Scottish research into the experiences of deaf and blind people during the coronavirus pandemic reveals a deprivation in the sense of touch.
The results of the ‘Touch Post-COVID-19’ project led by the University of Glasgow informs the development of new technology which supports human interaction.
The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) within UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) rapid response to COVID-19.
Humans maintain large and complex social networks that are essential for not only our success as a species, but for our mental health and overall happiness. So, when the pandemic struck, an easily overlooked but dangerous aspect of social isolation in our newfound daily lives involved the loss of everyday physical touch.
Over the past two years, up and down the UK, thousands of research and innovation projects have been publicly funded to tackle the pandemic.
The University of Glasgow launched an 18-month project to investigate the impact of touch deprivation on the deafblind community during the pandemic. Named the ‘Touch Post-COVID-19’ project, it aimed to develop strategies and policies for people who rely on their sense of touch to discover the world around them.
The study collected audio-visual data such as interviews and audio diaries from participants to understand their experiences of space, memory, and social interactions.
This understanding helped create a tool for audio and visually impaired people to better navigate their surroundings in the post-pandemic world. The results will be used by researchers to develop new technologies to help facilitate safe and reliable communication and interaction with surroundings.
The work by the team at the University of Glasgow forms part of a £550 million COVID-19 rapid investment programme by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – the largest public funder of research and development in the UK.
The diversity of UKRI-funded projects is vast – from the world’s first COVID-19 treatments and vaccines to projects that help us understand and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our economy, environment, education, arts sector and mental health.
This funding builds on decades of public investment and research expertise which have provided the backbone to our national COVID-19 response.
Dr Azadeh Emadi, lecturer in Film and Television at The University pf Glasgow, who was part of the project comments: “The project aims to understand and reveal the relevance of deafblind experiences of touch and touch deprivation during COVID-19 to a larger general population.
“In collaboration with deafblind community, we gathered audio-visual data, in the form of audio diaries and interviews, about their experiences. From gathered data, we have been developing creative works, a policy brief, and a prototype device that enhances situational awareness through haptics technology informed by radar sensors.
“Our research data shows that COVID-19 has increased the intimacy and reliance on the relationship with close partners and guid communicators, but endangered broader access to social and cultural life.
“To rethink touch and address the increasing isolation of deafblind individuals require a new interdisciplinary framework, one that is based on mutual communication and inclusion of the community.”
Researchers at Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde team up with international partners to develop quantum technologies for medical imaging and new materials for better medicines
Researchers at Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde universities team up with international partners to develop technologies of tomorrow
Teams at Heriot-Watt will work on developing quantum technologies capable of measuring single light particles that could be used for medical imaging or detecting objects behind barriers
A team from Strathclyde will develop new materials which could improve the processing and performance of drugs such as tablets and capsules
Leading UK researchers from Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde universities will work with international collaborators to develop the technologies of tomorrow, including quantum technologies for medical imaging and new materials for better medicines.
They are among 12 projects announced today bringing together UK and international researchers to develop cutting-edge new technologies, funded through a £17 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
One team at Heriot-Watt, led by Professor Gerald Buller, has been awarded a £1.3 million grant to advance quantum technologies capable of measuring single light particles.
Detectors that are capable of measuring the single quantum of light – the photon – are critical to many quantum technologies.
These technologies include quantum communications systems which connect remote quantum processors, and quantum-enhanced imaging approaches for uses such as medical imaging, detecting objects that are faint or behind barriers and satellite communication networks.
The team will work with collaborators at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology in the US.
Professor Buller said: “The impact of this project will be found in both advancing the emerging applications of quantum technology, as well as in more ‘blue-sky’ quantum research.
“Accessing the state-of-the-art detect single-photon detectors from this project will enable a range of advances in emerging quantum technologies such as quantum communications and quantum-enhanced imaging.
“In parallel, this project will allow examination of more fundamental studies of quantum entanglement in ultra-high dimensional quantum imaging and communications.”
A team of researchers at Strathclyde, led by Professor Alastair Florence, has been awarded a £1.2 million grant to work with collaborators in the USA, advance the development of amorphous materials, which are rigid and can hold their shape like solids but have disordered atomic structures like liquids.
They have huge potential in medicines manufacturing where they could be used to improve the processing and overall performance of drugs, in particular treatments which are taken orally such as tablets and capsules.
The team will work with collaborators at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Ghent University in Belgium.
Professor Florence said: “This ambitious new international collaboration will develop new science and digital technologies to de-risk the use of amorphous solid forms, reduce the timescale and cost of their development, deliver innovation in their design and manufacture, and help drive the adoption of this versatile and important class of materials across pharmaceutical industry.
“Crucially, the project will also help to develop the talent pipeline and future research leaders for industry as well as academia.”
UK Science Minister George Freeman said: “From improving cancer treatment and generating clean growth to designing the communication networks of tomorrow, UK science, technology and innovation is developing pioneering solutions to the some of the world’s greatest challenges.
“These 12 international projects will harness the expertise of the UK’s world-leading researchers and global collaborators, helping us accelerate our path to an innovation nation and underline our position as a science superpower.”
EPSRC Executive Chair Professor Dame Lynn Gladden said: ““From better, cheaper medicines to powerful quantum computers and next-generation communications networks, these new technologies have the potential to transform the way we live.
“By bringing together world-leading researchers to deliver ground-breaking science and engineering solutions, these projects will generate impact that will be felt across all of society.”
The projects are:
A project led by Durham University aims to develop molecular quantum technologies for use in powerful quantum computers. They aim to use ultracold molecules cooled to within a millionth of a degree of absolute zero as the building blocks of new computing platforms, exploiting the rich internal structure of molecules to unlock the enormous processing power of quantum computation.
Partners: Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Harvard University (USA), JILA at the University of Colorado Boulder (USA)
Led by the University of Birmingham, researchers intend to develop robust and transportable optical clocks which use light to provide an unparalleled precision in timekeeping. They have a wide range of potential uses, from helping planes and ships to navigate to underpinning ultra-high broadband networks.
Partners: University of Nottingham, NPL, Riken (Japan), University of Tokyo (Japan), the University of Düsseldorf (Germany), PTB (Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt) (Germany), Technical University Munich (Germany)
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University will work with US collaborators to advance quantum technologies capable of measuring single light particles. These have a wide range of applications, including medical imaging, detecting objects behind barriers and satellite communication networks.
Partners: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (USA), California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (USA)
Partners: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (Germany) and Rosalind Franklin Institute
Working with collaborators in the USA, a team led by the University of Sheffield aims to develop the technology needed to fabricate ultimate visible light communication (VLC) systems and micro-displays. Using lasers on tiny chips in our devices, VLC could potentially offer bandwidth more than three orders of magnitude larger than conventional Wi-Fi or 5G.
Partners: University of Strathclyde, University of Bath, Harvard University (USA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
Researchers led by Newcastle University aim to ensure that electric vehicles using the Internet of Things to optimise energy usage are cyber-secure. They will test the vulnerability of electric vehicles, national grids and charging infrastructure while developing the approaches needed to protect them against cyberattacks including the zero-day attacks.
Partners: Cardiff University, University of Sydney (Australia), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Australia)
A project led by The University of Manchester intends to increase, by up to a million-fold, the volume of manufactured materials that can be X-ray imaged to identify defects. Focusing on battery, composite materials and additive (3D printed) manufacturing, this will guide the manufacturing of new products and improve their performance.
Partner: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France)
Partners: National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Metamaterials (USA), Airbus, BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace (USA), Bodkin Design, British Telecommunications, The City University of New York (USA), Dstl, Metamaterial Technologies, M.Ventures (Merck) (Netherlands), NASA (USA), Oxford Instruments, Phoebus Optoelectronics (USA), QinetiQ, Thales, Transense Technologies, Wave Optics
A team led by the University of Strathclyde will advance the development of amorphous materials, which are rigid and can hold their shape like solids but have disordered atomic structures like liquids. They have huge potential in medicines manufacturing where they could be used to improve the processing and overall performance of drugs, in particular treatments which are taken orally such as tablets and capsules.
Partners: University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Ghent University (Belgium)
A project led by the University of Leeds aims to improve the outcomes of surgical treatments for osteoarthritis, a condition affecting more than 8 million people in the UK and costing the NHS more than £10 billion a year. Researchers intend to use personalised approaches to evaluate devices such as hip and knee replacements so they can be matched to individual patients’ needs, reducing the risk of complications.
Partner: The Center for Orthopaedic Biomechanics, University of Denver (USA)
A project led by the Imperial College London and UCL aims to develop sophisticated mathematical optimisation algorithms that can guarantee finding the best possible designs and operational strategies in industrial processes and their supply chains. These algorithms will be designed and implemented to facilitate use by decision makers across the process industries to balance economic performance, safety and environmental impacts and handle uncertainty
Partner: RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
A project led by Aston University aims to advance frequency comb technology, which allows light to be measured and controlled and has potential in areas such as telecommunications, gas sensing and sensing for the food industry. Researchers aim to design and develop a new family of light sources with improved robustness, performance and versatility to allow for practical applications in a wide range of different fields.
Partners: University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France), University of Lille (France)
Publicly funded researchers and businesses in Scotland are making a huge difference in tackling COVID-19, helping us to better understand the disease and combatting the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives
These projects are just a snapshot of work carried out by people and businesses in Scotland, funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)
Over the past year, up and down the UK, thousands of research and innovation projects have been publicly funded to tackle the pandemic.
Researchers and businesses in Scotland are playing a key role in how the UK is combatting COVID-19. Their work forms part of a £550 million COVID-19 rapid investment programme by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – the largest public funder of research and development in the UK.
