Hong Kong

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has gained much traction due to its potential to manipulate the propagation environment via nearly-passive reconfigurable elements. Attention has been drawn to the use of RIS 1.0 architectures based on diagonal scattering (phase shift) matrices where each element of the RIS is connected to a load disconnected from the other elements. This enables simple RIS architectures to control the phase of the impinging wave and reflect the wave in the desired direction. This project argues that to truly exploit the benefits of RIS in 6G, RIS 2.0 need to explore architectures beyond conventional diagonal phase shift matrices. Beyond Diagonal (BD) RIS, pioneered by the PI and viewed as a paradigm shift in RIS design, relies on a suitable design of the reconfigurable impedance network and the connection architecture to smartly connect RIS elements to each other and exploit off-diagonal elements of the scattering matrices. BD-RIS has been shown to offer new opportunities over RIS 1.0 by controlling both phases and magnitudes of reflected waves, enabling hybrid transmissive and reflective mode, increasing reflected power, boosting spectral efficiency, enhancing flexibility in various deployments, and enabling highly directional full-space coverage. Motivated by those recent results by the PI and leveraging a unique set of complementary skills with our academic and industry partners HKUST, Interdigital and Viavi, this visionary project, conducted at Imperial College London, will take BD-RIS to the next level, by laying the foundations of BD-RIS aided network design, identifying the full potential benefits of BD-RIS for next generation wireless networks (communications, sensing, power), and assessing the feasibility of BD-RIS. This will be the first project on BD-RIS in the UK and in the world. To put together this revolutionary BD-RIS in a credible fashion, this project focuses on 1) developing physical and electromagnetic compliant models for BD-RIS, 2) conceiving new BD-RIS architecture, control, optimization, and signal processing, 3) inventing new wireless systems paradigms and applications enabled by BD-RIS, 4) demonstrating the feasibility of BD-RIS through prototyping and experimentation. The project demands a strong and inter-disciplinary track record in microwave theory, optimisation, multi-antenna signal processing, wireless communication, machine learning, and it is to be conducted in a unique research group with a right mix of theoretical and practical skills and an established track record in the area. With the above and given the novelty and originality of the topic, the research outcomes will be of considerable value to transform the future of wireless networks and give the industry a fresh and timely insight into the development of BD-RIS for 6G and advancing UK's research profile in 6G. Its success would radically change the design of radio access networks, have a tremendous impact on standardisation, and applications in many sectors involving future communications, power, and sensing networks.

The breakthrough in the adoption of computerised building models is widely believed to require a redistribution of the relationships (and possibly fees) in the design supply chain, as the substantial benefits (estimated between 10%-50% and up to $18/sqft) are predicated on the existence of an initial model, ideally created and developed by the architect. More generally it is believed that architects and other Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the AEC/FM sector are under-achieving due to their failure to adopt even basic IT tools such as spreadsheets and similar applications.Building Information Modelling is a relatively recent technology that aims to capture all relevant information about a building from design through to construction (and even maintenance and demolition in some cases) in a single 3D digital model. The advantages are that a single model can form the basis of the entire lifecycle of a building and thereby integrating the different aspects of a building design and construction. There are now several commercial applications of BIM available but the uptake and the use of this technology is still not as widespread as it could be. Some research groups in the USA and elsewhere have been in the forefront on carrying out research and knowledge transfer projects for propagating the use of this technology to the industry. For example, the Gerogia Tech's Architecture School's AEC Integration lab is advising and implementing projects ranging from preliminary design concept reviews by implemnting automated design checking to real-time dashboard feedback on design performance for parameters that effect energy efficincy and hence the carbon footprint of a building. CIFE at Stanford is the other leading group that is actively engaged in both findamental research and knowledge transfer to the industry. This proposal is a follow up to earlier visits to North America by the Principal Investigator in 2001, 2002 fand 2009 funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering as an Engineering Foresight award (01-02). There are various ways a business can exploit the internet, e.g. managing its supply chain, co-ordinating the interaction between the design and construction teams on sites, project management and so on. Two influential reports in the nineties on the state of productivity in the UK construction sector and ways of improving them (Egan, 1998 and Latham, 1994) outlined the importance of exploiting Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). PI's previous visits gave him insights into the issues around the information interoperability issue and its role in collaborative design and construction. Further developments in the area in the intervening period and the recent emergence of BIM is the main driver for the proposed visit. The main aim of the PI's visits around some leading centres of excellence (primarily Stanford's Centre for Integrated Facilities Engineering) in the USA in this area of research is to gain a state-of-the-art understanding of the field and establish collaborative research links with these centres. One key element of the last visit in 2009 was the development of insights into the role of Cloud Computing (CC) in software uptake in the construction industry. This is the area which the collaboration ended up working on and identified it as the key part of further collaboration. On return from Stanford, the PI has taken on one PhD student who is investigating the development of Cloud based information infrastructure for building regulation aceess and usage by designers, builders and end users. With ever-changing landscape of energy related directives from within the UK and Europe alike, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that all regulatory provisions are being complied with notwithstanding the issues surrounding the identification of all relevant regulatory documents and the relevant provisions within them. This research will address these issues utilizing CC concepts.

