“In an era dominated by technological advancements, nations worldwide leverage innovation to drive economic growth and foster prosperity. With its rich history and distinct identity, Wales stands poised to harness technology’s transformative power to propel its economy to new heights. Technology can be a vital catalyst for a thriving Welsh economy.”
The words of Tara McGeehan, President of IT and business consulting firm CGI, writing earlier this year for digital technology trade association techUK, in a blog post which describes perfectly why the work of the Centre of Excellence in Mobile and Emerging Technology (CEMET) is so vital.
Established in 2017, University of South Wales-based CEMET was set up to design and test new mobile and emerging technologies to create products and services for commercial success.
With backing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government, CEMET initially focused on offering free support to SMEs in the Valleys, West, and North Wales, and then, in 2019, with extra funding, became an £8.9m pan-Wales project.
In these initial years, CEMET worked with many hundreds of companies to develop groundbreaking technology which addressed a variety of challenges.
Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, we pivoted our focus and have been utilising funds made available through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) to provide fully-funded support to businesses looking to explore the potential of emerging technologies and turn ideas into reality.
Focusing on areas in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Powys, Caerphilly, or the Vale of Glamorgan, we have been providing free support to help SMEs bridge the gap between concept and market success.
Following contact with us from an entrepreneur, we instigate a R&D project of six-eight weeks to bring their idea to life, with the creation of a proof-of-concept digital software or hardware product or service. This tangible output opens doors to market testing and future grants or investment opportunities.
We do this by allowing the business owner to collaborate with CEMET’s team of highly dedicated in-house R&D team and skilled tech experts, who specialise in emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, virtual or augmented reality, the Internet of Things (IoT), and a great deal more.
We envisage a Wales where businesses continually innovate, utilising emerging technologies to provide market-leading products and services that shape the future, and contribute to an environment where the knowledge and capacity to innovate are key business drivers.
One business CEMET has helped over many years is Senso24, formerly known as Skystrm, which has developed a system which can monitor potentially vulnerable people while also offering them independence and privacy.
From witnessing first-hand the difficulties the health care industry faces with staffing, Cardiff-based Justus Vermak approached CEMET with the idea that could revolutionise the way people in care are monitored. Senso24 has extensive experience in the care industry, more recently establishing a retirement village and care home.
The challenge Justus faced was ensuring an adequate amount of staff were available to monitor the people in care and keep them safe. This led him to explore the ways a remote monitoring system could be developed to ensure individuals do not come to any harm.
Through collaborative workshops and extensive research, Senso24 and CEMET found that a system that uses AI and machine learning could benefit the development of the project.
CEMET helped build an artificial intelligence system to identify if vulnerable people need emergency assistance. The system can anonymously monitor a person’s movements, learn their routines, and notify family or carers if there are concerns. The benefit of learning the individual’s routine is that it builds up a picture of what is normal for them.
According to Justus:
“This can include things such as how the person walks, are they moving slower than usual, how much time are they spending in each room, when are they visiting the kitchen and, for example, it’ll know that a person lying on a bed is normal for them, but lying next to the bed is out of the ordinary. It can also have a dementia-related element, perhaps highlighting when a person has forgotten to eat.”
The Senso24 system uses cameras or infrared sensors which monitor an individual’s movements. Protecting the individual and their privacy was central to this concept. All data collected by the system will be monitored but then ‘black boxed’, making it anonymised for end users.
The collaborative project enabled a prototype desktop application to be built. This allows Senso24 to demonstrate how computer vision techniques such as frame differencing can detect motion and generate activity logs using video data.
With sufficient data input, the system has the potential for the implementation of advanced deep-learning classification systems for activity monitoring and fall detection. With the vision to potentially assist and improve the experience of both care home residents and staff members.
If you have an innovative idea that could develop new or improved products, services, technologies or processes through CEMET, you could benefit from our Academic-Industry Partnerships programme.
As part of its wider Cluster Development and Growth Programme, the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) has launched an Academic-Industry Partnerships programme with the overarching aim of supporting growth for businesses operating within the CCR region and aligned with its identified priority sectors; MedTech, Cyber Security, Creative Industries, Compound Semiconductor, and FinTech.
Jointly funded by Cardiff Capital Region and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the programme will be delivered by the University of South Wales in collaboration with Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
This R&D funding will support businesses by partnering them with relevant academic research institutions, in order to equip them with the knowledge and expertise to enable viable projects that deliver both business growth and economic impact for the region.
Submit an expression of interest or visit the USW website to find out more about the programme.
