Issue 12 Spring 2012

Cutting Edge Research from Scotland Knowledge Transfer

www.sciencescotland.org Fo rewo rd Knowledge Transfer in Engineering and Informatics PROFESSOR PETER GRANT

This issue of Science Scotland is dedicated to grown out of the SE-funded Prospekt, highlighting engineering and informatics successes Informatics KT support programme. Xi Track, on the where Scotland-based research, technology or new other hand, is a University-based technology licencing knowledge has transferred (i.e. knowledge transfer organisation which has been highly successful in or KT) into successful innovative companies. This deploying its vibration-alleviating product into the coverage of KT continues our previous features on worldwide rail industry. emerging engineering companies: Renewable NGenTec, a larger 13-person spin-out, is designing Devices and Pelamis Wave Power in our “Energy” novel direct-drive electrical motors, particularly for issue in Spring 2006; ST Imaging and Microemissive renewable energy applications, and has already Displays (which regrettably has since ceased trading) attracted £4 million of support. It is interesting to note in our “Imaging” issue in Autumn 2007; Xilinx, here that both NGenTec and Artemis have competing Wireless Innovation Centre, Steepest Ascent and approaches to improving the operation of off-shore Wolfson Microelectronics in the “Electronics” issue wind turbines. We will thus have to wait and see in Spring 2007; and Artemis Intelligent Power (since whether a novel electric motor or new hydraulic acquired by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) and Oxy-Gen gearbox design can be scaled up from the current in our “Greener Future” issue in Spring 2010. 1MW design to meet the offshore 6MW turbine One of the most financially significant recent requirement and win this lucrative race. commercial KT successes, growing out of an initial SeeByte is a highly successful 40-person Heriot-Watt £200,000 Proof-of-Concept (SE PoC) funding provided University spin-out which provides the world’s most by Scottish Enterprise, was the $275 million advanced software technology for underwater robots, acquisition in 2007 by Petroleum Geo-Services of subsea engineering, offshore technology and MTEM (Multi-Transient Electro-Magnetics), a rapidly remotely-operated vehicles, and is heavily supported growing 50-person marine geophysical prospecting by governments and industry worldwide. WFS university spin-out company. Technologies, with 25 employees, is an excellent Here we report on 13 companies, ranging in size from example of an industrial start-up company which four to almost 80 employees, who are active in the has revolutionised underwater communications by sub-sea, space, vibration and renewable energy, as moving from acoustic to electromagnetic propagation, well as marketing and media spheres. enabling, for the first time, communication directly from a submerged submarine to an aircraft. Other The origins of the companies featured vary widely. examples of this direct route to company formation, The University of Edinburgh was one of four included here, are Nautronix, Gas Sensing Solutions runners-up in the EPSRC 2008 Initiating KT challenge and Clyde Space. competition, spending its prize money on establishing several modest initiating KT awards. The embryonic We encourage you to read about these embryonic company D-Light (“Enlightenment for datacomms”) companies who are exploiting their intellectual was started from this fund before securing more property (IP) and leading the engineering and significant £200,000 PoC funding from SE. The other informatics technology revolution from their bases in small, highly innovative software-based companies Scotland. To ensure full coverage of Scottish KT, a covered in this issue are Pufferfish, which produces future issue of Science Scotland will focus on KT spherical displays, Xi Engineering Consultants, activities in the Life Sciences sector. which develops vibration software, ScienceSoft’s Professor Peter Grant, OBE, FRSE, FREng, FIET, LFIEEE visualisation software for the oil & gas industry, and Cereproc's text-to-speech products. Mobile Acuity has Contents Entrepreneurialism & knowledge transfer: a personal view 4 Professor David Milne – Science Scotland Editorial Board Deep thinking (underwater) 6 SeeByte New wavelength 8 WFS Technologies Solutions for another world 10 Nautronix Watch this space 12 Clyde Space Better vibrations 14 Xi Engineering Consultants Can Scotland lead the way in high-speed trains? 16 XiTRACK Powerful ideas 18 NGenTec It’s a family affair 20 Sciencesoft Enlightenment for datacomms 22 D-Light/PureVLC Sensible sensors 24 Gas Sensing Solutions World Wide Web world 26 Mobile Acuity What comes around... 28 Pufferfish Helping machines sound more human 30 Cereproc

Editorial Board: Chair: Professor John Coggins, OBE, FRSE, FSB Emeritus Professor of Molecular Enzymology, School of Biology, University of Glasgow Professor Peter Grant, OBE, FRSE, FIET, FIEE, FREng Emeritus Regius Professor of Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh Professor Angus Lamond, FRS, FRSE Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene Regulation & Expression College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee Professor David Milne, OBE, FRSE, FIET, SMIEEE, FREng Non-Executive Director, Wolfson Microelectronics plc

Editorial Team: Writer: Peter Barr Designer: Emma Quinn Production Editor: Jenny Liddell, The Royal Society of Edinburgh Printer: Mackay & Inglis Ltd www.royalsoced.org.uk www.sciencescotland.org

ISSN 1743 – 6222 (Science Scotland Print) ISSN 1743 – 6230 (online)

If you would like more information, please contact: sciencescotland @royalsoced.org.uk

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2 2–26 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ

ANY VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, NOR ALL OF ITS FELLOWS.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy, is Scottish Charity No SC000470

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 3 Viewpoint David Milne

PROFESSOR DAVID MILNE OBE FRENG FRSE IS THE FOUNDER AND FORMER CEO OF WOLFSON MICROELECTRONICS PLC

Entrepreneurialism and knowledge transfer: a personal view Commercialisation is essential to our economic sample of activities described in the remainder of this future, but David Milne argues that Scotland-based publication, there is a healthy level of commercialisation entrepreneurs and investors should be raising their game of scientific ideas in Scotland, but it does not yet make a – deciding at the start-up stage whether they want to significant contribution to the country's GDP. develop exciting new technology or build successful One of the issues concerning the Scottish economy is the companies able to compete in the global arena and dramatic decline over many decades of the manufacturing contribute to society at large... sector. After heavy industry moved overseas, mainly to New ideas in science and technology will always be the Asia Pacific, employment was supported by the welcome, but governments and funding bodies today introduction of electronics manufacturing in the second increasingly focus on commercialisation – and the need for half of the 20th Century. This certainly helped with economic benefit. That is why research grant applications employment, but the reality was that the companies in demand routes to market and researchers are encouraged general were simply building products to specifications to exploit their results commercially through licensing or provided by the creative centres in the USA, Japan and direct company formation. elsewhere. There was no product ownership locally This transfer of knowledge to the market place and (with the notable exception of Hewlett Packard) and so consequently to the public at large is inherently good and when lower-cost countries developed the necessary should be encouraged. Not all research, of course, is manufacturing infrastructure, the factories departed again. or should be near market, and it is a measure of the It had been hoped that the introduction of these electronics sophistication of a society how much of the economic cake companies would have produced spin-offs and generated is spent on ‘blue sky’ research. When it was first invented, a healthy indigenous high-technology environment. the laser was a good example of a solution looking for a However, the companies were never able to do this problem, but society now would be much the poorer without because they were focused on manufacturing, not on the many applications that have subsequently followed. innovation. Management’s task was to turn out the We are, however, at a different time in our understanding of products as cheaply as possible, not to generate new the physical world and the balance between pure research products. What we manufactured here was based on and applied research should be tilted well towards the codified knowledge from elsewhere, which did not lend applied end of the spectrum. As can be seen from the small itself to entrepreneurial activity or innovation.

page 4 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 We need more leadership companies in Scotland with the capability and ambition to compete internationally.

Although much of the investment in high-tech Scotland has to the possibility of company formation and the dynamics of been in multinational manufacturers, there has been an commercialisation. The Business Schools are increasingly awareness in the universities and among a small number spreading their expertise across the universities, aiming to of entrepreneurs of the opportunities for developing help budding entrepreneurs grasp the basics of business. high-tech companies based on indigenous research and And in a more formal programme, the Entrepreneurial technology. As expected, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde Fellowship scheme funds researchers to commit a year to Universities, with their engineering backgrounds, had explore commercialising their research in a new company strong technology transfer offices, Edinburgh University and get training in business skills. Specific organisations, developed close links with the semiconductor industry, such as Infomatics Ventures in Edinburgh, are also while Glasgow University, with a focus on optics, and providing support to software and electronic company Dundee University in pharmaceuticals, were active in trying start-ups, with a host of events, advice and incubator space to commercialise their research. Most of this activity took next door to the research activities of the university. This place through centralised Technology Transfer offices close association of academic and commercial activity which had successes licensing to major corporations but provides, in my view, the best environment for the initial were often criticised for their bureaucratisation of the stages of company formation. process when it came to start-ups and interaction with The big issue, however, is the development of companies smaller companies. Interminable IPR and investment value of scale from the initial stages with one or two people negotiations often killed the entrepreneurial spirit and with to an organisation focused on expanding their service or it the success of many potentially successful ventures. developing their product towards commercial reality. Protecting intellectual property is important, but it has little This usually needs some outside money, although I would value until it gets to the market – and this usually takes far always encourage entrepreneurs initially to bootstrap their more investment than was made in the original research. activities from friends and family. Outside money in In spite of the difficulties, successful high-tech companies Scotland usually means ‘Angel’ investment, which is have been created. As a result, there is now a much better exceptionally vibrant here. There are many syndicates with understanding of the dynamics of the process and more well developed channels and significant experience. They appreciation of the importance of this activity to the are, in fact, collections of high-net-worth individuals who economy. Universities in Scotland have embraced the often have personal business experience and can help challenge, embedding commercialisation activities in companies in more ways than simply providing finance. appropriate departments such as Infomatics, Engineering While Angel finance provides the basis for the development and Biotechnology. This has led to a blossoming of of the technology, deeper pockets are often required for the company start-ups on a par with or even ahead of the real growth of a company with its own products, sales and most active places anywhere in the world. marketing activities on a global scale. This will usually involve the Venture Capital community and there is plenty True success, however, is not measured by the number of of scope for conflict of interests with the Angels. companies created but by the growth and impact of these Entrepreneurs need to be clear whether they are companies in the widest economic context: revenues, profit, developing technology and hoping to sell out to another employment, international presence, societal contribution, company – which is the realm of the Angels – or really etc. It is regrettable that to date only a handful of companies, interested in developing a profitable and sustainable among which Wolfson Microelectronics plc is perhaps the company. If it is the latter, the challenge is formidable, but most notable, have achieved this. The company spun out of the journey is more exciting and eventually more rewarding. the University of Edinburgh in 1985 and honed its technology through design contracts before transitioning into a The thrill of the IPO and recognition of the company by the semiconductor product company with a global presence public at large is, in my view, an experience worth striving that now employs over 400 people. It went for its Initial for and I would thoroughly recommend it. The choice for the Public Offering (IPO) in 2003 on the main London Exchange entrepreneur will be influenced by many things and it is not and reached a market capitalisation in excess of $1 billion simply one of logic – it is visceral. The ambitions of the in 2006. Its “passion for great audio” has generated a brand founder and the management are what should drive the that is appreciated worldwide and its products provide the decision, treating the finance as the means to an end and audio in most of the leading consumer electronics products. not, as is often the case, the driving force. We need more leadership companies in Scotland with the capability and As the desire to create more indigenous companies of ambition to compete internationally and I am encouraged scale in Scotland has grown, efforts have been directed at by the level of activity highlighted in this and other editions providing a supportive ecosystem to nurture start-ups. At of Science Scotland . the earliest stages, students and researchers are sensitised

