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Strategic Network for Sensor Research

at Cambridge University
 
Urban sprawl, elephants and solar panels

Five interdisciplinary groups of researchers are currently developing smart imaging solutions for problems faced by people living in ODA countries.

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Cambridge Global Challenges SRI, Synthetic Biology in Cambridge IRC and the CamBridgeSens SRN have come together to support interdisciplinary teams of early career researchers to develop smart imaging technologies which can address challenges faced by communities in ODA countries.

The five groups of natural and social scientists, engineers and architects are looking at a diverse spectrum of challenges. Labelling solar panels to prevent theft, monitoring elephant behaviour near human settlements, using aerial images to investigate and model urban settlements, low-cost malaria detection and developing plant based batteries for a low power imaging system showcase the range of ideas which emerged from the sandpit event in November 2019.

IMG 4276The progress made by the teams was impressive after only two months of work. E.g. detailed 3D information has been extracted from patchy satellite images in relation to Indian cities. A machine learning implementation has been trained to detect elephants as they are intruding on land. Another promising project is the use of plant based materials to act as a battery for a low power camera which can be used to monitor crops and enable local farmers to gather valuable information about their plants.

two presentations

We are looking forward to further advances of these projects.

The event was kindly sponsored by the Isaac Newton Trust small grants scheme and Prof Andrea Brand, Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge.