We’ve invented, developed, marketed and licensed our own IP-based products, including machine-vision technologies SceneReader and Foveola.
We also have three decades of experience in creating solutions for organisations such as:
- The BBC
- MIT Media Lab
- Honda Research (Japan)
- UK Ministry of Defence
- Shell Exploration and Production
- US Department of Defense
- Appian Technology
- The Financial Times
- Cambridge University Entrepreneurship Centre
- PA Consulting Group
- BP
- Douwe Egberts
- Scottish Research Pools
- Scientific Generics
- Philips Electronics
- Gatekeeper Systems
- Adaptive Research Inc
- CHAM of North America Inc
Looking for examples?
Check some of our favourite (public-domain) brainstorm outputs at Invention Of The Day, the blog where our Director Patrick Andrews posted a new invention every day for seven years. We wrote Chapter 41 of this book (which concerns intellectual property management) for the benefit of our Clients who are startups or individual inventors.
The illustrations below show a selection of the commercial products and designs which have been developed by our people. Several of our ideas have won hotly contested innovation awards and design competitions, including a UK Smart Award.
An oscillating marine pump system which, using adapted motorcycle reed valves, was capable of self-priming to a height of 4m whilst also dealing with typical bilge detritus.
A product redesign on behalf of a foodstuffs manufacturer whose coffee pumps had been behaving irregularly all over the US.
A patentable replacement system was designed, in a few weeks, to fulfil the existing specification and also provide a high level of dispense repeatibility.
A physical demonstrator to illustrate to oil company staff the primary elements of gas processing offshore. It includes controllable boiling, condensation, dehydration and flow measurement processes in transparent vessels.
For sending high quality pastry-based products through the mail, a uniquely flexible package design.
A machine vision technology (see www.scenereader.com) that can detect and recognise words in everyday scenes, thus enabling machines to react to signage embedded in their environments.
A rotating screwdriver adapter driven by an oscillating electric toothbrush.
This mechanism allows access to a loft space under very cramped conditions. It is operable quietly, using one hand, and when closed (as shown) provides people in the loft with a safety grid which prevents falls through the hatchway.
A knot-tying trainer prototype, the operation of which is described here.
SureBatt* is our smoke alarm add-on design.
It provides a visual warning when the battery has been removed.
A cost effective solution, SureBatt has no moving parts, can be fitted in seconds and extends the life of millions of existing alarms.
(*patent pending)
A system for enabling anyone to construct wire sculptures from simple components.
We’ve done a lot of work on the commercial development of a software technology, Foveola, which enables machines to locate and identify general shapes within real visual scenes. We won a Smart Award in connection with the development of some assistive technology based on this approach (See www.foveola.com).
Foveola’s unique characteristic is a combination of fast learning and the ability to deal with a huge range of general shapes set against noisy backgrounds. It thus offers the possibility of reliable automated analysis of symbols and icons in complex visual scenes (as indicated above).
The UK’s first two web architects are on our team. This means we have experience of developing the technical structure and user interface for some high traffic commercial websites. These include earlier versions of both FTJobs.com and ThomasPink.com.
A special diaper design, developed for a NASA competition. It didn’t win, but it did conform to the requirement for minimal modifications to the existing spacesuit system.
An invention which avoids the need to clean your tiled shower unit ever again. No more grimy grout, just dump the internal curtain in the washing machine.
For those keen enough to buy a paint repair kit for their car, but who want to undertake some effective practice before committing to paint their precious vehicle.
A skullcap is fitted inside a sun hat. Between these two a wire rotates, driven by a small electric motor. This wire removes and deters any annoying insects.
A stupidly simple way to increase the effectiveness of room heaters.
Annoyed at the price of multi-blade razors, this is an ultra-low cost product designed to transform a traditional safety razor into an effective twin-blade unit.
A prototype tool which takes an electric toothbrush’s oscillation and transforms it into unidirectional motion, using only the internal ratchets from a low cost clickpen.
This is an agent-based model of the evacuation of giant airliner on a runway. Each simulated person has the same small set of behavioural rules, enabling them to escape the fire (pink square). Emergent processes include the formation (and avoidance of) queues.