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 5 Profile SeeByte Deep thinking (unde rwater)

Core business: Autonomy solutions for remote Today, SeeByte’s software is used in locations all over and unmanned systems the world to search, classify and map the underwater Location: Edinburgh environment, to automatically identify objects and to inspect ship hulls and oilfield infrastructure, enhancing International the capabilities of various kinds of remote platforms. Offices: Seattle, San Diego Founded: 2001 In the early days, Lane and his team thought they would be a company who built underwater vehicles, but then they Employees: 40 realised they would be better off developing software Clients: BP, Chevron, BAE Systems, solutions for the vehicle makers and their customers. Subsea 7, SMD, the US Navy “This approach also better reflected our technical and 13 other Navies worldwide competencies,” Lane explains. In Lane's opinion, it was also essential to break free from The original business approach was deceptively simple the academic environment while still maintaining close but it worked extremely well, establishing SeeByte as a links with Heriot-Watt. “The interface between the leading solutions provider to some of the world’s most universities and industry does not always work,” says Lane. powerful navies and oil & gas corporations. “The key to “Industry wants something that solves a problem. the company’s early success,” says founder David Lane, Academics do research.” However, there was a lot to gain “was listening to customers and focusing on their from maintaining a partnership with Heriot-Watt if the requirements.” company was to prosper – for example, access to research The company develops intelligent software for unmanned and intellectual property – but it was also important to systems so they can operate autonomously, scanning the operate as a business rather than just a research lab. environment and processing the vast amount of data this “There were tangible and intangible benefits,” Lane can generate, to make decisions, interface with other says.“SeeByte was able to recruit key technical staff that systems and display information in a meaningful format. created the research, while Heriot-Watt is not only a And rather than developing bespoke solutions all the time, shareholder but also gained commercial exposure for its SeeByte’s foundation model was to re-use the building students through industrially-relevant project work, and blocks developed for particular systems so it did not need support for further research. “Heriot-Watt doesn't do lots to re-invent the wheel for every project. Once a specific of spin-outs,” says Lane, “but it has a good track record solution was built, it could then be replicated and licensed with the spin-outs it’s currently involved with.” or sold, thus reducing the company’s costs and helping margins in the critical early years. SeeByte was founded in 2001 to bring to market new technologies designed at the Ocean Systems Laboratory of Heriot-Watt University. Lane and several colleagues had developed software for a number of underwater projects and thought it was time to break into the business world while still maintaining close links with their academic partners. “Is there more value in this?” was the question that first inspired Lane. “Can we do something better? After 15 years of basic and applied research, how could we put something back and make an impact on commerce?” The big idea was “to improve underwater operations by combining streams of sensor-derived data from remotely-operated vehicles to create a single integrated picture that would deliver greater information and awareness of an inaccessible underwater situation/location.” UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLES PROCESS VAST AMOUNTS OF DATA

page 6 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 > The SeeByte software suite combines data streams from multiple sensors to automate activity and to give operators a complete picture of location and surroundings. > SeeTrack CoPilot helps remotely- PROFESSOR DAVID LANE FRSE operated vehicle (ROV) pilots improve The best decision so far their ability to focus was to start up in the on complex tasks. first place. > SeeTrack AutoTracker Initially, the team at SeeByte explored the possibility of working with Yorkshire-based Slingsby Engineering to develop a solution for its ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles), keeps unmanned but then it started looking much further afield. underwater vehicles The company's first customer was the US Navy, attracted through Heriot-Watt’s precisely located research links with Florida Atlantic University. This taught everyone important business relative to seabed lessons from the start, and a ‘can do’ culture with the courage not to be afraid to fail and to have a go. The US Navy also sent SeeByte a cheque before its bank account had pipelines, for even been opened – a nice kind of problem to have. accurate inspection In the early days, the company learned much about the importance of requirements as and surveying. it worked within the spiral development approach of the US Navy “acquisition pipeline,” developing early capabilities in autonomous systems for detecting underwater mines. The UK's Ministry of Defence funded some of the early-stage research, while Scottish Enterprise also supported ongoing staff training into commercial and managerial roles. The rigour of understanding requirements also helped the company gain access to the offshore oil and gas market. Through a series of Joint Industry Programmes (JIPs) supported by major oilfield operators and contractors such as BP, Conoco Phillips, Chevron and Subsea7, SeeByte “de-risked game-changing solutions” using autonomous vehicles to inspect pipelines and other subsea infrastructure. These systems are now starting to be used commercially by customers, and have a bright future for expansion through trust generated in the technology and the team, and the commercial opportunities that have emerged. “However, it's taken almost ten years and several JIPs to get to the stage where commercial capabilities are ready and can be accepted,” says Lane. Lane stepped down as Chief Executive last year and now spends more time developing new research initiatives, encouraging students and supporting knowledge transfer activities. But he continues to take a close interest in SeeByte and is confident the company has a big future as it continues to expand in its chosen markets and develop its IP pipeline. One of the key strengths of SeeByte technology is systems which can make their own decisions, but probably the best decision so far was to start up in the first place – and focus on being a solutions provider in one of the world’s most competitive and profitable industries.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 7 Profile WFS Technologies

New wavelength

Core business: Underwater radio inventors, including Nikola Tesla, tried to come up with Location: Livingston solutions and, during the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” Founded: 2003 on research, and built low-frequency radio systems for Team members: 25 submarines. At that time, there were no commercial Turnover: £2 million applications for underwater radio: control systems were not installed underwater and commercial applications were hard to imagine. But the emergence of “We stumbled into underwater radio,” says Brendan technologies such as broadband, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Hyland, founder and chairman of WFS Technologies. led to widespread use of wireless systems. In the subsea “There were no text books and nobody thought it world, the increased deployment of tethered remotely- would work, but we struck it lucky. Business is what operated vehicles (ROVs) and untethered autonomous you do about that opportunity.” underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the petrochemical and As well as doing something technologically defence industries soon changed the rules of the game... controversial, WFS today is very different from the company originally envisaged. The company was SEATOOTH+POWER BRINGS founded in 2003, to work in the “interface between TOGETHER SUBSEA wireless and optical” technologies and “the link from DATA AND POWER FOR the kerb to the home,” but after it won a major contract APPLICATIONS SUCH AS WIRELESS BACK UP OF BOPS from BAE Systems to develop a customised datacomms (BLOW OUT PREVENTERS) solution for aircraft, the company took a complete change of direction. The BAE project was both successful and profitable, but WFS did not own the Intellectual Property (IP). Hyland and his partners started to look in other directions – and that was when they “stumbled” into underwater radio and the development of data and video links for underwater signalling. The technology may have been new, but the idea was more than 150 years old. In 1842, Samuel Morse discovered underwater radio “by accident” when a telegraph cable broke during a transmission across the Hudson River and the message still managed to “jump” across the break in the cable. Later on, many other

page 8 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 AUVs are like dolphins, who operate using acoustics (ears), About and electromagnetics (eyes). Brendan WFS provides the ‘eyes’. Hyland The breakthrough Rather than being a spin-out from a university, the intellectual traffic is going According to Hyland, in 2004, when WFS Brendan Hyland, founder in the opposite direction. WFS provides first considered underwater radio its knowledge and equipment to and chairman of WFS communications, what made the critical researchers at universities including Technologies, studied difference was his “bloody-minded” MIT, Georgia Tech, Oxford, Edinburgh, electrical engineering at refusal to accept the received wisdom that Strathclyde and Newcastle. The company radio does not propagate underwater, has used academic consultants for Queen’s University, Belfast, and soon after, the research team at several small projects, but still does and worked in telecoms, WFS developed a low-frequency (20kHz) its own R&D. signalling system which seemed to industrial instrumentation penetrate sea water. “When we began, universities were and the chemical industry not interested in doing research in WFS revisited an old technology, underwater radio,” says Hyland (who also before he did his MBA and recognising the potential of shorter- believes universities should not hold on to founded optoelectronics range communications over distances IP but hand it over to people who start up company Kymata in 1998. of less than ten metres. Ironically, the new businesses). “This is changing as the company started its research unaware scale of the opportunity has become Hyland stood down as CEO of earlier efforts – simply because apparent. We have managed to keep our in 2001 and Kymata was there was so little documentation. IP untainted,” he continues. “This helps subsequently bought by “We had to find what was possible – then when doing commercial deals. And our Alcatel. In recent years, find commercial applications that fitted aim is to grow shareholder value by within this envelope,” says Hyland, and developing IP, licensing technology and he’s focused on “business in 2006, WFS unveiled the world’s first selling products and services.” modelling and business commercially available underwater Working in such a new market also strategy,” especially the radio modem. means WFS has to be very creative: meeting point between “We have to create competition,” says Today, the company describes itself as “emerging technologies “the world’s leading supplier of through- Hyland. “We have been instrumental in water and through-ground wireless setting up the Subsea Wireless Group and market needs.” technology for communication, navigation (SWIG), a not-for-profit organisation and power transfer.” It also boasts of tasked with defining open industry 30 granted patents and 200 patent standards. This group, with a key theme applications, and supplies its radio, of interoperability, will ensure all subsea acoustic transmitting and inductive power wireless systems can communicate with transfer technologies to the subsea oil and each other regardless of manufacturer”. gas, environmental and homeland security Other members of the Subsea Wireless and defence industries. WFS now has Group include BP, Teledyne Benthos, three product platforms for the energy, Chevron, Emerson, HIMA Americas, environmental, consumer and defence Technip, Yokogawa, Nautronix, MCS Kenny and Saab. industries, while another major market is wireless back-up solutions for cables in “As well as setting industry standards, we case they malfunction. The key advantages want to expose major players to what this of WFS technology are that it will operate technology can offer,” says Hyland. in adverse conditions and is unaffected by “A hundred per cent of nothing is not as acoustic noise or multipath problems. much as a small share of a multi-billion dollar market.” “Our goal is to support the development of this new market,” says Hyland, who Hyland says that luck as much as hard identifies two major reasons for the work put WFS on the road to success, company's continuing success: but the company is already thinking one step ahead, designing solutions for 1 Continuous investment in R&D to very small, hovering AUVs that dock maintain technology and product underwater, harvesting data and leadership WFS PROVIDES WIRELESS dumping it, and wirelessly recharging COMMUNICATION CAPABILITY TO A 2 An innovative approach to identifying equipment as well as themselves. WATCHKEEPER™ BUOY FROM AXYS TECHNOLOGIES INC. (AXYS) FOR those applications where the “It will be a global market,” says Hyland, REAL-TIME DATA FROM SUBSEA SENSORS company's products can make a “and transform the economics of the difference underwater vehicle industry.”

