Institute of Digital Futures

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About us

Our research is aligned with two of the Grand Challenges of the UK’s Industrial Strategy and our industrial partners’ innovation strategies.

Meet our experts

Meet the people behind our digital expertise.

abdul sadka (1)

Institute Director: Prof Abdul Sadka

IDF Advisory Board

Aligning our strategic direction with industrial priorities and relevant emerging challenges

Collaborative partnerships

We work closely with our partners to bridge the gap between research and industry. Our partners include Innovate UK, EPSRC, H2020, QNRF and Caterpillar.

Our research is aligned with the industrial and innovative strategies of our partners

Browse our projects

Research Centres aligned with the Digital Priority Challenges

AI: Social and Digital Innovation

AI: Social and Digital Innovation

Social, economic and strategic effects of AI and associated technologies. Impact of AI and related technologies on societies, organisations and individuals.

Digital Manufacturing

Digital Manufacturing

Being at the forefront of solutions for building smart machines, we create an operational framework for the digital transformation to Industry 4.0.

Intelligent Digital Economy and Society

Intelligent Digital Economy and Society

Research into intelligent digital economy and society using AI, data analytics, 6G, media, human-machine interaction, digital games, augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, IoTs, cyber security, data & information fusion.

Smart Technology Advancements in Health and Rehabilitation

Smart Technology Advancements in Health and Rehabilitation

Data science/wearable technology and Rehabilitation; Haptic feedback, multi-sensory interfacing and Robotics in Health; Immersion and Engagement in Virtual Rehabilitation; TeleHealth/TeleRehab; Data: using AI and Machine learning to improve health.

Read our news and join upcoming events

News

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image for Call for Institute of Digital Futures Pump Priming Fund

Call for Institute of Digital Futures Pump Priming Fund

REF results show increase in 'world-leading' research at Brunel

image of Return of the Brunel Research Festival: celebrating our world-leading research

Return of the Brunel Research Festival: celebrating our world-leading research

image of Institute of Digital Futures officially launched

Institute of Digital Futures officially launched

Industry spotlight

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Applying artificial intelligence to big data

Read how we we designed a bespoke artificial intelligence software to effectively manage data in a highly dynamic environment

High performance simulation applied to development of new products and services

Read how we developed high performance simulations using multiple computers and introduced it to various organisations

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Browse our research projects

music streaming

Economics of music streaming

smiling lady in the office

Meeting net zero in digital research infrastructure

people sitting and looking out to margate promenade

Investigating digital poverty in Margate

surgery robot

Development of a new flexible manipulator for minimally invasive surgery

Natural History Museum

Designing the future of UK-China collaboration in museums and galleries sector

image of researchers on laptops

Connecting Africa: New Networks for Open Science

games screenshot

A serious game to train fire fighters for decision making

game screenshot

Serious games to improve engagement with web accessibility guidelines

design prototype

On-line tool to intelligently interpret design information contained in patents

footprints

SMEs digital footprints and their ethical implications

smart home

Trust in home: rethinking interface design in the Internet of Things

coronavirus

Pandemic crisis prediction and management

migrants on a boat

Modelling migrant flows for better service provision

computer modelling

HPC and Big Data Technologies for Global Systems

computer

Verified Exascale Computing for Multiscale Simulations

social influencer

Regulation of social media

musicians

Copyright in the music industry

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Ultrasonic assisted laser welding for automotive battery packs

woman shocked at the content on the laptop

Understanding cyberbullying behaviours through computational models

man farming a field

Developing a new platform for African Indigenous Knowledge

African baby with healthcare wearables devices

System for monitoring infants in low-resource environments

factory

Maintenance models for zero-unexpected-breakdowns

Qatar fort

Preservation and restoration of cultural heritage through 3D Imaging

cloud-computing

Adoption of cloud computing by SMEs and public sector

computer simulation

High performance simulation for industry and society

computer users in Africa

e-Infrastructures for Africa

twitter box

Facilitating social media research in social sciences

London crowd

Regression models for the analysis of well-being and income distribution

doctor looking at medical data

Detecting change in medical data to identify bias

robotic hand

New Force/Torque sensor based on optical technology for robot applications

doctor showing intubation

Medical training robots for airway management

surgical robots

Soft continuum manipulator for minimally invasive surgery

people walking across the street

Establishing a 'Futures Market' for digital personhood data

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Augmented Reality platform for mobility of Parkinson's patients

