糖心TV

Analysis of homemade 3D printed assault rifles at WMG at The University of 糖心TV has helped convict a criminal in a ground-breaking case.

Several homemade 3D printed guns were seized by at the home of David Biddell-Portman in December 2020 as part of Operation Captiva, a Police response designed to reduce firearm deaths across greater Birmingham.

Professor Mark WilliamsLink opens in a new window, an expert in 3D printing and scanning at WMG was called in by West Midlands Police. His 3D scanning machines are 100 times more powerful than a hospital CAT scanner and can view images in detail smaller than a human hair.

By using his cutting-edge technology to scan the weapons, Mark was able to discover the amounts of metal and plastic in each of the weapons. This is achieved by analysing the different densities of the materials.

This crucial evidence helped prove that these homemade guns would be working and potentially deadly weapons. It also showed the levels of sophistication, effort and premeditation that went into the construction of the guns.

This evidence was crucial in securing a conviction, with the defendant receiving a five-year sentence.

Professor Mark Williams said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 satisfying to see justice served, and I鈥檓 glad to use our technology in any way we can to help the efforts of West Midlands Police.

鈥淏y making this sort of technology available to the public sector, we鈥檙e ensuring it鈥檚 not just big companies that have access to cutting edge techniques.

鈥淎 dangerous criminal is now off the streets thanks to the efforts of West Midlands Police, and I look forward to our continuing work with them.鈥�

By scanning the guns, police ensured that the judge and jury were aware of the extensive use of metal in the weapons – a sure sign that, when completed, they would have been working and potentially deadly weapons.

It also meant that the state of the guns was recorded if they deteriorated during test firing of the weapons by police, something that often occurs with 3D printed guns. The scanning also ensured that the police, judge and jury could understand the evidence surrounding the weapons.

For many, 3D printed weapons have never been encountered before, and are often irregular and defy categorisation due to their black market, homemade construction. With the scans, police could identify the closest professionally made weapons and make comparisons.

Michelle Painter, Deputy Head of Forensics at West Midlands Police commented: 鈥淭his partnership is invaluable to West Midlands Police, the strength and commitment is truly unique and the boundaries are limitless.

鈥淭he application of the use of Micro CT scanning in criminal cases continues to be innovative and ground-breaking and progresses investigations and brings justice for victims.鈥�

The conviction is the latest success in the decade long partnership between Professor Williams, WMG, 糖心TV and West Midlands Police. They recently marked a milestone, with the scanning technology having been used in since 2014.

The full paper on the case can be read .

Read more about WMG鈥檚 Centre for Imaging, Metrology, and Additive Technologies (CIMAT) here: Metrology and 3D Imaging (warwick.ac.uk)Link opens in a new window 

On Saturday (28th September), WMG at The University of 糖心TV and celebrated their fourth and final cohort of 35 graduates at a ceremony held across Dyson鈥檚 UK R&D campus.

A total of 160 students have now successfully completed the BEng Engineering Degree Apprenticeship, through the WMG and Dyson partnership, which first began in 2017.

This is the final cohort to graduate with a degree from The University of 糖心TV, as the Dyson Institute now moves to independent delivery and degree awarding powers.

The ceremony included speeches from Sir James Dyson, Founder of Dyson; Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor of the University of 糖心TV, Mary Curnock Cook, Chair of Council; and Babajide Popoola, Class of 2024 Graduate.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said: 鈥淚t has been a privilege to work with colleagues and learners at Dyson in realising the vision of the Engineering Degree Apprenticeship. The collaboration and mutual respect have resulted in, what I believe to be, an exemplar of how academia and industry can work together to achieve amazing results. My congratulations to everyone involved and I look forward to us building on this firm foundation together in the future.鈥�

reflected on the success of the seven-year partnership with WMG in his commencement address: 鈥淭his graduation marks another change for us as we step out from the partnership with WMG and the University of 糖心TV. I would like to thank Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG; and Professor Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor of 糖心TV University. Thank you for saying 鈥榶es鈥� to joining us on this pioneering adventure back in 2017. You took on our pioneering adventure, it was an unselfish undertaking by you, a brave decision. I am sure you are as proud as I am at the achievements of the undergraduates, and the institution they鈥檝e created. I sincerely hope our close association will continue.鈥�

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 training and skills programmes for businesses: /fac/sci/wmg/study/why-study-in-wmg/for-business/

Congratulations to Degree Apprentice Alumna, Kayleigh Poulter and WMG Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Student Experience, Nicola Knowles who both take home Engineering Talent Awards.