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 9 Profile Nautronix Solutions for another world

Core business: Underwater wireless acoustic It was a pioneer in electromagnetic and magnetic detectors, systems, specialising in through- and the more sophisticated tracking pigs developed since water communication and positioning then have now become off-the-shelf products which still technologies for the offshore industry. win ‘bread-and-butter’ sales for Nautronix. Location: Aberdeen (plus offices in Houston In 1996, Nautronix established itself as a leader in and Rio de Janeiro) DSP-based (DSP = digital signal processing) helium Founded: 1977 speech unscramblers – devices that enable operators to Employees: 77 communicate with saturation divers by compensating for the high-pitched voice effect caused by breathing helium. Customers: Oil & gas industry, defence The human voice is formed by a combination of resonances Turnover: £13 million in the larynx and the mouth cavity, and the sounds from the mouth cavity are affected by helium. The resulting ‘Mickey Even though Nautronix is headquartered in Aberdeen and Mouse’ sound effect may be amusing at first, but makes most of its customers operate in the North Sea, most of its communication very difficult with divers undertaking products are being used thousands of miles away – and difficult and dangerous work under water. thousands of metres under the sea. In fact, according to Chief Technologist Nigel Orr, some underwater environments are The unscramblers perform a complex task, reducing the so remote and so extreme, they may as well be on a different frequency of some tones (i.e. lowering the pitch) while planet. This may seem a fanciful comparison, but divers leaving other tones the same, so speech sounds normal. returning from deep-water dives can take up to two weeks to The resulting product has consistently scored 98% return to the surface, while astronauts take only a couple of intelligibility on tough industry standard testing, (i.e. days to fly back from the moon. 98 words out of every 100 are clearly understood). Remote and difficult environments are also where The company was also an early developer of commercial Nautronix technology has been most successful, providing spread-spectrum communication and positioning systems. communications and positioning solutions for the oil and In the shallow waters of the North Sea, communication and gas industry, operating in deep-water locations all around positioning systems are relatively simple, in depths of less the world, at depths up to 3,00 0–5,000 metres. than 100 metres, but as soon as you begin to operate at The company can trace its roots back to 1977, when it greater depths, new problems emerge (depths of 3,000m developed its first tracking pipeline pigs – devices which are common in modern oil production operations across travel through pipelines for inspection and maintenance work. the world).

page 10 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 The ability to overcome Knowledge communication difficulties in Transfer hostile environments is our Nautronix recently set up a new technology department to biggest strength. manage knowledge transfer between engineering, academia and customers, and help to plan The solutions which Nautronix has developed future product developments. include true independent multi-user According to Chief Technologist communications using spread spectrum. Nigel Orr, there is huge potential This means they avoid the need to have a for cooperation with Scottish universities, where there is synchronised network to decide who can significant expertise in areas communicate and when. As a result, when such as communications and multiple vessels need to work in an area signal processing. Over the (e.g. in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater last five years, Nautronix has Horizon incident), they can freely share the increased the headcount in its NASNet® system through the area without engineering department from NIGEL ORR interference, to improve redundancy for 12 to 26 people, to rise to the challenge. What makes Nautronix technology stand out, surface vessels and as a sole reference says Orr, is its track record in signal for ROVs and other equipment subsea. According to Orr, the offshore industry is generally conservative processing systems, including subsea digital The high reliability and potential for covert acoustic communications – for example, when it comes to introducing new operation underlying the communication and technology, but when there is where customers need to replace expensive, positioning systems was originally developed an opportunity to save time and heavy and damage-prone subsea cables with by Nautronix for military applications, where it money, and improve productivity, a reliable wireless communication channel, or enabled submarine communications to be customers do start to listen. accurately track the position of large, moving undetectable above background noise levels. In the past, Nautronix tended to objects being installed in deep water. While today’s work focuses on the industrial be more “reactive” when it came In the last ten years, the product range has and commercial market, the same products to the development of any new products, with incremental extended to include blowout preventer have been used successfully to provide changes mainly led by customer controls – remote communications devices tracking and communications in submarine requests, rather than offering which are used as back-up to shut down ranges during trials. the potential of totally new subsea valves (and prevent leaks) when the applications. primary control system fails in an emergency. Accuracy and availability are critical factors In this situation, hundreds of lives and an for positioning systems. Surface vessels The new approach complements that responsiveness by being environmental catastrophe can be at stake, needing an accurate fixed position have to supplement their differential GPS (DGPS) more proactive and forward- and the industry trust in the NASeBOP looking, says Orr, finding out product range is testament to the high system (which can be affected by phenomena such as scintillation – spikes early if customers are interested reliability that it provides. in new possibilities that they in solar activity which cause interference) “The ability to overcome communication might not expect Nautronix can with additional independent sources. offe r– for example, how about difficulties in hostile environments is our Nautronix builds high levels of redundancy biggest strength,” says Orr. The problems controlling 150 valves with a into its NASNet® DPR systems, and provides single device, instead of only faced include limited bandwidth, long path typical positioning accuracy of one metre. sixteen valves, as at present? delays and extreme Doppler shift, high noise “Unplanned downtime is unacceptable,” says Would that be useful? What about levels in-band from vessels and engineering Orr. “With offshore vessels costing up to $1 sending data subsea over much operations, and full ocean-depth operations. million a day, the pressure to fix any problems larger distances? “We are also a small company compared to increases rapidly” our major competitors, and this means we Recent product developments include the extension of the can be more flexible in responding to “We provide high-quality solutions for difficult NASeBOP product range to industry needs,” says Orr. environments,” says Orr. “And the more enhance the capability of the When the position of ROVs and subsea difficult the problem is, the more it requires company’s blowout preventer equipment needs to be accurately tracked, the Nautronix.” Orr believes that engineers in controls, which was recently NASNet® system creates a grid of position Scotland are undertaking “ground-breaking awarded the Subsea 2012 reference beacons. These are dropped to the research” in subsea technologies, and with Innovation and Technology Award. Also in development seabed from a boat, which then circles the deep-water exploration and extraction becoming more common as the oil and gas are upgrades of the existing area to establish their position, typically to a product range to benefit precision of a few tens of centimetres. The companies widen their search for new fields, from developments in signal NASNet® GPS-like positioning technology Nautronix and its academic partners are well processing and communications developed by Nautronix also makes it possible placed to take full advantage – whether they to improve lifetime and to space out the beacons at a distance of are based in Aberdeen, Houston or Rio de capabilities, and the NASMUX several kilometres, while alternative systems Janeiro. product range to provide have to be positioned a few hundred metres primary acoustic control apart, and this means significant savings and of subsea equipment. speeds up deployment.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 11 Profile Clyde Space Watch this space

Core business: Small and micro The UKube-1 project is a dream come true for CEO Craig satellite systems Clark, to help Scotland “enter the space race.” And as well as being part of a project that promotes the new miniature Location: Glasgow satellites and inspires young people to get interested in Founded: 2005 science, Clyde Space has effectively become its own customer, developing a CubeSat all of its own. “We have the Employees: 24 freedom to design and build exactly what we want rather Major customers: European Space Agency, than a custom-built solution,” says David Castle, who's in NASA, US Air Force charge of manufacturing at Clyde Space. “The best way to market space products is through their successful demonstration in orbit,” adds Clark. The satellite may only be a few centimetres across, but it could be the next big thing in Scotland's fast-expanding space technology industry. This year, Clyde Space plans to put the Take-off first made-in-Scotland satellite up into orbit, as part of a The Clyde Space story can be traced back to the early 1990s, nationwide project called UKube-1, which also brings when Clark studied power engineering at the University of together the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory at the Glasgow – and dreamed about space flight. After graduating University of Strathclyde as well as Glasgow-based Steepest in 1994, he spent 11 years at SSTL (Surrey Satellite Ascent and MESL Microwave of Edinburgh, plus several Technology Ltd)*, working as a power systems engineer, other UK-based organisations. gaining experience in mission design, spacecraft testing, on-orbit operations and management. By the time he left Clyde Space entered a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with SSTL, he had worked on a total of 25 missions – five times the University of Strathclyde about three years ago, and the more than most people work on throughout their career. two partners took up the UKube-1 challenge in 2010, as part Soon after he returned to Glasgow, Clark set up Clyde of an initiative supported by the UK Space Agency to launch Space, to focus on power solutions for satellites, convinced the UK's first miniature satellite – a device which measures there was a niche in the market. He also wanted the only 10cm x 10cm x 34cm. company name to reflect the fact the River Clyde had once UKube-1 (UK Universal Bus Experiment) will enable made 25 per cent of all the world’s ships – and perhaps in scientists to test new space technologies and carry out new the future could also make “spaceships.” space research more cost-effectively and quickly, “making Soon after Clark returned from a space industry conference up in innovation what they lack in size.” It will also carry in Japan, Clyde Space won a SMART: Scotland award from experiments selected from a competition open to Scottish Enterprise, and started to develop power systems companies and academics to come up with the most for a new generation of CubeSats – tiny satellites which innovative ideas for payloads (see sidebar). typically measure 10cm x 10cm x 18cm and weigh about 5kg.

page 12 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 P h o t o UKube-1: The payload b y I

a > TOPCAT – a device to measure the ionosphere and i n

M plasmasphere (the regions of space just beyond the Earth’s c L

e atmosphere), to help GPS users cope with weather conditions a n that adversely affect the global positioning system (GPS) and its applications (e.g. satellite navigation and telecommunications). > A payload to demonstrate the feasibility of a patent held by EADS Astrium on using the radiation environment for true random number generation. > FunCube – a sub-system for educational outreach to students at schools and colleges. > The Open University’s CMOS Imager Demonstrator instrument – developed as a collaboration between the OU’s Centre for Electronic Imaging and e2v technologies, a supplier of CRAIG CLARK scientific imagers for the space market. This will perform a variety of imaging tasks, including taking pictures of the Earth There is an opportunity to do and providing an experimental test-bed for radiation damage something different and develop effects in space. the space business here – and > myPocketQub – five experiments that UK students and the create thousands of jobs in the public will be able to interact with, including SuperSprite – process. a satellite-on-a-chip proof-of-concept experiment.

“I hadn’t heard about CubeSats before my trip to Japan,” says Clyde Space products Clark, “but I recognised it as a great opportunity.” Clyde Space makes high-performance subsystems for small The company won its first customer in 2006, supplying two satellites and microspacecraft, including standard products solar panels for South Africa's SumbandilaSat mission. This available online and one-off products (bespoke designs was soon followed by orders from Malaysia, Japan and the US. incorporating heritage circuits or a completely new design). Today, its client list includes the European Space Agency, NASA The company also offers heritage systems for non-standard and the US Air Force, as well as customers in Turkey, South spacecraft, including in-house products and licensed products Africa, India, China, South America and Canada. The company from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), as well as high- has about a 30 –40 per cent share of the global CubeSat power performance, bespoke designs for small satellite missions, market, and has also supplied over 220 power systems for including complete or part power conditioning and distribution small satellites, making it the world's biggest supplier of this systems (PCDU), lithium polymer batteries, solar arrays and kind of power solution. DC –DC Converters. Electrical Power Systems Early last year, Clyde Space secured a funding package worth Modular designs that can be easily configured for bespoke projects. £1 million, led by private equity firm Nevis Capital, Coralinn LLP, Scottish Enterprise, the Science and Technology Facilities Spacecraft Batteries Council (STFC), the Technology Strategy Board and Regional Space-qualified lithium polymer batteries that have undergone Selective Assistance, “to support innovation and growth across extensive tests to assess their suitability for the space all company activities” as well as “to expand its product range environment. and capability offering and increase its global market share.” Solar Panels This injection of funds has paid for a new 1,000-square-foot Small solar arrays for small satellites. clean room, as well as new automatic testing equipment. Space DC –DC Converters Scotland’s space industry is currently worth only £20+ million a High-efficiency, galvanically isolated and multiple output year but Clark thinks Scotland has the potential to grow very DC –DC Converters for space use. rapidly, taking advantage of the skills we already have and the Twice the power graduates coming on stream in subjects such as astronomy, Clyde Space recently developed a “double deployable” solar panel physics, electronics and engineering. system designed to increase the power available on board a CubeSat. The new system enables power to be generated from Clark adds: “In Scotland, we can't compete with the big guys the front and the back of the deployed solar panel arrays – like NASA, but there is an opportunity to do something different essential for missions that don't track the sun. and develop the space business here – and create thousands of jobs in the process.”

* Formed in 1985, SSTL is a commercial spin-out from the FACT >>> University of Surrey, specialising in the design of very small According to the UK Space Agency, the UK's space sector satellites. In 2008, the company was acquired and incorporated contributes £7.5 billion a year to the UK economy, directly as an independent British company within the EADS Astrium employs 24,900 people and supports a further 60,000 jobs NV group. across a variety of industries.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 13 Profile Xi Engineering Consultants

Better vibrations

DR MARK-PAUL BUCKINGHAM

Core business: Noise and vibration solutions Xi was born out of Reactec – a spin-out from the University Location: Edinburgh of Edinburgh – but what makes the new organisation so different is that instead of developing products and Founded: 2011 providing consultancy services to finance R&D, Xi focuses Employees: 7 on being a consultancy, providing off-the-shelf or Clients: AES, Hammerfest Strom customised solutions in industries including renewables, construction and marine. From pneumatic drills to car engines, buildings and “Vibration is a problem which affects anything and turbines, vibration is not just an irritation but a major everything – even champagne on a luxury yacht,” says Xi design issue and a huge factor in costs. For example, if managing director Dr Mark-Paul Buckingham, who is you could eliminate half of the vibration in a wind turbine now a non-executive director of Reactec, the company he near sensitive seismic equipment, it may be possible to founded in 2001. According to Buckingham, the three double the number of turbines installed in a site. If you drivers of the business are “performance, maintenance could reduce the vibration from railway lines, it may be and legislation.” Health and safety are of primary possible to build new houses closer to the tracks. importance, but the bottom line is money – how to And these are exactly the kinds of problems which Xi optimise investment, extend the life of buildings or Engineering Consultants has dealt with since the equipment, and reduce costs. company was formed in 2011.

page 14 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 As a team of highly-skilled engineers, we inherently like solving problems.

Buckingham graduated from the University of Complex modelling Edinburgh in 2001 with a degree in mechanical engineering, and developed the ideas for Reactec What gives Xi the edge is its use of advanced while he did his PhD there, focusing on vibration issues mathematical modelling software to predict and measure in complex composite materials used in skis and vibration, then diagnosing problems and developing snowboards. For the next 3–4 years, he developed a solutions – for example, creating virtual labs to model generic solution to monitor and manage the vibration turbines. “The modelling is complex and must be experienced by individuals operating different equipment precise,” Buckingham says. – a device which became the HAVmeter. Buckingham Buckingham describes what the company does as a also won SMART: Scotland and SPUR awards to “turnkey solution”, and is keen to demonstrate the develop and commercialise the control unit for the practical benefits – e.g. the company's work on the device. And at the end of 2005, he made his first big Newcastle Metro, building an acoustic trench to “bounce breakthrough when he won an order for 750 units away” vibration so more houses could be built beside the from Tarmac for a product which didn't exist yet. tracks. Xi is also helping Hammerfest Strom to ensure Banging the prototype vibration device on the table to that its ten tidal turbines have been “optimised for demonstrate how robust the design was, Buckingham vibration” during a five-year trial for Scottish Power convinced Tarmac that he had the solution it needed, Renewables in the waters off Islay. Small-scale turbines and then said his firm would design it however the also present very similar problems, including the company wanted. It took another three years to finalise gearbox, while manufacturers of semiconductors also details, solving problems such as inductive charging need to reduce vibrations during production. and making the device robust enough to deal with the rigours of a construction site; but finally the HAVmeter One of Xi's greatest challenges is to reduce the vibrations debuted in early 2008. in wind turbines, and for this it has developed the Seismically Quiet Tower (SQT), a hardware solution which This was not the best time to be launching such a can be retro-fitted to turbines or integrated during product – at the start of a recession in the company’s construction, for any tower height and power capacity. key industries – but Buckingham also continued to The impetus for SQT came from a project to deal with the develop his consultancy work, providing vibration analysis seismic issues of the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array, which services to companies such as Wind Energy, Rolls Royce monitors seismic events, including nuclear explosions and Intel. Three years later, increased demand for and earthquakes. Planners originally limited the number consultancy led to the spin-out of Xi, with £400,000 of of turbines which could operate in the area around the investment from sources including Archangel Informal array, so they wouldn't interfere with any instruments. Investments and the Scottish Enterprise Co-Investment But now, thanks to Xi, the power company can multiply Fund, plus a Board including former defence minister the number of turbines and potentially release an extra Adam Ingram, ex-Lloyds TSB Scotland director Manus £1 billion of investment, at the same time as producing Fullerton, and Gordon Stewart, ex-managing director much more electricity. of PRTM, as Chairman. So what is Buckingham's target for the first year of When developing the prototype meter, Buckingham business? targeted a number of specialist markets and conducted trials with companies of all shapes and sizes to test the “We want to provide added value to a greater number of product to destruction; and this is one of the services clients and assit them in solving problems and improving Xi now provides to its clients – helping to design out products,” he says. “As a team of highly-skilled engineers, vibration and noise problems in advance, rather than we inherently like solving problems.” after the event. The irony of modern materials, Buckingham explains, is that the lighter and more efficient they become, so too the vibration problems worsen – e.g. the Forth Rail Bridge has much more mass than modern bridges and therefore vibrates less.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 15 Profile XiTRACK Can Scotland lead the way in high-speed trains?

PROFESSOR PETER WOODWARD

Core business: Railway innovation “Industry and academia need to work closely together to generate rapid progress in innovation and product Key innovations: XiTRACK (geosynthetic development,” Woodward explains. “Now is the age reinforcement for railway tracks) and DART3D (ground vibration of the train! ” simulation software for railways) Woodward laments the UK’s reluctance to adopt new Location: School of the Built Environment, solutions for railways, but says that innovation is still Heriot-Watt University taking place here, despite this. To drive more innovation, Heriot-Watt is setting up the UK’s biggest testing rig for Major contracts: Network Rail, Balfour Beatty Rail railway technologies, and Woodward hopes that this will convince industry to set up a national testing centre, to If Professor Peter Woodward got his way, construction of the stimulate development and also boost exports. UK's next high-speed rail network would start in Scotland – “We can’t compete with countries like China when it comes tomorrow. “If we want the northern economic base to grow,” to manufacturing widgets,” says Woodward, “but the UK has he says, “we should build high-speed lines in the north first, got the ability to develop innovations. Our problem is how to not the other way round.” And just for good measure, adds commercialise these – for example, we developed the first Woodward, the trains would be powered by renewable tilting trains but Italy now exports its Pendelinos to us.” energy, generated north of the border. Woodward, who is Professor of Railway Geotechnical The XiTRACK story Engineering in the School of the Built Environment at Woodward's interest in railways developed in the late 1990s at Heriot-Watt University, is not just an evangelist for Heriot-Watt, where he became a lecturer in 1994 after gaining high-speed trains, but also wants the UK to reclaim its his PhD in numerical geotechnics from the University of traditional role as a leader in rail innovation – a role which Manchester. In his early career, he focused on earthquake he believes has been eroded by an increasingly risk-averse engineering, modelling ground waves and their effects on civil industry, as well as by the effects of lower-cost competition from overseas countries since Victorian times, when the engineering structures – experience which he continues to use UK ruled the world in rail technology. today in developing numerical modelling software for railways. High-speed trains will dominate the future of the railways, Initially, Woodward started looking at ground vibration waves says Woodward, and by the time HS2 (High Speed 2) is and how they affect the ballast on railway tracks. Ballast is completed in 2026, other countries will be steaming good at supporting the rails and helping drainage, but it also ahead. China, for example, plans to build 20,000km tends to ‘densify’ and can break down, due to vibration from of high-speed track by 2020, with trains achieving maximum trains running over the rails, and eventually this affects the speeds of over 310mph, compared to 250mph on the geometry of the track – especially at switches and crossings London –Birmingham route – a distance of only 140 miles. – and requires regular maintenance. Some sections of track More than 30 US states are currently investigating new need checking once a year and others as often as every ten high-speed railways, and Woodward thinks that Scotland days. Anything which would prevent this would not only save should be taking the initiative, not just for economic but also money but also be safer. for environmental reasons.

