Discovery Trail

Earl Mountbatten - lasers, microscopes and more

Research in here includes lasers, wireless and wired communication systems, transportation systems and defence, new manufacturing technologies, Internet of Things (the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet), to name a few. It's all about creating technology solutions to make life easier for everyone on the planet.  

Research focuses on making devices at the micro scale, such as microsystems and nanobots – things we can't see with the naked eye – as well as the macro level, spanning technology for satellites in space.

We have a special new laboratory that opened in April 2021 to make new medical devices for companies wanting to use our technologies. We have a special swimming pool to get our robots swimming unaided. We are making the wireless communication devices of tomorrow that will control the breathing and temperature of sick people remotely. We are also using a lot of mathematical tricks to render signals or images understandable and clearer. 

Within this building there are some amazing facilities – from lasers of various shapes and forms to create, sculpt or polish devices, microscopes that can look at atomic structure of materials, machines that can make devices by pressing material against one another, printing equipment to make flexible electronic devices, or very quiet rooms to test mobile phones. 

Research Bite

Find out more in this Research Bite with Dr Jose Marques-Hueso. Jose works in the Institute of Sensors, Signals and Systems and his research focuses on the use of light for manufacturing.