Introduction to the AIM Lab

Welcome to the website of the Advanced Imaging and Measurement Lab, or AIM Lab (formerly the Ultrasonics Lab), led jointly by Professor David Hutchins FREng and Dr Duncan Billson. This multi-disciplinary research group is active in many areas of research in terms of NDE and imaging technologies/application areas. The group has collaborations with a number of institutions both within the UK and internationally.

The group also forms part of The Centre for Industrial Ultrasonics, led by Prof Steve Dixon, which consists of a team of over 20 researchers in the School of Engineering and the Department of Physics, led by four highly experienced academics who have run a number of very successful, large scale research projects and technology transfer programmes. We were set up to help industrial organisations get access to specialised research expertise and equipment.

Other recent collaborations include the UK Research Centre for NDE (RCNDE), a consortium of six UK Universities and 15 industrial members from around the world. This has involved both Core Research, and Targeted Research Programmes performed with input from industrial partners. The lab works closely with the Department of Physics - click on link on the right - in RCNDE-related research.

Dr Billson and Prof Hutchins are both founders of a University of Warwick spin-off company, Warwick Acoustics. This company is investigating new structures for the design of ultra-thin and flexible loudspeakers and headphones.

Recent research has also investigated ultrasonic metamaterials. This has been funded at Warwick via an EPSRC grant, in collaboration with Prof Steven Freear at the University of Leeds and Prof Adam Clare at the University of Nottingham. This has led to a series of recent publications (see publication list).

For additional information or to inquire about our research, please contact d dot a dot hutchins at warwick dot ac dot uk