research.

-ends-

Colin Smith
Press Officer
Imperial College London
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 6712
Out of hours duty press officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Notes to Editors:

1. About the Department of Materials
Imperial’s Department of Materials is the oldest and largest department of its kind in the UK. The department has a teaching quality assessment score of 24/24 and received a 5A rating in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

2. About the Institute of Biomedical Engineering
The Institute of Biomedical Eng ineering, a p ostgraduate research facility, is applying advances in technology to enable people to lead in dependent and productive lives despite illness, ageing and disability. The Institute draws together scientists, medics and engineers to apply their extensive expertise to create revolutionary progress in medical diagnosis and treatment.

The research programme is focussed at the intersections between the platform technologies in science and engineering, such as systems biology, materials, imaging and nanotechnology, and medical applications, such as bionics, biomechanics and tissue engineering. Providing a multi-disciplinary research environment, the Institute ensures that the extensive knowledge and skills of the scientists and engineers is applied to the challenges facing health care professionals. The Institute works in collaboration with clinicians, who guide technology development priorities, and with industrial partners, in proof of concept and early stage product development.

3. About the Department of Computing
The Department of Computing at Imperial is one of the largest computing departments in the UK and is a world leader in academic research in computer science. The department is particularly well known for its work on distributed computing, logic and artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, visual information processing, computing theory, and computational aspects of management science. The Department has been awarded the top rating in each of the Research Assessment Exercises undertaken by the Higher Education funding Council for England (HEFCE).

4. About Imperial College London
Rated as the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts over 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk