Real-time hybrid testing is a powerful experimental technique but it cannot presently be used for a majority of practical engineering applications because of problems with compensating for delays in the control loop. This work seeks to address this challenge using a novel combination of forward prediction and adaptive tuning of the mechanical properties of the system. Exploitation of the method in commercial settings will lead to improved quality and reduced time-to-market, and in an academic context it will offer a valuable experimental tool across a breadth of fields. Real-time hybrid testing (RTHT) is a technique for performing experiments on components of large or complex structures in a laboratory. The component is physically present in the laboratory, but the rest of the system exists only in a computer simulation. Motors, actuators, and sensors create a virtual link between the two so they behave as one system. The technique can offer radical time and cost savings in industrial development programmes and provides a uniquely powerful research tool, but its potential is currently limited by delays in the motors and actuators linking the two parts of the system. State-of-the-art delay compensation techniques remain ineffective in the presence of strong nonlinearities, as found in many practical engineering systems such as automotive shock absorbers, aircraft control mechanisms, and materials used to design safe buildings and bridges. This project addresses the difficulties in performing real-time hybrid tests of common nonlinear components, to allow the realisation of the currently untapped potential of RTHT. A novel approach is taken, drawing inspiration from the mechanisms used in the human body to compensate delays in nerve signal transmissions. A combination of two strategies is employed: forward prediction of the forces and positions required, and tuning of the mechanical properties of the system to compensate for errors in those force and position predictions. Two key research questions are to be addressed, concerning firstly the ability to tune the system to match the desired mechanical properties, and secondly the extent of the improvements this makes to the RTHT capabilities. Three objectives are identified, centring on the experimental investigation of this configuration and the evaluation of its performance: analytical studies of the system configuration will be conducted to determine appropriate component sizing; the system will be built and the effectiveness of tuning of the mechanical properties will be evaluated; the final objective is to conduct full RTHT experiments to determine the extent of improvements to fidelity and stability of the results. There are a variety of reasons for wanting to conduct hybrid tests. One field where they have established marked success is earthquake testing of large civil structures. The motivation here is threefold: firstly, large structures such as buildings or bridges cannot be fitted into a laboratory for testing in their entirety. Secondly, the conditions experienced in an earthquake are not readily reproduced for an entire building. Thirdly, experimental testing may deliberately or inadvertently lead to failure, which in this case would be dangerous and expensive. Other examples include simulations of satellite docking in zero gravity, testing of aeronautical equipment without the danger or expense of flight testing, and testing of automotive components before the full vehicle has been manufactured. Businesses and researchers in these fields are poised to take advantage of new techniques, which will greatly expand the classes of system which can benefit from real-time hybrid testing. The benefits to businesses in terms of increased productivity and reduced costs, and academics in terms of better research tools, will translate to end users and the general public in terms of better quality of products, higher standards of living and improved safety.

Our project aims to provide a simple, flat satellite dish (The Flish), which "knows" where the satellite is and does not need to be accurately pointed. It is capable of finding the satellite by itself within milliseconds, is simple, lightweight and low cost. We have identified that there is a significant requirement in the market for truly worldwide satellite internet broadband coverage. Cloud computing is one example, 50Bn mobile devices are projected to be connected to the cloud by 2025. How do you get the worldwide wireless infrastructure to support this? It may not be economical to provide terrestrial wireless broadband over large continents such as Africa, although satellite broadband can provide a solution to this. The satellite infrastructure is already there to provide global broadband coverage (eg Inmarsat BGAN). The problem is that the user terminals, particularly the antenna, are difficult to use by unskilled personnel, and require accurate pointing at the satellite. They are also prohibitively expensive, mainly due to their complexity and the low volume of users, similar to the early days of the mobile phone market, where phones were the sizes of bricks and calls cost a fortune. At QUB with the support of three EPSRC projects from 1998 to 2010, we have developed highly novel self steered antennas, which have the capability of "pointing" to a satellite within milliseconds. These antennas use simple analogue circuits, unlike current tracking antennas which either rely on complicated digital circuits, which consume a lot of power, or require heavy motorised steering mechanisms. That is why there has never been a simple, lightweight, low powered satellite broadband antenna on the market. The Follow on fund will allow us to produce a prototype self steered antenna, that will operate with the Inmarsat BGAN system. It will allow a user to "switch on and surf" with a simple, lightweight user terminal, that will find and track the satellite, even in on moving vehicle. The resultant prototype will be simple enough to enter the market at reasonable cost, opening up many markets for truly worldwide satellite broadband. During the project our in house commercialisation team will run a targeted marketing campaign to highlight this massive opportunity to potential licensees of the technology, and work closely with the companies and service providers, who are already partnering with us in the project, to ensure the resulting solution fits market needs

This application has three distinct but interrelated research areas. The first is a method of designing microwave circuits using inter-coupled resonators. The method is extremely general, and can be used over a wide frequency range with many different technologies used in microwave circuits. The second area is using micromachined terahertz devices to exemplify the new deign techniques at a particular frequency and for a particular application. Micromachining has to be used to make accurate dimensioned waveguides with accuracies down to microns. The third area is the improvement in the micromachining process for the terahertz application.Inter-coupled resonators have been used for many years to make microwave filters. For more complex passpand responses with transmission zeros or dual bands, the inter-coupling becomes much more complex. This proposal takes this concept a stage further and proposes that whole passive systems can be made using coupled resonators or resonator superstructures. To exemplify this the authors have already demonstrated power splitters and a diplexers based on these concepts, and the proposed work is to look at antenna feed networks, Butler matrices and filter banks. The techniques can provide the design of microwave circuits at any centre frequency and will be useful in many areas. Technology is now allowing systems to be constructed at much higher frequencies; mobile communications at around 2 GHz is now commonplace, but car radar systems at 77 GHz have only just developed in the last few years, and now applications are beginning to emerge at above 100 GHz in the submillimetre wave region. Applications to 1 terahertz and above are seen as extremely important for future systems. One of the lowest loss waveguide structures is the rectangular waveguide, and this work will look at micromachined waveguide. The circuits are made by stacking layers of metalised silicon or thick resists. Two of the layers act as the top and bottom of the guide and the interleaving layer (or layers) forms the walls of the hollow rectangular tube. For 300GHz these waveguide are about 800 by 400 microns and micromachining is therefore required to make them accurately at this size. At Birmingham a reliable, accurate techniques for bonding the layers has been developed. Structures such as filters, power splitters, diplexers and triplexers will be demonstrated. The resonator superstructures will be also configured in waveguide resonators to produce submillimetre wave antenna feed networks, Butler matrices and filter banks.Finally work will be done to improve the micromachining process. This includes being able to selectively pattern the top and vertical edges of the gold coating. This will enable transitions to other transmissions structures such as coplanar waveguides as well as the ability to improve the bonding between layers. In addition work will proceed on the development of a new dielectric waveguide structure, initially looking at the embedding of quartz nano particles in the resist SU8. Providing a low loss waveguide structure will give the microwave designer another tool for circuit construction.

Metamaterials are artificial materials with characteristics beyond those found in nature that unlock routes to material and device functionalities not available using conventional approaches. Their electromagnetic, acoustic or mechanical behaviour is not simply dictated by averaging out the properties of their constituent elements, but emerge from the precise control of geometry, arrangement, alignment, material composition, shape, size and density of their constituent elements. In terms of applications, metamaterials have phenomenal potential, in important areas, from energy to ICT, defence & security, aerospace, and healthcare. Numerous market research studies predict very significant growth over the next decade, for example, by 2030 the metamaterial device market is expected to reach a value of over $10bn (Lux Research 2019). The 'Metamaterials' topic is inherently interdisciplinary, spanning advanced materials (plasmonics, active materials, RF, high index contrast, 2D materials, phase change materials, transparent conductive oxides, soft materials), theoretical physics, quantum physics, chemistry, biology, engineering (mechanical and electrical), acoustics, computer sciences (e.g. artificial intelligence, high performance computing), and robotics. Historically, the UK has been a global leader in the field, with its roots in the work of radar engineers in the 2nd World War, and being reinvigorated by the research of some of our most eminent academics, including Professor Sir John Pendry. However today, it risks falling behind the curve. As a specific example, the Chinese government has funded the development of the world's first large-scale metamaterial fabrication facility, which has capacity to produce 100,000 m2 of metamaterial plates annually, with projects relating to aerospace, communication, satellite and military applications. The breadth of metamaterial research challenges is huge, from theory, fabrication, experiment, and requiring expertise in large-scale manufacturing and field testing for successful exploitation. We believe that the isolation of research groups and lack of platforms to exchange and develop ideas currently inhibits the UK's access to the interdisciplinary potential existing within our universities, industries, and governmental agencies. It is of the utmost importance to develop interactions and mobility between these communities, to enable knowledge transfer, innovation, and a greater understanding of the barriers and opportunities. The intervention that this Network will provide will ensure that the UK does not lag our international competitors. Via the Network's Special Interest Groups, Forums, National Symposia and other community-strengthening strategies, the enhanced collaboration will help resolve key interdisciplinary challenges and foster the required talent pipeline across academia and industry. As a result we will see an increase in research power for the metamaterials theme, and therefore reaping the impact opportunities of this area for UK economy and society. The Network's extensive promotion of the benefits of metamaterials technology (e.g., case studies, white papers etc), facilitation of access to metamaterial experts and facilities (through the online database) and closer interactions with end-users at appropriate events (e.g. industry-academia workshops) will help grow external investment in metamaterials research. Ultimately the Network will provide the stimulation of a discovery-innovation-enterprise cycle to meet desired outcomes for prosperity and consequentially, society, defence, and security.

Graphene has many record properties. It is transparent like (or better than) plastic, but conducts heat and electricity better than any metal, it is an elastic thin film, behaves as an impermeable membrane, and it is chemically inert and stable. Thus it is ideal for the production of next generation transparent conductors. Thin and flexible graphene-based electronic components may be obtained and modularly integrated, and thin portable devices may be assembled and distributed. Graphene can withstand dramatic mechanical deformation, for instance it can be folded without breaking. Foldable devices can be imagined, together with a wealth of new form factors, with innovative concepts of integration and distribution. At present, the realisation of an electronic device (such as, e.g., a mobile phone) requires the assembly of a variety of components obtained by many technologies. Graphene, by including different properties within the same material, can offer the opportunity to build a comprehensive technological platform for the realisation of almost any device component, including transistors, batteries, optoelectronic components, photovoltaic cells, (photo)detectors, ultrafast lasers, bio- and physico-chemical sensors, etc. Such change in the paradigm of device manufacturing would revolutionise the global industry. UK will have the chance to re-acquire a prominent position within the global Information and Communication Technology industry, by exploiting the synergy of excellent researchers and manufacturers. We propose a programme of innovative and adventurous research, with an emphasis on applications, uniquely placed to translate this vision into reality. Our research consortium, led by engineers, brings together a diverse team with world-leading expertise in graphene, carbon electronics, antennas, wearable communications, batteries and supercapacitors. We have strong alignment with industry needs and engage as project partners potential users. We will complement and wish to engage with other components of the graphene global research and technology hub, and other relevant initiatives. The present and future links will allow UK to significantly leverage any investment in our consortium and will benefit UK plc. The programme consists of related activities built around the central challenge of flexible and energy efficient (opto)electronics, for which graphene is a unique enabling platform. This will be achieved through four main themes. T1: growth, transfer and printing; T2: energy; T3: connectivity; T4: detectors. The final aim is to develop "graphene-augmented" smart integrated devices on flexible/transparent substrates, with the necessary energy storage capability to work autonomously and wireless connected. Our vision is to take graphene from a state of raw potential to a point where it can revolutionise flexible, wearable and transparent (opto)electronics, with a manifold return for UK, in innovation and exploitation. Graphene has benefits both in terms of cost-advantage, and uniqueness of attributes and performance. It will enable cheap, energy autonomous and disposable devices and communication systems, integrated in transparent and flexible surfaces, with application to smart homes, industrial processes, environmental monitoring, personal healthcare and more. This will lead to ultimate device wearability, new user interfaces and novel interaction paradigms, with new opportunities in communication, gaming, media, social networking, sport and wellness. By enabling flexible (opto)electronics, graphene will allow the exploitation of the existing knowledge base and infrastructure of companies working on organic electronics (organic LEDs, conductive polymers, printable electronics), and a unique synergistic framework for collecting and underpinning many distributed technical competences.