Public Funding for Electronics Computers and Systems Limited

We see a future that will introduce new services that were unimaginable just a few years ago. This will include the use of self-driving, electrically-powered shuttles in town and city centres working alongside other road users as part of integrated travel solution, use of drones to undertake deliveries and support our emergency services, and robots that will undertake a range of roles in shopping centres, hospitals and other locations in order to improve the overall experience. Technologically, the equipment has advanced significantly, and the 5G connections required to support these services are increasingly available around the country. We see local councils, retail centres and delivery companies, retailers, coffee shops and others experimenting with the technology and technology companies are growing their teams in order to provide these and many other services in a range of environments and locations across the country. A key consideration in any deployment is the need to ensure the services are safe and secure and that the vehicles, robots and drones are aware of, and can interact with the environment around them. Our project specifically considers these aspects and plans to develop an operational Smart Control Centre environment that allows venues, local councils and others to maintain oversight of the different services, and take action to ensure the environment is safe for everyone. We will create the operational tools that will be used in these Smart Control Centres, and that make sense of the data and information from many different sources and many different service providers in order to assure safety, bringing all of the different services operating in the area into a single view. The tools will also provide centralised control of the services, should an unexpected incident occur, so everyone can be sure the new systems are safe. By creating these tools, we also see opportunities to enhance everyday experiences, by publicly providing information on the services available or operating in the area e.g., through a customised app, or as part of digital signage in and around the locations where the services are operating. We will pilot the tools in a Smart City environment, creating the UK's first Smart Control Centre. We believe that addressing this aspect of deployment will unlock these new technologies and enable large-scale deployment in a range of environments, allowing the automated vehicles, drones and robots to operate in these shared spaces for the benefit of all.