NTU, Schaeffler jointly set up lab to develop personal mobility devices

NTU, Schaeffler jointly set up lab to develop personal mobility devices

A skateboard that could navigate its user home safely and double up as a shopping trolley could become a reality with the work of a new joint lab run by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and global automotive and industrial components supplier Schaeffler Group.

Under an agreement signed on Monday (Mar 20), NTU and Schaeffler will research various aspects of personal urban mobility and intelligent transportation systems for mega-cities of the future. The lab has a combined funding of S$5 million over three years.

The partnership will also ride on the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed, which consists of vehicles equipped with smart units and roadside units with video cameras mounted on street lamps throughout the NTU campus.

NTU vice-president (Research) and chief of staff Professor Lam Khin Yong said the collaboration will tackle transportation challenges for Singapore as the country moves into its Smart Nation vision.

“We aim to develop innovative personal transport solutions that will be safer and more efficient, which will support Singapore’s drive towards a car-lite society,” said Prof Lam.

Schaeffler's concepts for personal mobility include the E-Board, an electronic skateboard-like device that comes with a control stick, and an e-bike equipped with an automatic bicycle gearshift system. The lab will also look at adapting Schaeffler’s future-oriented four-wheel bio-hybrid - a vehicle powered by electric-assisted pedalling - for use in Singapore.

The new lab is the German company’s first outside Europe and part of the Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research at NTU.

“Our long-term vision is to develop Singapore as a hub for research and innovation for urban mobility,” said Schaeffler Asia-Pacific CEO Andreas Schick.

“The proactive efforts from Singapore’s Government make it a highly conducive place for developing technologies for future mega-cities and Schaeffler is keen to tap into these opportunities, working together with the big and highly educated talent pool," he added.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

南大推出两新学士课程

南大推出两新学士课程

南洋理工大学的艺术、媒体与设计学院重组课程，来临8月的新学年为新生推出设计艺术学士学位以及媒体艺术学士学位这两项课程，提供更全面的教育，以因应创意与数码行业需求。

设计艺术学士学位课程（Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Art）融合现有的互动媒体、产品设计和视觉课程为一体，而媒体艺术学士学位课程（Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Art）则融合数码动画、数码电影制作，以及摄影和数码影像课程。

~联合早报~

南大添新宿舍大一大二生全可住校

南大添新宿舍大一大二生全可住校

南大今年8月起将在南洋弯开设多三栋宿舍，增设多1820个床位供学生寄宿，届时预计有1万4200名学生可寄宿在南大的24栋宿舍内，满足超过90％的现有需求。

来临新学年，南洋理工大学将增设新宿舍，可在校内寄宿的学生数目将因此增至1万4000名，满足超过九成的现有需求。

~联合早报~

南大与德公司合作 探讨代步工具智能化

南大与德公司合作 探讨代步工具智能化



Schaeffler新加坡城市交通研究中心主任梅耶尔（左）和亚太地区执行长希克，昨天在南大校园示范公司研发的控制杆电动滑板车以及装有自动换挡系统的电动脚踏车。公司将与南大合作成立实验室，测试这些代步工具在本地的实用性。（邝启聪摄）

南大校务总监兼副校长（研究）蓝钦扬教授指出，由双方设立的实验室将集中在通行研究、连接性与大数据、个人通行概念，以及系统与配件这四大方面。

公众未来或能使用装有智能行车器的电动踏板车或其他智能代步工具，在安全通行的情况下抵达目的地。

~联合早报~

南大团队研发新摄像机更精准预防无人驾驶车相撞

南大团队经七年多研发 新摄像机更精准预防无人驾驶车相撞



　南大的陈守顺博士与研究团队用了七年多的时间，研发了可让无人驾驶车与无人机等更快也更精准地进行画面分析的摄像机。陈守顺手中的感应晶片可让摄像机在拍摄时只探测并记录镜头中的移动影像，加快分析画面的速度。（邝启聪摄）

南洋理工大学的研究人员研发这个称为“CeleX”新摄像机，能快速辨别画面中的前后层次，可让无人驾驶车更及时地避开迎面而来的障碍物。

经七年多的研究，南洋理工大学的研究人员研发了一款新摄像机，可让无人驾驶车与无人机等更快也更精准地进行画面分析，进而作出更加快速的反应。南大已成立一家独立公司，准备将该款摄像机推出市场。