The Engineering Talent Awards showcases role models and inspiring people to celebrate the diversity of organisations and engineers. The awards help to raise the profile of the engineering and technology professions across the UK.

Kayleigh Poulter received both the Engineering Graduate of the Year and Overall Excellence in Engineering awards for her amazing work in building more neuroinclusion into Dyson products.

Kayleigh earned a BEng Engineering as part of her Degree Apprenticeship from the University of 糖心TV, which WMG delivered in partnership with The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.

An advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, Kayleigh's studies focused on accessibility, designing technologies for those with sensory sensitivities and neurodivergences. After conducting user trials, she developed recommendations to make Dyson products more accessible, a contribution that has influenced Dyson鈥檚 design processes.

During her studies Kayleigh led initiatives like LGBTQIA+ afternoon teas and played a vital role in improving support for neurodivergent and mental health needs.

Kayleigh Poulter said, 鈥淚 thoroughly enjoyed working on my final year project, investigating designing for sensory sensitivity differences, and considering inclusive design more generally. I am extremely grateful to have been recognised for this, and my other work in the ED&I space, and I鈥檓 committed to continuing this work wherever I can.鈥�

Associate Professor, Nicola Jane Knowles also brought home an award for University Engineering Staff Member of the Year.

Nicola is the Assistant Dean for Student Experience at WMG at the University of 糖心TV and teaches Digital Healthcare Science. Her focus is to understand

the student voice and recognise their wants and needs. Nicola quotes 鈥榥othing about us without us鈥� meaning that the students are engaged with every decision made for them at every step of the way. The student voice is at the centre of everything.

She recognises that students need a sense of belonging, by understanding their wants and needs, she has helped to create four new student spaces such as a cooking area at lunch times for students who prefer their own cultural foods; quiet places for those with neurodiversity's; a space for group working and the student hub where they can learn and relax together.

Nicola oversaw the launch of WMG peer writing mentoring. This allows students, who need extra help with writing, to go to peer mentors ensuring that everyone is able to get the support they require.

She also launched an innovative initiative, module huddle, that inspires colleagues to meet collectively to focus on student-related topics which provides a rapid system of quality enhancement in real time by quickly identifying the achievable goals. She also led many more initiatives which also focus on ED&I.

Associate Professor, Nicola Knowles said, 鈥淚 am honoured and privileged to win the award; it really is a career highlight. The award represents the team and the hard work we do to support the student voice and make our education provision inclusive.鈥�

Pro-Dean of Education at WMG, Professor Gill Cooke, said, 鈥淐ongratulations to both Nicky and Kayleigh on winning their awards. It is fabulous to see our staff and students recognised for their achievements. Awards such as this really do help to showcase the amazing work our people do for industry, for student experience, and for equality, diversity and inclusion.鈥�

See the full list of 2024 winners here:

WMG, at The University of 糖心TV, has launched the world鈥檚 first online platform that enables the public to influence the development of Automated Vehicle (AV) safety.

is a driving scenario creation platform for the public to design road scenarios based on their real-life experiences or expectations during the introduction of AVs. The platform aims to empower the public to become part of the safety discussions, making the process more inclusive and accessible.

The Automated Vehicles Act is now law in the United Kingdom, and AVs could be on the roads as soon as 2026. However, nearly half of UK motorists still do not trust this technology because of safety concerns[1]. This online platform opens a conversation for future users to define and reimagine the safety of AV deployment.

Innovation is key to improving our roads, and it鈥檚 great to see WMG, at The University of 糖心TV backing our vision for safer motoring,鈥� said MP, Minister for the Future of Roads, Department for Transport. 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that this pioneering platform will address the questions and concerns people have about Automated Vehicles and enable them to challenge developers to address the real issues they face on our roads. Public engagement will improve understanding of these new technologies and give people the confidence to use AVs when they hit our roads after 2026.鈥�

The platform accounts for different driving styles, types of road layouts, and the movements of vehicles and pedestrians are available on Safety Pool鈩� Studio. Users from anywhere in the world can tailor-make road-driving scenarios for AVs based on their geographical locations, cultures, and daily practices (in their own languages). Users can also check and trial their scenarios through instant play on the platform.