page 16 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 In 1999, one of Woodward’s colleagues was Network Rail (which took over from Railtrack in involved in the replacement of the cobbles in 2002) and the company was highly commended in Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile, using polyurethane that year’s ‘Innovation of the Year’ category at the The need to help reduce the wear and tear on the new 2005 National Rail Awards. cobbles, filling in the space around the cobbles “There are two main arguments for XiTRACK,” for speed much the same as using grout for tiles. And this says Woodward. “First, it reduces the maintenance got Woodward thinking – maybe a similar polymer costs. And second, it lowers the risks. The Train speeds have could be used for the ballast on railways. technology has the capacity to virtually eliminate Woodward then started discussions with the increased in a number the need for ballast maintenance, and Balfour of stages since the polymer supplier, a company called Hyperlast, and Beatty Rail is now promoting the concept of started to develop a special solution for railways. ‘tamperless’ switches and crossings.” dawn of the steam age in 1803. “It took 100 XiTRACK was first trialled at Bletchley on the XiTRACK has been used in Italy and is also due to west-coast line in early 2000 – points which used be trialled at 25 sites in Germany and Hong Kong. years to go from 5mph to need maintenance every three months. Woodward comments: “Countries outside the UK to 128mph,” says The new solution was installed while the trains are more ready to use innovative solutions. Some were still running, using a pneumatic pump to Professor Peter people in the UK seem to think that if the Victorians Woodward, “another apply the polymer between the sleepers. And the didn't use the technology, we shouldn't use it – but trial was so successful that the points did not if the Victorians had XiTRACK then, they would have 76 years to reach need any further maintenance until they were used it!” 198mph and only a decommissioned in 2011. further 28 years to One of the special properties of the innovative Modelling software reach 357mph.” geocomposite solution is that it cures (or sets) In the process of developing XiTRACK, Woodward at different rates, depending on the formula – developed new modelling software to “model every In the quest for e.g. it is poured into the ballast (like cream over aspect of the rail environment, including the effect speed, a wide range strawberries) and when it reaches a particular of vibration on buildings and the people inside design depth (of between 100mm and 600mm), them.” of technologies has it stops running further. This means engineers come and gone, One phenomenon which this reveals is something can control application to meet individual including Hovertrains requirements. Other formulas have also been called “critical velocity.” Every type of groundsoil developed to be effective in temperatures as has a ‘natural velocity’, with different densities and Aerotrains low as minus 40°C. absorbing the ground waves at different velocities. (jet-propelled), while The new software, called DART3D (Dynamic MagLevs (Magnetic Analysis of Railway Track 3D), simulates these Levitation trains), first Now is the effects and allows the engineers to work out how developed in the UK to mitigate vibration – whether this means laying in the 1940s, achieved concrete rafts, improving the ballast using age of the train. geosynthetics such as XiTRACK, or even rerouting the rail speed record the track. “Different types of soil may react at of 361mph in Japan in According to Woodward, one of XiTRACK’s major different speeds,” says Woodward, “but the faster 2003. This compares advantages is that it can be used to fix a problem you go, the more it's a factor.” to a Boeing 737 which overnight without interrupting the schedule. Woodward and his academic colleagues, including flies at a speed of Concrete slabs are also low-maintenance options, Professor Michael Forde of the University of but are more expensive to build and replace, and about 490mph. Edinburgh, have successfully applied for EPSRC their longevity is still being debated. “XiTRACK funding for the simulation software and are also in offers the best of both worlds,” adds Woodward. discussion with researchers in China to use it for The UK’s first After the initial trial, Heriot-Watt University then next-generation ultra-speed train modelling – high-speed railway spun out a company called 2Ei to develop and travelling at over 250mph. “The Chinese are the was the Channel market the product, and in 2001 Woodward new Victorians,” says Woodward. “They just get Tunnel Rail Link which founded XiTRACK as a 50:50 joint venture with on and do things.” goes at 186mph, while Hyperlast Ltd (now the Dow Chemical Company). Over the last few years, Woodward has done The company then won a contract from Railtrack to the planned HS2 train everything from shovelling ballast to chairing reinforce the track at 14 bridges nationwide, and is expected to run at a boardroom meetings, in his quest for railway Woodward started spending 25 per cent of his time innovation. This year, he will give the keynote top speed of 250mph. working at XiTRACK – an arrangement which at speech at a major conference in China, where his that time was highly unusual for academics. ideas could be critical in planning for the new The business started gaining momentum when high-speed network. His talk is entitled: The XiTRACK formed a partnership with Balfour Beatty application of polyurethane geocomposites to help Rail and started a series of trials up to 2005, using maintain track geometry for ballasted high-speed new electrical pumps to install XiTRACK at the railway tracks . He is also giving talks this year on contractor’s ‘worst sites’ – bridges, switches and high-speed tracks in Japan, Australia and Spain crossings where stabilisation was needed the most. (the latter is a keynote on ultra-speed). Will the In 2005, XiTRACK was officially certificated by same ideas resonate in Scotland?

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 17 Profile NGenTec

Powerful ideas

DR MARKUS MUELLER

Core business: Electrical generators “air-cored” design, which reduces the weight by for wind turbines approximately 30 per cent and enables repairs and Location: Edinburgh replacement of parts without excessive operational Founded: 2009 downtime – thus reducing costs and improving overall energy yield. Funding: £4.4 million The company was spun out from the University of Employees: 13 Edinburgh’s School of Engineering in 2009 by Dr Markus Mueller and his colleague Dr Alasdair McDonald, and With wind power gaining momentum worldwide, any within two years it has assembled a management team company which promises to cut the cost of manufacturing, with the credentials to match its technology, including CEO assembling and maintaining the turbines would be on to a Dr Makhlouf Benatmane (ex-Converteam), CTO Dr Nazar winner – in a global market where investment is expected Al-Khayat (formerly with Williams Grand Prix Engineering), to be well over £100 billion over the next ten years. CFO Jim Boyd (former CFO at Aquamarine Power), NGenTec aims to become “the preferred supplier of and CMO Dr Charles Gamble (former CTO of Nordic direct-drive and slow-speed permanent magnet WindPower). Backing them up are non-executive generators for the wind energy market,” both offshore chairman Dr Derek Shepherd (ex-Aggreko International) and onshore, with its innovative drivetrain solutions. and non-executive director Dr Derek Douglas, CEO and And what makes its technology so different is the modular, chairman of investment firm Adam Smith Ltd (ASL).

page 18 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 Mueller has returned to the research lab, happy that the company is now in the mainstream of the energy business and looking forward to developing more powerful ideas.

The story starts in 2005 in Edinburgh, when Mueller The four founders – Mueller, McDonald, Douglas and started trying to develop a new kind of direct-drive Shepherd – invested first, followed by SET Venture permanent magnet generator (PMG) for wind turbines. Partners of Holland and the Scottish Co-Investment The major problem, according to Mueller, is that wind Fund (£1 million each), plus a £800,000 grant from the turbines rotate very slowly – 10 –20 revolutions per minute Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and (rpm) – whereas conventional electrical generators want £200,000 from the Edinburgh Technology Fund. to rotate at thousands of rpm. A gearbox is required to Another major move has been the forming of a step up the speed, but the gearbox can fail. If a gearbox non-exclusive industry partnership with David Brown is not used, the generator rotates at the low speed of Gear Systems, part of the Clyde Blowers Group, which the turbine. Such direct-drive generators are large in helps NGenTec manufacture and test its equipment. diameter and very heavy – for example, a 5MW direct-drive generator could weigh 15 0–200 tonnes The current challenge is to get a 1MW version into the and be 5–6m in diameter. field and win the company's first customers, then build a full-scale (6MW) prototype – which will require about £6 “The gearbox is not the most unreliable part of the million in investment over the next two years. turbine, but it’s responsible for most of the downtime,” says Mueller. And if manufacturers could get rid of the After one year as the acting CTO, Mueller has returned to gearbox or develop a hybrid design, combining gearbox the research lab, happy that the company is now in the and direct drive, the turbines would be more reliable, mainstream of the energy business and looking forward economical and more efficient. to developing more powerful ideas. With generators, Mueller says, compromise is always the difficult issue – between the structure, the electrical performance and mechanical design. And NGenTec's modular, lightweight design goes some way to achieving the balance required, producing energy efficiently as well as being easy to maintain. Mueller and his team have developed a number of prototypes over the last few years, starting in the lab and later moving out into the field, testing the design on fully operational turbines. The first prototypes were funded by a $400,000 Proof Of Concept award from Scottish Enterprise, helped by additional funding from a SMART: Scotland award. After verifying the performance and mechanical, structural, electro-magnetic and thermal characteristics of the design, NGenTec was born and the management team came on board – adding their experience and industry contacts as well as their ability to bring in investors.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 19 Profile Sciencesoft

L-R ANGELA, LINDSAY AND WILLIAM WOOD

It’s a family affair Core business: Visualisation and analysis or gas field.” This enables companies to decide whether software for the oil & gas industry or not to exploit the particular field. Incorporated: 1995 (first product launched in 2000) Eleven years ago, bespoke products had been around Employees: 18 for many years, but they ran on proprietary systems Turnover: £3 million and supported a single vendor. The driving force behind the new product was widespread industry demand for Major customers: Statoil, BP, Shell, Conoco, a solution which would work on different platforms, Chevron, Marathon – including Windows PCs. Other companies tried to 120 customers in 80 countries develop new software from scratch, but Sciencesoft also recognised the need for a backwards-compatible In 1995, Dr Lindsay Wood wanted to move back to Glasgow, version which provided a familiar user interface – allowing but because he couldn't get a job in science, he decided to engineers to use existing data as well as reducing the time start his own company, in partnership with his wife Angela required for training. and his brother William. And 16 years later, Sciencesoft has established itself as a leader in visualisation and analysis software for the oil and gas industry – and is still in family control, with Lindsay now in charge of research and development, Angela director of business and William looking after sales and marketing. In the early days, the company sustained itself by providing consultancy services to leading oil and gas companies, leveraging contacts in the industry built up by both of the brothers, and behind the scenes developing its visualisation and analysis software, launched in 2000 as S3GRAF. Today, the company's Reservoir Simulation Suite of products, “help engineers analyse the results from reservoir

simulators by quickly producing 2D and 3D images of an oil SCIENCESOFT SOFTWARE PROVIDES AN INTELLIGENT AND EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND PICTURE OF OILFIELDS AND GASFIELDS