Despite being far from having reached 'artificial general intelligence' - the broad and deep capability for a machine to comprehend our surroundings - progress has been made in the last few years towards a more specialised AI: the ability to effectively address well-defined, specific goals in a given environment, which is the kind of task-oriented intelligence that is part of many human jobs. Much of this progress has been enabled by deep reinforcement learning (DRL), one of the most promising and fast-growing areas within machine learning. In DRL, an autonomous decision maker - the "agent" - learns how to make optimal decisions that will eventually lead to reaching a final goal. DRL holds the promise of enabling autonomous systems to learn large repertoires of collaborative and adaptive behavioural skills without human intervention, with application in a range of settings from simple games to industrial process automation to modelling human learning and cognition. Many real-world applications are characterised by the interplay of multiple decision-makers that operate in the same shared-resources environment and need to accomplish goals cooperatively. For instance, some of the most advanced industrial multi-agent systems in the world today are assembly lines and warehouse management systems. Whether the agents are robots, autonomous vehicles or clinical decision-makers, there is a strong desire for and increasing commercial interest in these systems: they are attractive because they can operate on their own in the world, alongside humans, under realistic constraints (e.g. guided by only partial information and with limited communication bandwidth). This research programme will extend the DRL methodology to systems comprising of many interacting agents that must cooperatively achieve a common goal: multi-agent DRL, or MADRL.

We will launch a new CDT, focused on composite materials and manufacturing, to deliver the next generation of composites research and technology leaders equipped with the skills to make an impact on society. In recent times, composites have been replacing traditional materials, e.g. metals, at an unprecedented rate. Global growth in their use is expected to be rapid (5-10% annually). This growth is being driven by the need to lightweight structures for which 'lighter is better', e.g. aircraft, automotive car bodywork and wind blades; and by the benefits that composites offer to functionalise both materials and structures. The drivers for lightweighting are mainly material cost, fuel efficiency, reducing emissions contributing to climate change, but also for more purely engineering reasons such as improved operational performance and functionality. For example, the UK composites sector has contributed significantly to the Airbus A400M and A350 airframes, which exhibit markedly better performance over their metallic counterparts. Similarly, in the wind energy field, typically, over 90% of a wind turbine blade comprises composites. However, given the trend towards larger rotors, weight and stiffness have become limiting factors, necessitating a greater use of carbon fibre. Advanced composites, and the possibility that they offer to add extra functionality such as shape adaptation, are enablers for lighter, smarter blades, and cheaper more abundant energy. In the automotive sector, given the push for greener cars, the need for high speed, production line-scale, manufacturing approaches will necessitate more understanding of how different materials perform. Given these developments, the UK has invested heavily in supporting the science and technology of composite materials, for instance, through the establishment of the National Composites Centre at the University of Bristol. Further investments are now required to support the skills element of the UK provision towards the composites industry and the challenges it presents. Currently, there is a recognised skills shortage in the UK's technical workforce for composites; the shortage being particularly acute for doctoral skills (30-150/year are needed). New developments within industry, such as robotic manufacture, additive manufacture, sustainability and recycling, and digital manufacturing require training that encompasses engineering as well as the physical sciences. Our CDT will supply a highly skilled workforce and technical leadership to support the industry; specifically, the leadership to bring forth new radical thinking and the innovative mind-set required to future-proof the UK's global competitiveness. The development of future composites, competing with the present resins, fibres and functional properties, as well as alternative materials, will require doctoral students to acquire underpinning knowledge of advanced materials science and engineering, and practical experience of the ensuing composites and structures. These highly skilled doctoral students will not only need to understand technical subjects but should also be able to place acquired knowledge within the context of the modern world. Our CDT will deliver this training, providing core engineering competencies, including the experimental and theoretical elements of composites engineering and science. Core engineering modules will seek to develop the students' understanding of the performance of composite materials, and how that performance might be improved. Alongside core materials, manufacturing and computational analysis training, the CDT will deliver a transferable skills training programme, e.g. communication, leadership, and translational research skills. Collaborating with industrial partners (e.g. Rolls Royce) and world-leading international expertise (e.g. University of Limerick), we will produce an exciting integrated programme enabling our students to become future leaders.