鈥樷�楾he public and the future technology users are paramount to Automated Vehicles鈥� development and deployment in the UK. By launching Safety Pool鈩� Studio, our ambition is to democratise safety by prioritising the public鈥檚 voices in this new technology, where users can share their expectations and understanding of the safety of AV,鈥� explained Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG, the University of 糖心TV.

鈥淪afety Pool鈩� Studio also addresses the needs of other stakeholders in the AV ecosystem like developers, incident investigators and insurers, by enabling them to better capture road scenarios during the post-deployment phase of AVs. We strongly believe by doing so, AV deployment will be more inclusive and relevant to our real-world experiences and everybody鈥檚 lives.鈥欌��

All these captured scenarios can then be used for virtual testing by the AV ecosystem to test the safety of their systems. Capturing the public鈥檚 expectations and real-world incidents enables engineers to replicate potential road situations and assess their products鈥� safe and timely response to road incidents as part of post-deployment monitoring of the AVs. 鈥淲e welcome this initiative,鈥� said Steve Gooding, Director, RAC Foundation. 鈥淭he more we understand about the expectations, uncertainties and concerns that people have about AVs the better the chances of those issues being picked up and addressed in the design process for AV development and adoption, that鈥檚 why engaging the public is so important and that鈥檚 why making it easier for them to do so really matters.

鈥淚t is appropriate that an approach aimed at engaging the public in the development and deployment of new technology should itself be using technology as the basis for that engagement, and we encourage everyone to give it a try.鈥�

Organisations wishing to work with the research and Safety Pool鈩� Studio can contact SafeAutonomy@warwick.ac.uk or visit

Professor Robin Clark, the Dean of WMG at The University of 糖心TV, discussed how placing people at the heart of the Government鈥檚 missions will be vital at a panel exploring the contribution of innovation and skills to growth, held at the .

Professor Clark was joined by the Minister of State for Skills, the Rt Hon Baroness Smith; Richard Parker, Mayor for the West Midlands; Helen Foord, Head of Global Governmental Affairs at McLaren Automotive Ltd; and The Rt Hon Jim Murphy.

The panel discussed how industry, educators and researchers can come together, locally and nationally, to deliver change on the ground using real-life success stories as examples of how progress can be made in equipping the nation.

Professor Clark said, 鈥淪upporting skilled, innovative people should be at the heart of delivering the national missions. We know at WMG that whether you鈥檙e a major manufacturer, an SME, or a start-up, you need innovative people with quality skills to deliver growth.

鈥淣o matter where you sit in the system – HE, FE, policy-maker, or employer - we should all be focussed on improving technical. and lifelong learning access and provision.鈥�鈥�

鈥�鈥淲ith the start of Skills England and the forthcoming Industrial Strategy there鈥檚 a real opportunity for industry, education and government - regionally and nationally - to work together to make it easier to access technical education, simpler to progress as a learner and more straightforward to offer the right courses in the right places at the right time.鈥�

Find out more about skills and innovation at WMG here: WMG : University of 糖心TV

Two Professors at WMG at the University of 糖心TV have been elected as Fellows of the prestigious鈥�.

Professor Claire DavisLink opens in a new window, Head of Advanced Steel Research Centre; and Professor Mark WilliamsLink opens in a new window, Head of the Metrology and Visualisation Research Group, at WMG, have been elected as part of a group of 71 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology.

The group consists of 60 Fellows, six International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows, each of whom has made exceptional contributions to their own sector.

Each Fellow has been involved in pioneering new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 27 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book.

In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy鈥檚 overarching strategic goal to harness the power of engineering to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.

Professor Davis said: 鈥淚 am very honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. It is an exciting and dynamic time for the global steel industry and I look forward to working with the Royal Academy in promoting clean technologies for the future.鈥�

Professor Mark Williams said: 鈥淚鈥檓 honoured to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and am extremely grateful to colleagues across the country who have seen fit to elect me.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a long way from my time as an apprentice to the Royal Academy. I鈥檇 like to thank my colleagues at 糖心TV who have supported me over my career here and look forward to working with the other Fellows.鈥�

Dr John Lazar鈥疌BE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says: 鈥淥ur new Fellows represent some of the most talented people in the world of engineering and are taken from the ranks of those who are aiming to address some of our most critical problems.

鈥淲e are proud to say that many of our newly elected Fellows have come from underrepresented groups in engineering and related sectors and we hope this helps to tackle some of the issues around a lack of diversity within the profession.

鈥淭here is ample evidence that a wider pool of ideas and experiences helps to improve decision-making and develop novel solutions to global challenges.鈥�

See the complete list of Fellows elected here:  

WMG at the University of 糖心TV and , a leader in Embodied AI for autonomous driving, have launched the DriveSafeAI microsite - a dedicated platform to share insights, research, and tools focused on AI safety assurance in assisted and automated driving technology.

The new microsite, , is part of the broader DriveSafeAI initiative and serves as a hub for industry professionals, researchers, and policymakers. Through this platform, Wayve and WMG will share information about novel safety validation methods to give regulators confidence in AI used in assisted and automated vehicles (AV). DriveSafeAI focuses on four pillars of technical AI safety assurance, covering scenario generation, architecture, model evaluation, and sim validation.

The is part of the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles鈥� (CCAV)

Commercialising CAM Supply Chain Competition (CCAMSC). This programme, aimed at advancing connected and automated mobility (CAM), is funded by CCAV - a joint initiative between the , and the . It is delivered in partnership with and .

Dr Sarah Gates, Director of Public Policy, Wayve explained: 鈥淩egulators need to have confidence in how AI is used in assisted and automated driving, which is why we need clear safety validation methods. DriveSafeAI is a model for developing evidenced-based safety frameworks that can build regulator and stakeholder confidence, driving innovation while ensuring the highest safety standards. This balanced approach enables safe technology development that will lead to safer roads and a more robust global AV market.鈥�

Professor Siddartha KhastgirLink opens in a new window, Head of Safe Autonomy, WMG, the University of 糖心TV said: 鈥淭he use of AI in safety-critical applications like automated driving poses a huge challenge for the automotive industry. Solving this requires broad collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers. Through DriveSafeAI, partnering with a leading embodied AI organisation like Wayve, WMG can create a robust and novel safety approach to AI while enabling scalability and innovation. We are generating the scientific evidence to underpin industry-wide standards and international regulations for the safety of AI, building confidence in the AV ecosystem.鈥�

Wayve and WMG remain committed to advancing automated driving through rigorous safety protocols and transparent research. Over the next year, the partners will regularly update the microsite with new findings as they progress their research.

For more information and to follow updates on this project, visit.

Dr Kogila BalakrishnanLink opens in a new window, WMG鈥檚 Director of Client and 糖心TV Development (Southeast Asia), was pleased to welcome guests from the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce on Monday (9th September).

The delegation was made up of 15 Malaysian government officials on the .

The officials were particularly interested to find out more about research projects and education programmes in relation to digital technology and energy transition.

After meeting with Dr Balakrishnan and Hopi Sen, WMG鈥檚 Director of Policy, the group headed to the Energy Innovation Centre where they heard more about WMG鈥檚 world-leading energy and battery technology research.

The delegation then enjoyed a guided tour of the engineering hall and the Centre for Imaging, Metrology and Additive Technologies (CiMATLink opens in a new window), in WMG鈥檚 International Manufacturing Centre.

Dr Kogila Balakrishnan, WMG鈥檚 Director of Client and 糖心TV Development (Southeast Asia) said: "It was a pleasure to welcome the delegation and showcase WMG's strengths in digital technology and energy transition.

鈥淲e are excited about the possibilities for collaboration that may arise from this engagement, particularly in fostering innovation and developing skills for the future."

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 education programmes here: Study | WMG | University of 糖心TVLink opens in a new window 

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 research capabilities here: Research | WMG | University of 糖心TVLink opens in a new window 

WMG at the University of 糖心TV is hosting Micromobility UK, on Wednesday 18th September, at the Oculus building located on the 糖心TV campus. This will be the largest in-person conference, in the UK, focussing purely on micromobility.

