Expert comment from Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG on the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan

“I welcome this timely and ground-breaking AI Opportunities Action Plan by the UK Government. We thank both the UK Government and Matthew Clifford CBE for laying a solid foundation for the UK’s AI development and deployment in the coming decade.

‘‘AI has huge potential to help develop different life-changing technologies. However, AI, when used in safety-critical applications such as Self-Driving vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance technology, needs to be trusted. With the lack of internationally-agreed methodologies or mechanisms to prove that AI is safe, we urge the government to prioritise safe AI in this plan.

‘‘We welcome the announcement of AI Growth Zones, which could attract significant investment into the UK in high-growth sectors such as Safe Automated Mobility. For example, at WMG we have partnered with leading AI developer Wayve on our £1.9 million-research project, DriveSafe AI, to develop scalable engineering safety guidelines and mechanisms to prove AI is safe for self-driving technology while sharing with the ecosystem and building on international standards like ISO/PAS 8800.’’

Read more about WMG’s Safe Autonomy research here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/research/research-areas/safeautonomy

Professor David GreenwoodLink opens in a new window, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, comments on the newly established UK Steel Council.

“The establishment of the Steel Council marks a turning point in the narrative of the UK steel industry as it transitions to a clean, green, digitalised future.

“To succeed, government, industry, trade unions and research bodies must work together to deliver a long-term strategy encompassing policy; technology; skills; supply chains, and regions.

“WMG, as a centre of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, is delighted to contribute to the success of the Council and help to secure the future of the UK steel industry.”

A PhD student from WMG at the University of Warwick, has been honoured at the International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO) RubberCon 2024.

The IRCO RubberCon, an annual event organised by a careful selection of rubber societies, gathers industry leaders and experts for insightful discussions. This year’s conference, held in Kerala, India, focused on the theme, “Sustainable Development in the Rubber Industry: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Ajitha Achuthanunni, who is based in WMG’s International Institute of Nanocomposite Manufacturing (IINM), received the Best Presentation Award for her groundbreaking research on composites of 2D materials and rubber blends.

Staff and students from across WMG and the University of Warwick were pleased to support the Youth Energy SummitLink opens in a new window at the Coventry Building Society Arena in November 2024.

The Summit was organised by the Highly Sprung theatre group who asked delegates to reimagine a more equitable and sustainable future for the region.

The young delegates heard from keynote speakers on sustainability issues including WMG’s Principal Engineer and Member of Coventry City Council's Climate Change Board, Dr Russell HallLink opens in a new window. Workshops were also held by the WMG Outreach team and the Warwick Institute of Engagement. 

The SafeBatt project, involving battery experts from WMG at the University of Warwick, has won a Safety Innovation Award at the Electrical Product SafetyLink opens in a new window Conference. 

The conference was held in London on Thursday (21^st November) with the awards recognising and celebrating the best engineering collaborations and innovations across the UK. 

Funded by the Faraday Institution, SafeBatt is a collaboration of seven universities as well as industry partners investigating the science behind battery safety.  

New research on the enhancement of the lifespan and performance of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles has been published by experts at WMG, the University of Warwick.

The paper, published in Joule – a leading sustainable energy journal - explores charge compensation in Li-ion battery cathodes by assessing the electronic structure.

WMG scientists in collaboration with academic partners in the Faraday Institution’s Degradation and FutureCat projects have experimentally demonstrated that oxygen (rather than the transition metal, as previously believed) is the redox active species, and is responsible for the energy storage mechanism.

Matthew Ogley, PhD Researcher at WMG, who led the project together with Dr Ashok S. Menon, explained: “This work highlights the bulk stability of NMC811 cathodes within high voltage cycling windows. By now focusing on surface stabilisation to minimise degradation, our research highlights practical strategies for the creation of longer-lasting batteries, which is crucial for electric vehicles.”

WMG at the University of Warwick proudly hosted the Thermo Fisher Scientific Clean Energy Forum and extends its gratitude to all distinguished speakers and attendees.

WMG was pleased to be part of an incredible array of speakers from both industry and academia, participating in the exchange of knowledge about groundbreaking work underway to benefit the battery industry.

The event provided an excellent platform to highlight WMG’s state-of-the-art pilot line facilities and advanced characterisation capabilities, including microscopy, operando techniques, and in-line metrology, which are pivotal for pioneering battery projects in collaboration with industry partners.
 

WMG’s Professor of Battery Innovation, Louis Piper, explained: “The Clean Energy Forum provided an exceptional platform for fostering collaboration and dialogue between academic experts and industry leaders across Europe. We are excited about our collaboration with Thermo Fisher in the areas of in-line metrology and characterisation for battery prototyping and scale up."

Professor Louis Piper and his team, at WMG at the University of Warwick, are pleased to welcome two Visiting Research Fellows (VRF), Nicolas Palma and Arroyo Gomez, from Chile and Argentina, respectively.

The VRF programme, facilitated by the Faraday Institution, provides funding to UK universities to host exceptional academics, at the post-doctoral research associate (PDRA) career stage, for a period of six months.

WMG will support, supervise, and mentor the VRFs as they conduct battery research and establish new collaborations.

WMG at the University of Warwick is part of a pioneering project, led by Solihull CouncilLink opens in a new window, to develop a self-driving fully-electric shuttle service at the National Exhibition Centre (NECLink opens in a new window), Birmingham.

The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project is a collaborative initiative, aimed at better understanding the role self-driving vehicles might one day play within our future transport system.

As part of the pilot, SCALE will see a fleet of three electric self-driving shuttles ferry passengers along a new 7km route linking up Birmingham International rail station, the NEC and Birmingham Business Park.

WMG will be focusing on the safety aspect of the shuttle service, providing expertise on hazard analysis, vehicle testing and operational safety.