称为“CeleX”的新摄像机是通过目前在等候专利权批准的感应晶片，使摄像机在拍摄时只探测并记录镜头中的移动影像。

负责这项研发项目的南大卫星研究中心助理教授陈守顺博士（40岁）昨天向媒体介绍新摄像机功能时指出，一般的光学摄像机在拍摄时会不断地定时摄取镜头中的所有影像，再将其信息送往内部处理器进行分析，才能形成摄像机所“看到”的全副画面。

“如果画面没有变动也一律定时摄取影像，那将累计庞大的信息数据量。摄像机中的处理器也需要更长的时间来分析出画面，运作效率会因此降低。”

他说，新摄像机就像青蛙的眼睛，只会“观察到”画面中的动态，处理器只处理这些捕捉到的移动影像，画面的分析时间因此缩短。

他指出，新摄像机分析画面的速度比一般的光学摄像机快上约三倍。

“此外，由于新摄像机是通过探测移动影像分析画面，因此无论在强烈的灯光下或较暗的环境中也能辨识出镜头中的画面。”

陈守顺也说，因为处理器得处理的信息数据量大大减少，因此CeleX能快速辨别画面中的前后层次，可让无人驾驶车更及时地避开迎面而来的障碍物。

另外，由于该款摄像机不是以一般定时摄取影像的形式操作，因此不会在间隔中错失任何影像，可让无人驾驶车与无人机更好地预防突发的相撞事故。

陈守顺也指出，除了适用于无人驾驶车与无人机，该款摄像机也可用在须探测环境的机器人，以及帮助驾车者降低意外风险的驾驶辅助系统等。

与多家公司洽谈推出市场

他透露，由10多人组成的研究团队已在2015年7月通过南大的“NTUitive”创业计划创办了Hillhouse Technology私人有限公司，该公司正准备将摄像机在市场上推出。

“我们正在和多家公司洽谈，其中包括汽车制造商和研发无人驾驶车的公司。”

陈守顺估计，新摄像机中关键的感应晶片生产成本为约10美元（约14新元），组装整个摄像机需约120美元（约170新元）。他说，若将来进行大批生产，成本还可能降低。

CeleX摄像机的研究项目自2009年展开，并获得教育部和新加坡－麻省理工学院科研中心（SMART）的50万元资助。

~联合早报~

南大即将测试大型无人驾驶车

南大即将测试大型无人驾驶车

再过不久，南洋理工大学校园内将会测试新的无人驾驶电动车，为明年测试本地首个无人驾驶巴士服务做进一步准备。

新款电动车由法国公司 Navya 制造，可乘坐11人，外加四人站立。这是南大至今测试最大型的无人驾驶车。电动车去年12月运抵我国，经南大研究员调整系统设置后，目前正在进行内部测试。

~联合早报~

NTU, US non-profit organisation ink deal to develop tech on improving court processes

NTU, US non-profit organisation ink deal to develop tech on improving court processes

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and US non-profit organisation The Mitre Corporation on Friday (Feb 10) announced that they signed two research agreements, which could lead to smart technologies to enhance workplace safety and courtroom procedures.

The joint research partnership aims to develop innovative technologies to support Singapore’s Smart Nation ambitions and improve safety in workplaces, as well as in judicial engineering, which aims to improve productivity and processes for the country's courts, the joint press release said.

The agreements were signed at MITRE's campus in Virginia, US, by NTU provost Freddy Boey and MITRE's senior vice president Lillian Zarelli Ryals, it added.

On judicial engineering, the press release said NTU researchers will work with Singapore's courts to study how technology can help to improve operations and productivity. Areas to be explored include artificial intelligence and machine learning, court analytics and decision support systems as well as cybersecurity.

As for workplace safety, technologies such as sensors, analytics and decision support tools can be used with the aim of improving safety by providing critical safety information, the press release said.

For example, smart sensors could gather data on the number of employees in an office building and large installations like the airport and seaport, so as to generate the ideal work environment in terms of oxygen levels, brightness of lighting and ambient temperature based on demand in an area, it said.

“This new partnership brings together MITRE’s strengths in smart technologies and judiciary engineering with NTU’s expertise in systems engineering as well as our track record in sustainable and intelligent technologies,” said Professor Boey.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~