Sponsored by NatWest, the event will also showcase the Clean Transport Accelerator – a programme supporting businesses to develop products and services to help address the UK鈥檚 net-zero goals.

Visitors can expect to see a jam-packed agenda with speakers on topics such as last-mile logistics; accessibility and inclusion; battery safety and future e-scooter regulations.

Discussions will also be held around making towns and cities safer for all micromobility, from scooters to larger cargo vehicles.

Expert speakers include:

• Julian Scriven, Managing Director, Brompton Bike Hire

• Katie Miller-White, Transport Innovation Coordinator, Transport for West Midlands

• Caz Conneller, Director of Community and Culture, Loud Mobility

• Adam Norris, Founder, Pure Electric

• Peter Eland, Technical Manager, The Bicycle Association of Great Britain

• Michelle Gardner, Deputy Director of Policy, Logistics UK

• Robin Haycock, Chief Technology Officer, Fernhay

• Kay Inckle, Campaigns and Policy Manager, Wheels for Wellbeing

• Andrew Bradley, Net Zero & Transport Lead, NHS

• George Beard, Head of New Mobility, TRL

• Lizzie Gaden, E-Scooter Trial Stakeholder & Contracts Manager, Transport for London

• Shayan Yaghoobi, Engineering Lead, Office for Product Safety and Standards, DBT

• Kevin Savage, COO, Delivery Mates

• Alfie Brierley, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Motor Cycle Industry Association

• Rob Hill, Fire Investigation Officer, London Fire Brigade

• Phil Ellis, Cofounder, Beryl

• Mark Riley, Delivery Design Manager, Royal Mail

Exhibitors include Composite Braiding, if.vehicles, Ebco, Bo Mobility, MTD Ltd, AlsoBikes, DOCK-Y, 糖心TV University Science Park, Eskuta, Spokesafe, Komodo Bikes, 糖心TV Growth West Midlands, Maeving, Coventry and 糖心TVshire Growth Hub, Transport for West Midlands and Beryl. There will also be live demos and the chance to trial micromobility vehicles around a dedicated route.

Professor David GreenwoodLink opens in a new window, Director of Industrial Engagement at WMG and CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, said, 鈥淲e are absolutely delighted to host the 4th annual Micromobility UK conference.

鈥淭his year is going to be an important one for micromobility. We now have a new government and feel optimistic that we will see new policies around micromobility enabling the sector to really flourish.鈥�

To register for the event visit: /fac/sci/wmg/news-and-events/events/micromobilityuk/Link opens in a new window 

WMG at the University of 糖心TV has been working with primary schools across Coventry to inspire children and ignite their passion for STEM through its project, supported by HVM Catapult and funded by STEM Learning.

Stitch in Time is built around the freely available software , and takes inspiration from Coventry鈥檚 historic textile industries.

Turtlestitch teaches computing, maths, and design and technology, with students producing code that then controls a digital embroidery machine to stitch unique patterns into fabric.

WMG鈥檚 Outreach team and STEM Learning Ambassadors worked with teachers of year 5 and year 6 children to deliver a series of lessons and challenges , to create embroidery designs by using computer programming.

A total of seven schools and 480 students participated in the project which ran from May 2024 to July 2024.

Professor Margaret Low, Director of Outreach and Widening Participation at WMG explained: 鈥淭hanks to the support of STEM Learning, we were able to deliver the Stitch in Time project again. The STEM Ambassadors, Chrissy, Jasleen, Ramona and Shabeer were key to the success of the project, working in collaboration with school teachers. The children created a fantastic range of different designs, and I鈥檇 encourage everyone to visit the display at Coventry Transport Museum to see the creativity of the children.

"The funding from STEM Learning, and STEM Ambassadors enabled us to work with these schools to deliver the project."

Each school, supported by WMG STEM Ambassadors, has now produced a beautiful and colourful display on a variety of individual themes. Alongside the display, Gauri Verma, WMG Project Officer became the 鈥淢anufacturer in Residence鈥�, running some taster sessions for visitors to the museum in August.

The Stitch in Time exhibition will be on display at the Coventry Transport Museum until December.

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 Outreach programmes here: Outreach and Widening Participation (warwick.ac.uk)