BUILDING DIGITAL COMMUNITIES.

Benefits of Artificial Intelligence.

In an increasingly digital-first world, the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is at the frontier of hopes and concerns about how technology will shape our lives. 

 Will AI take over the world?

Who knows! It will certainly be around us in one shape or form, and it is up to us how to use artificial intelligence for the benefit of everyone, everywhere. 

At Loughborough University, we are working towards a more equitable future for humanity where the power of AI technology is harnessed to combat inequity and drive common prosperity. 

AI IN FOOD PREPARATION 

How AI works as a chef 

In partnership with Millitec Food systems, Loughborough University is the birthplace of the i-Gene delta robot, which brings the most advanced robotics and machine learning technology to an important, everyday task: 

Making the perfect sandwich. 

Cutting-edge camera tech embedded with AI allows i-Gene to ‘see’ - transforming the traditional food production line into an advanced robotic manufacturing system. Thanks to this enhanced functionality, the robot system can produce an astonishing 750,000 sandwiches per day.  

This is a gamechanger for the food production industry, offering new levels of control, precision, speed, quality and safety, while responding to chronic staff shortages. Led by Professor Baihua Li and Professor Qinggang Meng along with expert knowledge of Dr Mohamad Saada, the partnership was the winner of the Made in the Midlands 2023 Food and Drink Award, a testament to the power of Loughborough University’s many industry-academic partnerships, and one which continues to provide PhD and placement opportunities to our students. 

AI IN BUSINESS OPERATIONS. 

Intelligent Designs

‘While modern computers excel at numeracy, they struggle with tasks needing intuition and guesswork. Memristor circuits will enable them to learn things just as we do.’ 

Professor Sergey Saveliev
School of Science

True machine learning cannot be achieved within the confines of a single discipline. We are pioneering approaches combining the expertise of our physicists, biologists, chemists, neuroscientists and AI specialists to create human-like ‘thinking’ software – going beyond the question in everybody’s minds: how does artificial intelligence work? 

Delivered in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, A&M Texas University, and ARM – with funding from EPSRC – our School of Science is creating a new generation of AI which mimic the neural processes of the human brain in tiny electronic chips going beyond AI’s current capabilities. This interdisciplinary technology reduces the environmental and financial cost of AI systems, making them more efficient across various applications and for industries. 

The novel technology will have the ability to learn and recognise patterns more rapidly, cost effectively and energy efficiently than current software-driven AI systems – providing multiple business advantages.  

AI IN EDUCATION.

Hologrammatic, Holistic

“This new technology will enhance the learning experiences of our students, enabling us to offer more interaction with external guests, particularly those based overseas”

Professor Rachel Thomson
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of Loughborough University and Professor of Materials Engineering 

Proto is a novel hologram device in use globally by Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, museums, sports venues, retail and the entertainment industry. But Loughborough University is the first UK university to incorporate Star Wars-style Proto holoportation technology, using to enhance the teaching and learning environment on our East Midlands and London campuses. 

Part of our pioneering DIGILABS programme, the Proto hologram enables real-time, live interactions between people anywhere in the world in lifelike 3D, a step change in interactive learning experiences with a reduced carbon cost - a novel application of artificial intelligence in education. 

AI IN TRANSPORTATION.  

Smart, safe, swift travel

Our Transport AI Innovation Centre (TRAICE) is leveraging big data and AI for smarter transport planning, management, operation and control for advancing smart, safe, efficient, equitable, and sustainable mobility. 

One TRAICE project, Manchester Prize finalist TraffEase AI, is pioneering transport data solutions to make advanced analytics accessible to every city authority for effective transport planning and management.

By transforming complex datasets into actionable intelligence, TraffEase AI will empower smarter, data-driven decisions to alleviate congestion, reduce emissions, and enhance mobility for all people.   

Dr Haitao He, the Director of TRAICE, says that the project

‘provides an unparallelled opportunity to create more equitable, inclusive, and accessible cities of the future across the country. 

How does AI learn?

Can AI prepare food?

What is the relationship between a hologram and AI?

Such questions signify that AI and its role in our lives is rapidly evolving. At Loughborough University, our ongoing research strives to create inclusive communities, utilising AI and cognitive technologies for a better world. 

BECAUSE THE WORLD CAN'T WAIT.
NEITHER SHOULD YOU.