Kevin Couling, Associate Tutor, WMG

WMG were showcasing a range of 3D printed objects, from the death mask of Mary Ball, the last woman hung in Coventry, to a super-light metal aircraft gearstick.

“Lots of people have been really surprised that we can 3D print in metal. For manufacturing this is a great innovation, especially for the aircraft industry. We can make parts with not only less weight, but also a lot less waste. Rather than carving metal away to make the part, we only use the metal needed to create the object.”

Lauren Chappell, Research Fellow, Life Sciences

The Life Sciences team based at Warwick Crop Centre were showcasing their famous ‘Godiva’ beansLink opens in a new window.

“We work with vegetable genetics, creating varieties with greater pest and disease resistance. We are also increasingly interested in climate tolerance as our climate changes and our seasons become less predictable. Our research will lead to food security, helping everyone get the nutrition and quality of food that they need.”

Alan Chalmers, Professor, WMG

WMG were asking visitors to taste the difference between Vegemite and Marmite as a way to explain how their taste creation machine could detect early onset Alzheimer’s.

“With Alzheimer’s one of the first things to change is that you lose the ability to tell between flavours. Using similar yet different tastes, we can test people in their 40s and 50s for the disease. An early diagnosis can really help with long term care.

“We are also working with the vineyards in Stellenbosch, the famous wine producing region of South Africa, to create a popular Sauvignon blanc. Our machine can replicate all the flavours in the wine and mix them in combinations, adding and taking flavours away until you hit on a highly marketable recipe. Wine growers can’t take flavours away, they can only ever add to them, so our technology makes a real difference.”

Michele Gutteridge, Assistant Professor, WMS

“It’s been a really great day, we’ve been so busy. We’ve got our virtual reality headsets here that our students can use. They get to spend a day in the life of a person with neurodiversity which provides them with an understanding of the challenges they might face. And the great thing is, it’s not just students trying out the headsets, we’ve had local businesses try them as well which will hopefully help develop further use of the technology.”

Peter Bull and David Busmans from Skyfarer

Peter and David work on the tech start up Skyfarer, who Warwick have helped to support as a start up business. Skyfarer make drones to deliver essential medical supplies.

“We work a lot with the NHS. One of the things our drones deliver are nuclear pharmaceuticals. These are isotopes with a short half life used in cancer treatment. Our drones get them quickly from the point of manufacture to the point of use in a hospital. So our technology enables treatment and that’s what we are all about.”