page 20 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 With new products coming onstream every year, the company is confident of steady Products growth in the future – as long as it retains its Sciencesoft currently focuses on ‘small is beautiful’ approach to the business. one suite of specialist products, According to Wood, engineers told but it aims to develop four more Sciencesoft at the time that they liked how product lines over the next five the old software worked. They simply years, including pre-processing wanted a more open version with new software. It is also rewriting its improved features, and Sciencesoft could software to run on 64-bit also recognise the market opportunity for a platforms – to “future-proof” more cost-effective solution. “We believed its products. The Reservoir that our role was to solve people’s Simulation Suite includes problems,” says Wood, “not to build a mini S3GRAF, for automating empire or fight technological wars.” workflow and displaying data, Just before the product was unveiled in S3GRAF-3D and S3connect, a 2000, the company (still a small team of five tool for linking simulators, plus people, with only two developers, including From a company standpoint, the technology S3GRAF-HPG, which allows Lindsay Wood) knew it required an injection was not the only critical factor. “What reservoir engineers to load large of funds – not to help the final stages of enabled us to succeed,” says Wood, “was simulation data files in a matter development but to beef up its sales and the fact that we were small and quick to of seconds – a process which marketing efforts. “We had our proof of solve problems.” In addition, Wood believes used to take over an hour. concept, but we needed market presence,” it is important for developers to meet the The company reinvests about Wood explains. Until then, the company had customers whenever they can – e.g. at trade funded development with the revenues 50 per cent of its profits in R&D. shows. “They speak the same language and from its consultancy work, and the product also know exactly what customers want.” was close to completion. Wood and the rest of the family wanted to retain control of their Looking back, Wood also says the company creation, but several potential investors said spotted a gap in the market because it was Education they were wrong – and proposed investing happy to handle small sales – for example, much larger amounts. In the end, however, contracts worth £50,000 rather than the big links Sciencesoft brought in a company called sums other companies wanted. Sciencesoft has worked with Mdina Investment, who provided funds of “Lots of companies like working with small a number of universities over £200,000 – much less than the £5 million companies,” Wood says, “because they the years, engaging in a wide some venture capitalists said was required. know that we can react very quickly and range of research, and the This amount was matched by Sciencesoft's deliver solutions.” bank, backed by the appropriate insurance. results from several projects are “We wanted to look at the finance on our Since 2000, Sciencesoft has had a second now contained in the company’s terms,” says Wood. “Why spend £1 million round of investment, with Aberdeen's Nova products. For example, working on something we don't really need?” Technology Fund putting in £350,000. in conjunction with the University The family has since regained the equity of Texas at Austin, Sciencesoft The company strongly believed it should from Nova, allowing it to exit with a healthy developed a set of file readers stick with its vision – an open, platform- return. Since 2002, Sciencesoft has had independent solution, backed by world-class for the University’s UTCHEM an annual growth rate of 25 per cent, and service and responsiveness to customer chemical reservoir simulator, turnover this year will reach £3 million, needs. The team was also happy to start off speeding up loading and output with profits of £1 million, and the with one or two sales to a few companies, for rapid visualisation and management team have set a target and gradually build up its business, and analysis. of £10m in turnover by 2014. Statoil of Norway was one of its earliest Over the last ten years, reference sites, buying several licences. For Growth has been steady but sure. Every these initial customers, says Wood, S3GRAF year, the company has hired one or two Sciencesoft has also worked simply solved the problem by updating the extra people, reaching its current head closely with the University of old technology without interrupting the count of 18, including six “high-end Glasgow and the University workflow. Customers wanted a new, technical specialists” hired during the last of Strathclyde, taking on 2 –3 improved product that was easy to use and two years. The next two years will see a student interns every summer displayed better visuals, but nobody wanted slight surge in the workforce, however, and creating new employment to change overnight and abandon the old with staff numbers doubling as the opportunities for computer ways of working. Users also did not want to company also doubles its office space. science and physical science throw away existing investments or learn a For Sciencesoft, the harder it gets to exploit graduates. The company has completely new product. oil and gas fields, the more its products will also donated software worth The other key to the success of S3GRAF was be in demand. And with new products over £5 million to universities that the engineers now had a visualisation coming onstream every year, the company at home and overseas, and tool which they could show to non-technical is confident of steady growth in the future – sponsors a PhD student in people on Windows PCs – what Wood as long as it retains its “small is beautiful” the University of Glasgow. describes as “presentation quality.” approach to the business.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 21 Profile D-Light/PureVLC

Enlightenment

for datacomms PROFESSOR HARALD HAAS

Core business: Visible light communications (VLC) The “lightbulb” moment for Haas was when he realised Location: Edinburgh that VLC was going to become a key technology thanks to the increasingly widespread use of low-cost LED lightbulbs. Founded: 2010/11 Haas, who did his PhD at the University of Edinburgh Team members: 4 (1997 –99), then worked for Siemens in Munich and became Proof-of-Concept an Associate Professor at Jacobs University in Bremen funding: £400,000 before returning to Edinburgh in 2007 and becoming Professor of Mobile Communications in 2010, started doing The idea is not new – transmitting data via light – but serious research in VLC in 2003. Two years later, he Harald Haas and Gordon Povey, along with their colleagues demonstrated the system in action at an exhibition in Mostafa Afghani and Wasiu Popoola, have bought the Bremen, then published a paper describing the science concept into the digital age and transformed a bright idea involved. At that time, his system transmitted data over a into an exciting new technology – and a new company. very short distance at a rate of only a few Mbits per second. Based in the University of Edinburgh, the D-Light project run Today, the system is capable of 130Mbits per second over a by Haas and Povey is being spun out as a company called distance of several metres, using standard LED lightbulbs, PureVLC, ready to commercialise and market its system, in real time, under normal lighting conditions. In fact, the focusing initially on niche applications such as oil & gas current speed is more than ten times faster than required for exploration and mines, where the sparks caused by a quality video signal, and the error rate is less than one bit antennae can be a hazard. Another big potential market is per 10,000 bits. The advance, says Haas, is largely down to providing an alternative to cabling for in-flight entertainment using “multiple data carriers” simultaneously – sending and in aircraft. Ultimately, every home and office could also be receiving multiple streams of data at the same time as equipped with the technology, to provide extra bandwidth correcting any errors. as well as security.

page 22 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 The company is well on its way to turning this idea into a commercial product – and a successful new business. VLC: How it works Visible Light Communications (VLC) works by modulating standard LED lightbulbs (i.e. varying intensity) without interfering with the primary function of lighting, controlling the light source to send out a signal then using a detector to receive it. Eventually the system will be an integral part of the lightbulb, added to the electronics already built into standard LED lightbulbs.

Povey, now the CEO of PureVLC, the “electrosmog,” when signals interfere company spun out of D-Light, has known with eac h other. VLC: The Haas since the late 1990s and the former In 2008, Haas submitted an unsuccessful academic, now a businessman, quickly application to Scottish Enterprise for proof- benefits recognised the commercial potential of of-concept (PoC) funding. This was a big > Low power consumption Haas's new technology. disappointment, but the next year, with “The more I looked at it, the more I got input from Povey, he applied again and > Does not cause excited,” says Povey. In 2007, Povey was this time got the money he needed – electromagnetic still involved with his own business, Trisent, approximately £400,000. With this funding, interference (EMI) which was purchased by Artilium in 2008. the team has advanced its research and As an honorary fellow of the University this year formed a company called > Does not use valuable of Edinburgh, with a PhD in mobile PureVLC, ready to take on the world. regulated RF spectrum communications technology, Povey also Povey also says that rather than saw what Haas needed to transform his partnering with datacomms companies > Uses standard, low-cost, “brilliant idea” into a successful product or “reinventing the lightbulb,” D-Light easy-to-install, long-life and a profitable company. He also knew aims to partner with the lightbulb white LEDs they had to find a killer application – a manufacturers, providing added value to problem the technology could solve, not their products, adding VLC capabilities > No health implications just technological potential. to the silicon “real estate” on standard > Security – signals don’t lightbulbs without increasing power “The problem was the spectral efficiency travel through walls of the existing radio network,” says Povey. consumption or costs. Data traffic doubles every year, but According to Haas and Povey, “every scientists struggle to squeeze more out LED lightbulb can b ecome a high-speed of the available bandwidth. In Povey’s WiFi as well as a high-efficiency light opinion, it is better to market VLC as a source.” And the company is well on complement to WiFi, rather than as a its way to turning this idea into a replacement, providing more capacity commercial product – and a successful at much lower cost and also more new business. efficiently – avoiding problems such as

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 23 Profile Gas Sensing Solutions Sensible sensors

Core business: CO 2 sensors Location: Cumbernauld Founded: 2006 “What stimulated me,” he says, “was the market potential. Employees: 16 This was a new type of CO sensor for a wide range of Turnover: Approaching £1 million 2 applications – including building control systems – which could not only help to improve air quality and ensure safety, It's usually “last one out, turn out the lights,” but a new but also save energy and therefore money.” type of sensor developed in Scotland by a company called Gas Sensing Solutions (GSS) promises to revolutionise the The new technology was also very different. The sensors way we manage buildings by detecting how many people developed by GSS use a unique semiconductor-based are in different rooms, using smart wireless networks of mid-infrared light source and detector combination. low-power sensors to optimise office conditions – and In simple terms, this means using light to measure gas save lots of energy and money in the process. And (CO 2) levels based on the fact that different gases absorb according to GSS Chairman and CEO Des Gibson, this is light at specific wavelengths. And what gives the GSS only one of many applications for the new technology. products the edge is that they use solid state light sources Gibson has 30 years’ experience in industry, including and detectors instead of incandescent light bulbs and spells at Barr & Stroud, Pilkington and Carclo plc, before pydroelectric detectors, a new combination which greatly moving on to set up three successful optical-based reduces the power consumption and also speeds up the businesses. With a PhD in thin film optics from Queen’s process – from minutes to seconds. University, Belfast, he also has a good understanding of Another key factor that clinched it for Gibson and other the science involved in the development of GSS products. investors was that this was a “legislation-driven” market, The company was founded in 2006 by sales and marketing with authorities in the US, Europe and Asia about to put the director Alan Henderson, and Gibson first got interested finishing touches to new regulations for building controls. later that year when he did due diligence on behalf of And thanks to this new emphasis on energy efficiency, Tweed Renaissance Investors Capital (TRI Cap) and Scottish the GSS sensors will be used by leading building control Enterprise Co-Investment Fund. And he liked the company system suppliers, enabling offices to fine-tune their and its new technology so much, he not only invested his heating, lighting and air-conditioning systems by own money but managed to get himself appointed the measuring CO 2 levels to calculate how many people are Chairman. using particular spaces, and adjusting accordingly.