data-center

Green data centres

factory floor

Zero-defect manufacturing strategies towards on-line production management

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Innovative Quality Engineering and Smart Technology

man in a factory

End-to-end digital manufacturing solution

micro-assembly

Intelligent data-driven pipeline for the manufacturing of certified metal parts

Microelectronics supply chain provenance

Microelectronics supply chain provenance

pipeline

Ultrasonic guided waves for the inspection of pipelines

robots for humanitarian demining

Continuous whole-body motion in robots for humanitarian demining

3d design of an object

Digital technologies in furniture manufacturing design

older man and young woman looking at tablet

Educating older adults about extrinsic falls risk factors at home

map of networks

Supply chain network optimization

Neuromorphic computing

Neuromorphic computing - simulating the human brain memory mechanism

banknote

Smart money

arwoman wearing ar glasses in a heritage home

Smart glass AR and affective storytelling in historic places

technology

Consciousness transfer and communication technologies

doctor looking at tablet

Synthetic data generation for primary care data

two-men looking at a macbook

Proximity-based interactive media experiences

radicalisation box

Predicting online radicalisation

broken-hearted-chalk

Creativity and the creative process in digital games and poetry

mathematics formula

Networked labs for training in sciences and ICT

ambulance

Emergency guide system for the elderly

journalist

Multimodal digital media in journalistic newsrooms

computer network

Micro company productivity enhancement with Cloud Computing

man touching computer screen

Making deep learning and AI skills mainstream in India

computer network

Distributed computing for data intensive research

doctoral students

Doctoral education and research capacities in Kyrgyzstan

Graduation

Modernization of Doctoral Education in Science

credit-card

Credit scoring model based on classifiers consensus system approach

brewery

Software suite for brewery management system

wifi cube

Beamforming using Artificial Intelligence for 6G Networks

view of earth from space

Ascending to the edge of space

AP integrated computational-experimental

Redesigning protein dynamics

robot hand

Ambidextrous robot hand

fish in ocean

A data-oriented predictive ecology approach to modelling fish communities

5g network

5G heterogeneous base station deployment using AI

hands on keyboard

3D software mapping for osteoarthritis pain self-management

stock trader

Emotion AI for trading on financial markets

doctor showing a patient something on a tablet

Personalised disease modelling

eye

Retinal image analysis

camera on a tree

A deep learning model for global camera trap labelling

student playing games

Digital game-based student centred learning

smart-home

Mobile technologies for improved home-based healthcare assessments

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Digital games histories

Autonomous Driving in Urban World 1

Artificial intelligence training of autonomous vehicles

computer face scan

Deep fakes: the evolution and use of the technology

hurt woman

Integrated technology support system for tackling violence against women

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Predictive maintenance of rail infrastructure

tax forms

AI-assisted tax assessment

covid immunity passport app

Covid immunity passport service design

SHAKESPEAR

Audience reactions to #ShakespeareLives diplomacy campaign

DigiGlasses

3D digital glasses for enhancing mobility

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Automated terahertz imaging of composites

contraband scan

Contraband detection in prisons

Internet of Things soil monitoring system

Internet of Things soil monitoring system

thermal plant

Innovative solar heating for industrial processes

Hygienic, usable, engaging public mid-air interactions

Computing grid for the exploitation of Large Hadron Collider data in the UK

Internet of Radio-Light

Physics analysis and operations of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment

R&D in preparation for an upgrade of CMS for the Super- Large Hadron Collider

Pause

Fully-funded studentships

Our funded studentships become available at different times of the year. Please keep checking our page regularly to see the latest funded opportunities. We also advertise all our funded studentships as soon as they become available on the @BrunelResearch twitter account.

View all studentships