I n n o v a ti o n
Getting it right
Ten UK tech innovations that are
working to support a smarter future
W
ith the approach of
the Smart Cities 2018
conference at Stamford
Bridge in London on
1 February, we take a look
at ten of the most exciting and successful
new smart technology innovations, and
the UK-based startups, SMEs and
collaborations that are successfully
bringing them to market.
1
Intelligent mobility
A consortium led by Applus IDIADA
(applusidiada.com) has been awarded
government funding towards the
development and trial of technology that
could radically reduce the number of
multi-car collisions on motorways. The
Multi-Car Collision Avoidance (MuCCA)
project will use Artificial Intelligence (AI)
and vehicle-to-vehicle communications
to help cars, and eventually autonomous
vehicles, make cooperative decisions to
avoid a potential accident.
“Connected and Autonomous Vehicle
technology offers us an opportunity to
work towards the elimination of serious
accidents on our roads, saving lives and
Applus IDIADA is looking
at ways to eradicate car
accidents with AI
4 6 | U K S PA b r e ak t h r o u g h | W I N TER 2 0 17
easing congestion. In this project, we will
aim to show exactly how this can be done,
whilst taking us another step closer to
fully autonomous cars,” said Charlie
Wartnaby, Chief Engineer, IDIADA.
2
U r b a n i n n o v at i o n
The Enjoy Waltham Forest,
Mini Holland programme
(enjoywalthamforest.co.uk) will
transform the London borough, making it
more cycle friendly, and encourage more
people to take up cycling and walking.
Using Commonplace (commonplace.is),
an online service able to reach the
unheard majority in local communities
and analyse their needs, the Council
communicated effectively with over 5%
(15,000) residents over 18 months so that
everyone could see what was planned and
help to shape it. Waltham Forest Council
was awarded £27million by Transport for
London for the Mini Holland Programme.
The Waltham Forest Mini-Holland is the
most advanced of the three awarded
schemes in London. It has been awarded
the Sustainable City Awards 2016 and
London Cycling Award 2015.
MiAlgae aims to revolutionise the
global livestock feed industry by
producing microalgal products
3 Lowering Carbon
4 Responsive utilities
MiAlgae (mialgae.com) offers high
quality microalgal products that provide
livestock with essential fatty acids and
proteins, eliminating reliance on
fishmeal. Edinburgh-based Douglas
Martin, 26, Founder of MiAlgae, received
the Shell LiveWIRE Smarter Future Award
and £5,000 of equity-free funding to help
grow his company. According to Martin,
his business can grow microalgae rich
in omega 3 and other nutrients using
co‑products from the Scottish whisky
industry. This process makes MiAlgae
stand out from many of its competitors.
“We use other industries’ waste, create
microalgae from it, whilst also cleaning
the co-products. Our process is the
embodiment of the circular economy,”
said Martin.
AirPublic (airpublic.eu) makes
mobile sensor networks to produce air
quality data that truly reflects the