The diversity of UKRI-funded projects is vast – from the world’s first COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, to projects that help us understand and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our economy, environment, education, arts sector and mental health. This funding builds on decades of public investment and research expertise which have provided the backbone to our national COVID-19 response.
Scotland’s biggest universities have received significant UKRI funding for a number of projects.
The Universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Aberdeen have come together to track COVID-19’s progression across Scotland in real-time by using patient data, which allows them to rapidly assess the impact of new treatments and vaccines.
The University of Edinburgh is also working on a separate project that looks to answer key questions about the characteristics of new diseases such as COVID-19.
The University is collecting data and samples to create a bank available to researchers and industry and an open-access platform to evaluate treatments and diagnostics. The project has already led to the recent identification of a key protein found in the blood of patients with severe COVID-19.
The University of Glasgow has also been awarded UKRI funding to develop a new interactive tool to evaluate the risk of infection by COVID-19 indoors. Adapting their unique expertise and using state-of-the-art AI, they are modelling what happens to droplets and aerosols when people breathe, talk, cough and sneeze in indoor spaces, as well as how face masks, ventilation or room size affect infection risk.
Dr Andrea Cammarano from the University of Glasgow said:“Our funding from UKRI was integral to the development of our project.
“Thanks to our engineers a new intelligent tool using state-of-the-art AI will enable government, industry and business to find ways to safely manage people in indoor spaces during the pandemic and post-lockdown.”
Another project at the University of Stirling aims to gain a greater understanding of attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines by surveying 5,000 people. Findings will be shared with key people involved in vaccine policy in the UK to help shape campaigns and interventions that are trusted and support high uptake.
Professor Charlotte Deane, COVID-19-Response Director at UKRI said:“Looking back over the past year, it’s clear that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many aspects of our lives, but I take more than a glimmer of hope from the extraordinary work being undertaken by researchers and businesses across the UK.
“These projects are just the tip of the iceberg. They show the tenacity and creativty of our research and innovation communities in Scotland and beyond, who have stepped up in the most challenging of times to come together and fight back against this devastating disease.”
These projects are among 3,600 new COVID-19 projects, totalling over £554 million, being funded by UKRI across the country in response to Covid-19.
A TEAM of community researchers will join forces with academics to help improve their neighbourhood.
UK Research and Innovation yesterday announced its backing for the Seven Kingdoms of Wester Hailes, one of 53 new UK-wide projects worth £1.4million which will enable members of the public to actively contribute to research and innovation projects that affect their lives.
Part of the agency’s Enhancing place-based partnerships in public engagement programme, the project involves community partners working with Edinburgh Napier University to contribute to the local place plan being developed with support from the Scottish Government’s Chief Architect.
Wester Hailes is made up of seven distinct neighbourhoods: Calders, Clovenstone, Dumbryden, Hailesland, Harvester, Murrayburn, and Westburn.
Local residents there will get the opportunity to become community researchers, and get involved in a variety of placed-based activities with support from researchers from across the university. The work, backed by cutting-edge technology, will include virtual reality, oral and art-based storytelling projects and the creation of a book.
Previous research carried out by the university has shown that the seven neighbourhoods in Wester Hailes have a distinct identity, and the project will help local residents and organisations to better understand the challenges this presents and how creating a local place plan may help.
The collaborative approach in Seven Kingdoms of Wester Hailes – one of 25 place-based partnership projects to share a £500,000 funding pot – will bring new skills to the community and bolster its relationship with the university.
Project lead Dr Louise Todd, from the university’s Business School, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be leading on this fantastic public engagement and research initiative.
“This is an exciting interdisciplinary project that will involve researchers from across the whole university and at every stage in their academic career.
“Working with our network of community partners in Wester Hailes to co-create and co-design place-making activities, the project will be of tangible benefit to both the local community and to the university’s public engagement and research communities.”
Dawn Smith, Edinburgh Napier’s Public Engagement Officer, said: “UKRI funding provides the opportunity to work collaboratively to support the community in developing its Place Plan, creating a legacy and a stronger relationship between local residents and the university.”
Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent the public spaces as the heart of every community, strengthening the connection between people and the places they share.
Tom Saunders, Head of Public Engagement with UK Research and Innovation, said: “This is one of 53 pilot projects that we have funded, all using exciting ways that researchers and innovators can involve the public in their work.
“In 2020 and beyond, we will build on the lessons we can learn through funding these pilot projects to help us achieve our ambition of making research and innovation responsive to the knowledge, priorities and values of society and open to participation by people from all backgrounds.”
The projects announced yesterday actively encourage people who would not usually get involved in research to take part in ground-breaking discovery and innovation. They cover a diverse range of topics from plastic pollution to period poverty, and net zero carbon emissions to air quality.
Another project will see farmers working with researchers in Devon to make informed decisions on future land management to deliver carbon emission targets.
And homeless people in the north west of England will help the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool to explore women’s experiences and perspectives of managing menstruation while living in deprivation.