page 24 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 New GSS sensors Gas Sensing Solutions (GSS) recently launched a new range of CO 2 sensors trademarked as COZIR, designed for use in battery-powered applications such as hand-held devices and wireless systems, where low duty cycle is important to maximise battery life. The benefits of the new sensors include: > Low power consumption You can have the best technology in the world, but > Battery operated 3.3 volts for successful commercial implementation, the > Auto calibration essential focus has to be delivering innovative, > Compatible with wireless on-time and cost-effective solutions the market communications requires. Effective marketing is essential to > Minimal power-up time ensure delivered technology is ahead of the curve. > Standard digital output – Des Gibson, chairman & CEO of Gas Sensing Solutions The new sensors reach full accuracy less than two seconds after powering According to Gibson, GSS has two key advantages over all other gas sensor solutions. up, and extremely low power First, the device is battery-operated and requires no hard wiring. The sensors use up consumption can be achieved by to 1/50 th of the power of standard light sources and detectors, and they stabilise powering down between immediately so you can measure the level of gas straight away, unlike previous sensors measurements. which took up to ten minutes to warm up. And this adds up to 1/2,000 th of the energy used and means a single battery will last for several years. Ultimately, the sensors will The sensors can be easily fitted be self-powered, using power-scavenging technologies such as solar cells. into handheld portable devices and Because the new technology is different, it also requires a new approach to production, wall-mounted control systems, and and GSS has turned to the University of Glasgow to help it research and develop new come in two ranges: mid-infrared sources and detectors. Moreover, the electronics and nanoscale > COZIR ambient (diameter 43mm, engineering research division at Glasgow University, headed by Professor Iain Thayne, height 15mm) – for applications is working with GSS to implement new manufacturing methods which will result in such as heating, ventilation and air high-throughput production capability. conditioning (HVAC), indoor air As further evidence of the strong bonds between the two organisations, GSS and quality (IAQ), education and Glasgow University recently secured an industrial CASE Studentship, to focus on horticulture. research to improve GSS's mid-infra-red device technology. The award is jointly funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and GSS. > COZIR wide-range (diameter 18mm, height 20mm) – suitable for process The company is also working with the University of Strathclyde on research into optics, control applications such as diving, while the University of the West of Scotland's microsensors group is helping it model industrial, safety and automotive. the sensors. “All three universities have worked well,” says Gibson, “and kept their focus. When universities work with industry, they need a change of mindset, and our According to GSS, the new sensors relationship with all three has been highly successful.” measure CO 2 levels twice every Because it clearly has significant market potential and has four patents, GSS has second and consume only 3.5mW in attracted the interest of several investors and has already been through five rounds continuous operation – 50 times less of funding. For the last five years, most of the company's efforts have been focused than standard non-dispersive infra-red on research and development, setting up a global distribution network, building (NDIR) sensors. The new range utilises partnerships with industry and establishing production capability, but since it started GSS’s patented mid-infrared optics and active sales a year ago, turnover is already approaching £1 million. light source detector technology. Based in Cumbernauld, the company sources components from various countries, GSS also recently launched an including China, and then integrates and calibrates all the components in-house, with a ultra-high-speed version of the team of 16 people running the show, including Henderson and Gibson, plus financial sensor called SprintIR, which samples director John Burgon and engineering & operations director Calum MacGregor. 20 measurements per second. GSS recently secured first place in the regional final of a Shell Springboard Competition, SprintIR is aimed at applications based on the potential offered by the company’s products for energy reduction. requiring absolute real time CO 2 response, such as temporal Building control systems promise to be a huge source of demand for the company’s measurement of CO exhalation, products, but other markets also have significant potential, including horticulture, with 2 networks of smart sensors helping to optimise plant growth, and safety applications in-flow process control and analytical in various industries, as well as mining, diving, automotive (in-cabin) and transport instrumentation. systems. Future products will be used to measure methane – further extending the company’s market.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 25 Profile Mobile Acuity k a o D y r a G y b o t o h P

ANTHONY ASHBROOK World Wide Web world

Core business: Mobile visual search This new technology is called “mobile visual search,” and for advertising and retail it's aleady been adopted by major marketing companies and retailers including Tesco, who are looking to integrate Location: Edinburgh it into their e-commerce system. Founded: 2006 Mobile Acuity founder and CEO Anthony Ashbrook has Employees: 1–10 specialised in computer vision technologies for over 15 years. Before coming to Scotland, he did his PhD in machine Customers: Marketing & media companies intelligence at Sheffield University and he has also worked and retailers, including Tesco with companies including Vision Innovations, Virtual Mirrors and C3D, better known now as Dimensional Imaging. In his What if you could point your mobile phone at any product, earlier commercial work, he focused on imaging, computer take a photo and instantly access a web site that tells you vision and computer graphics, for industrial and niche all about it, including what it is and where to buy it, price applications, but mobile visual search is the mass-market comparisons and customer reviews, then press a button and product he’s always been hoping to find. buy it? What if you could point at any object or image – e.g. exhibits in a gallery or cars in a showroom, a building, an The big idea advertisement or magazine cover – and also access all sorts Ashbrook's lightbulb moment came in 2003, when mobile of digital content including web sites, audio and video? phones started appearing with a digital camera built in as standard. The big idea was “the mobile that can see” – a Most of us are already familiar with barcodes as well as new way to search just by pointing the phone, interrogating their more grown-up versions, QR codes, which provide a image databases just like a text search. “The mobile phone kind of digital label that connects you, via a scanner or with camera provided a platform for thousands of new camera phone, to the relevant web site. But a company applications,” says Ashbrook, “for very little capital outlay called Mobile Acuity has developed a technology for mobile by individual consumers.” devices which enables you to do the same – and much, much more – with ordinary images and objects, effectively While still working as a consultant, Ashbrook teamed up turning the world into an extension of the World Wide Web, with Dr Mark Wright at the University of Edinburgh to with web sites accessible via your camera by clicking on develop the idea of “image recognition applications for images and three-dimensional objects, the same as camera phones” and mobile visual search – and Mobile clicking on a hot link in a document or browser. Acuity started taking shape as a commercial reality.

page 26 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 The idea has incredible potential.

After winning £120,000 proof-of-concept First major breakthroughs funding from Scottish Enterprise to advance Winning a major contact from Tesco is a huge More its research from 2004 to December 2005, the advance for Ashbrook and his colleagues. company was founded in early 2006 as a spin- Last year, the retail giant issued a tender for out from the University of Edinburgh, backed by a new barcode reader solution for mobiles, mobile a private investor. Within a year, Ashbrook and and Mobile Acuity came out the winner in a co-founder Wright had a commercial product shoot-out with a number of international money ready for market and quickly won business competitors. from major brands such as Disney and Nike, but it took a few more years to establish a The initial specification was simply for Mobile Acuity recently recurring revenue stream for the business. barcodes, but Ashbrook reveals that he secured a major investment “Six years later this technology is still just “sneaked in a camera button” which from bieMEDIA, a US-based emerging – we were way ahead of the market, demonstrated extra capabilities, including online marketing and media which in itself is a challenge,” says Ashbrook. mobile visual search. Tesco’s Grocery app has solutions company, and a been downloaded and used for millions of The question for Mobile Acuity in the early days Scottish business angel scans. was: “We have a great technology but how can network fronted by Steven we most effectively turn this into a business?” Another recent breakthrough was a Morris and the University of partnership with TurnIntoCash.com, enabling One idea was to develop an app which would Edinburgh’s new investment users of the company’s website to work out recognise virtually everything, but how would fund Old College Capital. how much their old music and film collections you convert that into profits? To make the The funds will be used to are worth, integrating Mobile Acuity barcode product work for every object in the world scanning technology across all mobile phone expand the company’s would also take an army of assistants working platforms, including iPhone, Android and operations into the US for thousands of years – collecting millions of Blackberry, and “working together to add and East Asian markets. images, identifying and classifying every single future visual search functions to the apps.” image, then building the database. Apart from As a measure of its impact, the iPhone app Chris Wade, Executive the enormous investment required before you was downloaded over 1,000 times in its first Chairman of Mobile Acuity, would start to earn money, this would mean full week on the iTunes store. says that the investment will competing head-on with established industry not only enable the company giants such as Google, which already collects Another partnership with “digital media millions of images from its own users. delivery company” 7digital will enable users to to expand overseas and “discover” music by pointing their phones at an diversify into new vertical Ironically, the launch of Google “Goggles,” an image on a CD cover or another visual medium markets but “also allow us image recognition application which works in a to access information then decide whether to to continue to grow and similar way to the system developed by Mobile preview or download and purchase the music. Acuity, has been a very positive thing for the invest in local skills and young Scottish start-up, because it made the Mobile Acuity does not earn its revenues resources.” technology much better known and more from selling software licenses but provides Jon Barocas, CEO of widely accepted – potential customers already an “unbranded solution” and then deploys a know that mobile search is practical and a web-based service to clients, hosting the bieMEDIA, believes the major technology player is leading the way. database and processing queries from users. investment will revolutionise the way its clients and What makes Mobile Acuity different, however, In the longer term, the company will generate consumers interact is that it does not intend to compete in the its revenues by earning royalties from usage same market sector. Instead of building up and the number of transactions. “We want “by offering compelling a universal database with millions of images, to be in the transaction path,” Ashbrook web, video and mobile it goes to customers who have their own explains, “and monetise the process.” commerce experiences specialist images ready compiled, and provides The idea has incredible potential. For example, and opportunities.” a solution which enables that client’s Tesco operates more than 5,000 stores in 14 consumers to point at a product or an image countries and had revenues of over £60 billion of a product in an advertisement or other in the last financial year. It reportedly sells 1.5 visual media, and search an image database, billion bananas a year and delivers over one using their own mobile phones and a special billion items to customers’ homes every year. downloadable app – to browse information If Mobile Acuity earned a commission every and also make purchases. time a Tesco customer used its mobile app to “The customer who has the most potential for purchase a product... us is the one who wants to give its consumers the best user experience,” says Ashbrook.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 27 Profile Pufferfish What comes around...

Core business: Dynamic digital displays including Greenwich and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 360° inflatable and acrylic spheres Perth. With other clients ranging from the Wagner Fest Location: Edinburgh and musical legends such as Coldplay, who used its spherical displays – PufferSpheres – for special effects Founded: 2004 on a record-breaking world tour, to high-tech companies Employees: 8 full-time, plus regular such as IBM, O 2, Symantec and Google, Pufferfish is fast sub-contractors establishing a global reputation for its specialist Turnover: £1 million in 201 0–11 projection solutions. Clients: Symantec, NASA, MET Office, BBC, Pufferfish Ltd emerged from the University of Edinburgh in Coldplay, OPEC, Grolsh, IBM, Optos, 2004, when its co-founders Oliver Collier and Will Cavendish Boeing, Virgin Money, Amway (now Technical Director) had an idea for an innovative digital display which would enable them to project images onto a When the new National Museum of Scotland opened in sphere, in sharp focus on every part of the surface. Seven July, one of its most innovative exhibits was a 2-metre years later, the company has gone through several rounds digital sphere displaying geology-focused content stories, of investment, including substantial funding from the developed by a company whose office is only a few Braveheart Investment Group, plus further backing from hundred metres away from the revamped museum. This Scottish Enterprise’s Scottish Co-Investment Fund and year, a similar 1.8-metre-diameter sphere has also been several private investors, and built up a who's who of clients installed in the London Stock Exchange, while smaller in countries all over the world, selling and renting solutions 90cm spheres, also permanent exhibits made of acrylic, for events and permanent exhibits in America and Asia, plus have gone on show at the National Maritime Museum in the Middle East and all around Europe.

page 28 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 We have an open approach to supplying solutions, but we always want to make sure that everything works.

