Views from CAPE Partners on their relationship with CAPE
Removing weight from the car is one of the key requirements of future cars, as this leads to better range and reduction in carbon emissions. While industry is looking into materials and mechanical reductions, project LESA looks into how to reduce the weight of electronics and the electrical architecture of the car. As the area of research is large, hence Cambridge CAPE and Jaguar Land Rover research came together to focus on this challenge head on. We looked into key parts and components that make up the electrical architecture of the car, like networks,computers, sensors and cables. Now we are working towards some key areas where we can significantly reduce the weight of underlying electronics. This is an ongoing research where two institutions are working collaboratively.
Ashutosh Tomar
Technical Manager at Jaguar Land Rover
In order to preserve Disney’s long history of fostering innovation, and continue this legacy, Disney Research, the company’s technological research arm, joined CAPE to guide and develop fundamental future display technologies. In addition to driving the increase in quality and capabilities of ubiquitous commercial displays through content and standards, Disney Research leveraged the CAPE collaboration to incorporate these new mechanics into unique displays to enrich the experiences Disney creates.
Dr Quinn Smithwick
Senior Research Scientist at Disney Research
Dr Smithwick has been collaborating with CAPE for several years. Disney Research’s partnership in the CAPE program ended in April 2019, but the final project continued until August 2020
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) joined CAPE in 2011. CAPE has given JLR the opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading scientists on innovative technologies for the automotive industry. The access CAPE gives to all areas of the University of Cambridge means that we can take advantage of a multidisciplinary research team. We have successfully worked with many academics across the university: Professor. Daping Chu (Engineering), John Clarkson (Engineering), Patrick Langdon (Engineering), Peter Robinson (Computer Science), and Simon Godsill (Engineering).
Each has contributed significantly, from patents to prototype technologies; all generated through projects in which we worked closely with the academics to deliver technical solutions that can be used in an automotive context.
The best examples of this include the MATSA (Motion Adaptive Touchscreen for Automotive) project and the iHUD project, which through a thorough programme of research have produced high-quality technology demonstrators that JLR have used to define future technology strategy and deployment. Both have been rigorously integrated and tested in-vehicle to ensure that the theoretical principles they are trying to achieve can be realised within the automotive environment.
JLR has been involved in a number of different types of projects that either focus on a single key technological area as well as those that look at a variety of technical solutions and ways to apply existing methods differently. There are theoretical projects that focus on understanding human behaviour in the context of the automobile. PhD studies are also investigating a key research topic in detail as well as generating new concepts and building prototype systems.
CAPE differs greatly from other academic collaborators in terms of expertise and IP rights. It relies on partners being non-competitive which generates interesting projects discussions and raises the potential for collaborations between partners who have mutual interest
in a specific technology but for very different reasons. The CAPE terms are favourable for a company like JLR. For any company that wishes to work with the University of Cambridge, JLR believes the partnership with CAPE is an excellent way of leveraging the world-class research staff and facilities at the University of Cambridge.
JLR will continue to work on strategically relevant projects with CAPE, in accordance with our technical synergies, international legal requirements and business priorities, where we need some of the best minds in the business that help us solve problems related to the delivery of premium vehicles globally.
Dr Lee Skrypchuk
Human Machine Interface Technical Specialist at Jaguar Land Rover
