Scottish and European health researchers have announced that they are part of a €6m international project to use AI to improve the diagnosis of bowel cancer, the UK's second-most deadly type of cancer. Bowel cancer is the second most-common cause of cancer death in Scotland, with around 1,600 people dying of the disease each year. The current detection method involves inserting an endoscope, a thin flexible tube with a camera on the end, into a patient's colon which then travels around the large bowel allowing doctors to check for cancer. The new procedure being developed by the research team - known as a Clinical Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) – utilises an artificial intelligence-assisted'smart pill' containing cameras (pictured below) which, once swallowed by a patient, records images of the intestines as it passes through. At present, images captured by the capsules are reviewed by trained doctors, but AI offers the potential to safely and ethically speed up the process, make it more cost-effective and increase its use.

An artificial intelligence (AI) companion for people with dementia is being developed in research involving the University of Strathclyde. The technology will aid memory recollection, boost confidence and combat depression in people living with Alzheimer's Disease and other types of dementia. Memory loss in people with Alzheimer's Disease occurs in reverse chronological order, with pockets of long-term memory remaining accessible even as the disease progresses. While most current rehabilitative care methods focus on physical aids and repetitive reminding techniques, the new project, named AMPER (Agent-based Memory Prosthesis to Encourage Reminiscing) will take an AI-driven, user-centred approach and will focus on personalised storytelling to help bring a patient's memories back to the surface. The research team is led at Heriot-Watt University and the National Robotarium, a partnership between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh.

A Photonics researcher at the University of Strathclyde has received a prestigious fellowship to support his development of ultra-fast Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for medicine, security and renewable energy. Dr Antonio Hurtado, Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde's Institute of Photonics, is one of 15 recipients of Turing AI Acceleration Fellowships, supported by a £20million government investment and delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to lead innovative and creative AI research with transformative impact. Dr Hurtado aims to develop ultrafast yet energy efficient AI systems using photonic devices which operate through low-energy light signals, such as the semiconductor lasers that can be found in mobile phones and supermarket barcode scanners. Dr Hurtado said: "In today's world, the ability to process vast amounts of data fast and efficiently is crucial in sectors such as energy, healthcare and finance. AI systems are key tools to make sense of huge volumes of data but consume very high levels of energy and increasingly contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. "Operating in a similar way to the biological neurons that process information in the brain, the new photonic devices will be able to process data at high speeds while reducing energy consumption, helping the UK to meet its net zero carbon ambitions by 2050.

Two of Glasgow's leading scientists will develop cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology thanks to a £20 million UK Government cash boost. The Scottish projects, at the University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde, are among fifteen innovative projects receiving the new Turing AI fellowships as part of the UK government's ambition to establish the UK as a world leader in AI and support researchers to scale up their innovations. Dr Antonio Hurtado, University of Strathclyde, received £1.16 million. He aims to meet the growing demand across the UK economy to process large volumes of data fast and efficiently, while minimising the energy required to do so. His AI technology will use laser light, similar to those used in supermarket checkouts, to perform complex tasks at ultrafast speed – from weather forecasting to processing images for medical diagnostics.

Imagine the US is under attack. An enemy aircraft, loaded with warheads, is heading towards the coast, dipping in and out of radar. Fighter jets have been scrambled and there's a frantic effort to pinpoint the target. But the nation's best defence is not an aircraft carrier or a missile system. "Use the quantum computer," yells a general.

Artificial intelligence can be applied to every sector and opens doors to new opportunities and efficiencies that can help businesses thrive. Come along to our free AI frenzy event to demystify artificial intelligence and start your journey to understanding the vast opportunities that you can unlock. Speakers from leading financial institutions, innovative start-ups and academics will give their view on the state of artificial intelligence and how it is affecting different industries and the world of business as a whole. During the networking time you will also have the opportunity to meet some companies showcasing their work, as well as meeting other like-minded individuals and industry experts.

This project is jointly funded by the Data Lab and MASTS Industrial Doctorate program and by the University of Strathclyde. The successful candidate will be based at the University of Strathclyde in the Physics Department but will work with a range of experts in machine learning (Dr Jinchang Ren, EEE, Strathclyde), remote sensing (Dr Jacqueline Tweddle, University of Aberdeen) and with Scottish Government scientists (Drs Alejandro Gallego, Matthew Gubbins and Eileen Bresnan, Marine Scotland, Aberdeen). The PhD is open to EU nationals and is fully funded for a total of 3.5 years, with preferred start date of 1st Oct 2018. FTE Category A staff submitted: 27.00

Engineers have developed a robotic shopping trolley for elderly customers based on a drawing by a boy who simply wanted to help his grandmother. Aidan McCann, 13, dreamed up a push cart with height adjustment features to help his grandmother Lydia who'isn't very strong'. He witnessed how the 4ft 11in 76-year-old finds it difficult to carry groceries from the shops and perform other physically demanding tasks due to her height. Bosses at engineering giant Doosan Babcock were so impressed with Aidan's design they selected it as their overall winner at the Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award 2015 Users can make the trolley go up and down by the flick of a switch. The idea is to lift bags of shopping towards the users so that they don't have to bend down and lift it up themselves.

The economic viability of a manufacturing organization depends on its ability to maximize customer services; maintain efficient, low-cost operations; and minimize total investment. These objectives conflict with one another and, thus, are difficult to achieve on an operational basis. Much of the work in the area of automated scheduling systems recognizes this problem but does not address it effectively. The work presented by this Ph.D. dissertation was motivated by the desire to generate good, cost-effective schedules in dynamic and stochastic manufacturing environments.