In 2002, Collier (music & physics) and Cavendish laptop computer or media server, converting (or (who studied architecture) had developed a prototype “spherising”) digital content designed for a flat surface system which responded to MIDI (musical instrument onto a sphere, so every single pixel remains bright and digital interface) sensors, and spent many hours glueing equally focused. The process may seem simple, but spheres together with solvent before the undergraduate Pufferfish is clearly a few steps ahead of its rivals, who project became a serious business proposal. The have struggled to provide a higher-quality or lower-priced Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme (EPIS) gave the alternative. The principles of the core technology are business early-stage financial support when it was “essentially the same,” Allan explains, but they have established in 2004, and early on Collier and Cavendish learned a lot along the way not just about projectors and also won a SMART: Scotland award, matched by lenses but also the materials and coatings used for Braveheart, which enabled it to fine-tune its technology spheres, many of which are inflated on site in a matter of and develop its marketing strategy. minutes, like balloons. The technologies are also open, says Allan, so PufferSpheres can integrate with most The technology has progressed out of all recognition other media systems, including specialist devices. since those early days, but the company has also evolved since it entered the business arena, providing a complete What makes the technology so different, says Allan, is the package of services, as well as hardware and software original design of special “omni-focus” lenses, plastic solutions. According to sales and marketing manager coatings and novel projection techniques, with images Ben Allan, the key to success has been the company's controlled by special software. But another key difference “hands-on” approach and its international network of is attention to detail and the flexibility to build solutions partners, as well as its technology and understanding of matched to client needs – for example, spheres robust content. Its partners come in different shapes and sizes, enough to meet strict safety standards at the same time but many of them have a lot of rental experience – as being easy to transport, maintain and install. essential when so many clients use Pufferfish displays For Allan, one of his proudest achievements is when for one-off events. someone comments on one of its systems by saying Every client means a different challenge, says Allan. “that's a Pufferfish,” as if the brandname is already One day, he is talking to the Ruhrtriennale (Wagner Fest) recognised as generic – like Thermos or Hoover. in Germany, using PufferSpheres for a production of the But even though its systems may give Pufferfish the edge opera Tristan & Isolde , and the next it is the BBC, shooting in this particular technology, Allan also believes that the a trailer in Cape Town. The company made its first sale in service it offers is what makes the critical difference. 2006 and, as the years went by, continued to develop its “We focus on being the company people want to work solution and reduce prices. In financial year 2010 –11, its with,” he explains. “We have an open approach to gross sales topped £1 million, including 40 PufferSpheres supplying solutions, but we always want to make sure of different dimensions. that everything works.” Pufferfish has come a long way in the last seven years, The technology but it still keeps in very close contact with the university The breakthrough made by Pufferfish was to develop where it all started, and a new generation of students special lenses and projection techniques to display in the Informatics Department is now using Pufferfish images (output from standard projectors made by systems to develop innovative interactive displays – companies such as Projection Design, Christie and Barco, as if the spherical idea has come full circle. etc.) onto a spherical surface from sources including a

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 29 Profile Cereproc Helping machines sound more human

Core business: Speech synthesis Aylett, who is Cereproc's chief technical officer and co-founded the company with Paul Welham and Christopher Location: Edinburgh Pidcock six years ago, is a self-confessed evangelist for Founded: 2005 “characterful” voices for machines. “I want to get the Employees: 12 full-time engineers including industry to move past conventional command and control the management team systems,” Aylett explains. It is ironic that when CereProc first developed its interest in voice synthesis, many industry pundits did not see the When Matthew Aylett answers the phone, some people appeal of more human-like voices. The orthodox opinion was may wonder if it is him or not. After all, his company (www.cereproc.com) is one of the world's leading developers that machines should sound neutral, but Aylett questioned of speech synthesis systems, and he may just be trying out the value of the “unearthly” voices of so many systems. one of its latest creations. Aylett's interest in creating emotional voices started eight years ago, when his sister was investigating “bullying” as There are many bad examples of speech synthesis systems, part of a the “FearNot” project at Heriot-Watt University and including speak-your-weight machines and Daleks. Text-to-speech or TTS technology can also have its funny asked him if he could produce five “expressive” characterful side – e.g. the American editor who wasn't aware Stephen child voices to help her research. Aylett, then a senior Hawking was English because of his “American” accent. engineer in a TTS company called Rhetorical Systems which Voice synthesis is also nothing new – Alexander Graham Bell spun out of Edinburgh University in 2000, realised that the also tried to develop a Speaking Machine. But according to current technology needed to be improved to achieve this Aylett, robot-like voices will soon be a thing of the past goal. as machines learn to speak more like humans, thanks to Rhetorical was later bought by Nuance (formerly Scansoft), recent technological advances. and after a spell working at the International Computer “We give machines a personality, character and emotion,” Science Institute (ICSI) at Berkeley, California, Aylett teamed says Aylett. “We can also clone human voices, duplicating up with Pidcock and Welham to form Cereproc, “lamenting them so a machine can use the voice, or humans can the lack of innovation by speech technology companies replace their own voices.” around the world.”

page 30 science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 Speech is the natural Cereproc partners man-machine interface. Cereproc works with several universities in the UK and abroad, including the Academics, says Aylett, tend to look for Speech synthesis systems are also beginning to University of Edinburgh publishable, theoretically interesting ideas, while spread into more and more aspects of life, not just (particularly the Centre commercial enterprises need end results. electronic games and voice-response systems but of Speech Technology Cereproc, he says, has taken a “mixed approach” mobile and virtual devices, including “smart Research in the School to advance its technology, in the quest to develop homes”, where technology “speaks” to people of Informatics), Stanford more characterful voices. The classic industry with disabilities such as impaired vision. University, the Fundacio Barcelona Media and approach was to think in terms of male or female Another application gaining in importance is Heriot-Watt University, voices, and there was little incentive to create “aggregated data” systems combined with TTS – which is using Cereproc something better. But Cereproc’s founders had text-to-speech technology for example, a “personalised radio” system which different ideas. in the development of can search the web for news alerts and then robots with character. Initially, the company's resources were ploughed read them out, in the voice of your choice, as a Its commercial partners into developing the “voice-building process,” so customised “package,” while you are driving. include Interactive they could produce a wide variety of voices easily Other alerts could be set up for air fares or special Digital, ReadSpeaker, and quickly to meet different client requirements. promotions – much the same as “live” traffic SpeechConcept and JayBee. Choosing the right accent for particular uses can announcements. Radio, says Aylett, is making a be an interesting challenge, says Aylett, because comeback, and “push-down” (as opposed to The emotional many accents are “loaded” with their own “pull-down”) data systems could be part of this continuum associations. Realistic-sounding speech can be resurgence. “We are wading through a sea of Cereproc uses two separate important, but if an automated machine is stating information,” says Aylett, and using TTS could methods to simulate your bank balance, for example, neutral speech turn it into a “rich audio experience.” emotional states. The first is may be more appropriate. On the other hand, to to select tense or calm voice Aggregated data was one of three Cereproc read out an entire paragraph, the voice has to have quality. This compares projects funded by Scottish Enterprise under the closely with the perception a more “natural” tone to convey complex meaning SMART: Scotland programme, starting in 2006, of negative and positive – or it will sound very boring. when the company received a grant for £50,000 to emotional states (and to To explain this process, Aylett refers to the develop a semi-automated voice synthesis system. some extent active or passive). The second is to “emotional continuum” of voice synthesis systems, Voice cloning is another exciting area for Cereproc use digital signal processing including the basics of “happy or sad, positive or – and not just for fun. If people are about to lose (DSP) techniques to alter the negative, active or passive” (see sidebar). To make their voices because of a medical problem, the speech to active or passive a voice sound human, it should be capable of voices can be sampled and then reproduced so states. Active states involve speaking in a natural manner that seems to they sound “just like themselves.” A humorous faster speech rate, higher appreciate context and meaning, etc., but Aylett example of this kind of technology can be heard at volume and higher pitch. Passive states involve slower also cautions that the aim is not to misdirect or http://www.idyacy.com/cgi-bin/bushomatic.cgi, speech rate, lower volume “trick” the listener but simply make the machine where you can type in words and listen to President and lower pitch. sound more “normal.” Bush say whatever you want him to say. The stronger the emotion, The growth of the voice synthesis market has also Cereproc has sometimes swum against the tide the harder it can be to been driven by changes in other technologies such as it developed speech synthesis systems, but has simulate. This is because as smartphones and tablet computers, which come now established itself as an industry leader. the DSP ‘tricks” used to with built-in microphones and are starting to In Aylett's view, the future of the company depends simulate emotions begin to include “artefacts.” popularise speech recognition solutions. A few on “staying at the cutting edge of the technology,” For example, slowing the because for such a relatively small business to years ago, it was thought the killer application speech rate and lowering would be automated travel agents, “speaking” to survive, it has to be one step ahead of its rivals. the pitch with a negative customers over the phone, but visual presentation Cereproc’s success so far has come from the voice quality will make the (e.g. websites) for some applications will always be freedom small companies have to pursue their voice sound sad – and the much more effective. own vision, and Aylett believes this has enabled slower the sadder – until it to be more innovative – and will continue to the speech sounds Like the Daleks, voice synthesis once had a bad help it in future. artificially slowed down reputation, says Aylett, and the technology was and unnatural. “a design-free zone,” but this is now rapidly Thus, although we can changing. Voice synthesis is not always the most simulate a wide variation appropriate interface, however. We don’t need our in the underlying emotion toasters to tell us the toast’s burned, for example, of voices, we do not have but voice sythesis systems are now going through a complete control. We cannot make our voice sound renaissance, because they’re being used in more furious or in agony. appropriate ways. “The problem is designing it so it is right,” Aylett says.

science scotland ISSUE 12 SPRING 2012 page 31 Science Scotland – bringing you the best of Science and Technology from Scotland – is published by The Royal Society of Edinburgh, with support from:

The Scottish Government is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs and transport.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Scotland’s national academy, was founded in 1783 and the Fellowship today includes some of the best intellectual talent in academia, the professions and business. The RSE facilitates public debate, research programmes, educational projects and strategy formulations. Its strength is its diversity and impartiality. The Society’s unique multi-disciplinary approach enables it to draw from and link with a broad spectrum of expertise to enhance the understanding of globally-important issues. In fulfilling its Royal Charter for the ‘advancement of learning and useful knowledge’, the RSE seeks to contribute to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of Scotland.

To view Science Scotland online, please go to: www.sciencescotland.org For more information, please contact: sciencescotland @royalsoced.org.uk