Tag: Lero

Lero and Logitech join forces to engage in a €2.5M research project

The University of Limerick based software research centre, Lero, is to collaborate on a new multi-year research project, which will involve the testing of 2,000 top video gamers in partnership with gaming computer peripherals giant Logitech G, to better understand how computer gamers train and compete.

Logitech gaming innovation engineer Niall White said: “This €2.5 million four-year partnership with Lero builds on previous research projects with Lero, which have yielded positive results and enabled the company to gain an edge in the global video game industry.

“Lero are the best in the business at this type of software research, and the outputs from this project will help us design and create new gaming products for augmenting gaming performance – mouse, headsets, keyboards and controllers, for example.”

The research partnership extension signals Logitech G’s continued dedication to advancing the industry’s scientific knowledge base of gaming and esports performance.

Lero and Logitech G have collaborated across a range of studies since 2016 to measure the biomechanical, psychological and cognitive capabilities of professional esports athletes to casual gamers to better understand their needs and innovate products to serve them.

Director of the Esport Science Research Lab at Lero, Professor Mark Campbell, said the project’s goals are to advance our understanding of how gamers train and compete.

“We will have to create bespoke software tests to identify and measure key performance indicators of gaming and gamers, and identify and measure the biomarkers of esports and gaming performance.

“This will be achieved through the use of cutting-edge technology such as brain imaging, eye tracking and biosensors,” said Dr Campbell, who is Professor in Sport and Performance Psychology at the University of Limerick.

Professor Campbell said Lero aims to test up to 2,000 gamers or more over the next four years of the project, beginning today (August 18) at the Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany, where Lero plans to test hundreds of gamers over the five-day convention.

“The information we gather will help enable the development of AI-powered smart gaming peripherals such as mice, keyboards and headsets with biosensors for human performance monitoring in-game and other potential training tools such as bespoke software tests using AI dynamic difficulty adjustments for smarter training and competing,” he added.

Professor Campbell said the four-year research programme will be of benefit to Ireland’s €500 million gaming industry employing close to 2,000 people as the project will involve developing strong PhD students, research assistants and Post Docs dedicated to focused research areas across fields such as computer science, psychology, neuroscience, sport science, software engineering, and human-centred design.

“We will leverage behavioural, physiological and performance data from both professional and amateur gamers during play and training sessions to assess player performance, identify key influencing factors and enhance the gaming experience. Additionally, this project will explore prototyping and iterative design methodologies to develop next-generation gaming tools, interfaces, and performance-tracking systems tailored for various gamer needs,” he added.

Professor Campbell said there is a growing level of game development expertise among the research community in Ireland, and the Lero/Logitech INGAME (Innovation in Gaming and Esports) project will bring about greater international visibility of the games industry-related research and development taking place in Irish third-level institutions.

Collaboration between academia and industry could give Irish sprinters an edge at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Elite Irish sprinters participating in a study at Lero, one of the world’s leading software research centres at the University of Limerick, to determine the effectiveness of super spike sprint shoes, could boost their chances of success at the 2028 Olympics.

Lero researchers at the University of Limerick’s Sport and Human Performance Research Centre (SHPRC) have embarked on the research in collaboration with innovative Irish sports analytics company DANU are still recruiting elite Irish athletes to use DANU’s groundbreaking wearable smart socks technology to capture and analyse athlete-specific data, focusing on the biomechanical assessment of super spike shoes.

Professor Ian Kenny questioned whether athletes at the 2024 Olympics choose super spikes due to sponsorship deals or for their technological benefits and injury prevention.

“Using real-world metrics on the track and not the lab, we will gain key insights into the benefits of DANU’s technology, super spikes, and their impact on our elite sprinters – gaining a fraction of a second could give an Irish athlete a podium finish and a medal,” he added.

Lero researcher Shane Hassett said the research will quantify performance outcomes such as speed, ground contact time, flight time, muscle activation, and ankle kinematics to distinguish super spike shoes from other running spikes.

“We will investigate if the DANU sports system can be used to monitor biomechanical changes in gait when wearing the super spike shoes, focusing on how specific components biomechanically change an athlete’s sprint profile,” he added.

DANU founder and CEO Oisín Lennon said they are delighted to continue their collaboration with the University of Limerick and LERO, who he described as leaders in software and research innovation.

“UL supported us in our early development, playing a vital role in validating our technology and shaping the direction of our platform. That early partnership was instrumental in helping us move from concept to a scientifically grounded product.

“Now, it’s incredibly rewarding to see LERO and UL using our technology to drive groundbreaking research in elite sprinting – pushing the limits of what’s possible in biomechanics and performance science.

“Collaborating with researchers of this calibre not only validates our approach but also ensures we stay at the forefront of innovation. We’re excited to contribute to work that has the potential to impact sport at the highest level.”

Irish software research centre Lero to open doors for women to esports competitions

Research to determine if women have cognitive advantages that could help them become stars in the male-dominated esport sector, where players compete for more than €500 million in prize money annually, has been launched by Lero, Ireland’s Research Centre for Software, and University of Limerick.

Lero researchers at the bespoke Esports Science Research Lab—the first of its kind in Europe—have teamed up with Logitech, a designer of software-enabled hardware solutions. This collaboration aims to leverage Logitech’s expertise in hardware design and Lero’s research capabilities to establish elite women gamers’ cognitive and gaming abilities.

 Director of the Esport Science Research Lab and Co-Principal Investigator on the project, Professor Mark Campbell, said gaming is now a multi-billion-euro industry with professional gamers, coaches, and competitions viewed by audiences that compare in size with well-established major sporting events like the Superbowl, the golf majors, Wimbledon, and the Six Nations.

“Even though esports don’t require as much physical effort as traditional sports, there is a dichotomy whereby men feature much more prominently than women at the highest levels of play. Yet most of the video gaming and esports research to date predominantly tests male participants, which means we know little to nothing about elite women gamers’ cognitive and gaming performance.”

Dr Adam Toth, Principal Investigator on the project, added: “This project will continue to grow the capabilities and expertise within the Lero Esports Science Research Lab, utilising bespoke experimental techniques, expert investigators, and high-level processing and analysis tools to identify the attributes of elite women gamers and how we can enhance women’s performance and experience in gaming.”

Dr Toth said the goal of this project is to extend collaborative work between Lero and Logitech in esports and break new ground by investigating the cognitive and gaming performance of elite women gamers.

“We will do this by using bespoke hardware and software to capture behavioural, physiological and performance data during professional and amateur gamers’ training and play sessions to highlight any significant cognitive differences between male and female gamers. This data primarily will come from the differing instrumentation of games/gaming devices, and processing and analysis techniques will be employed to assess the cognitive and in-game similarities and differences of elite women gamers compared to their male counterparts,” he added.

The two-year project at the University of Limerick, which will cost close to €120,000, builds on a successful eight-year collaboration between UL and Logitech and will enhance the capabilities and status of the Esports Science Research Lab at the University of Limerick.

World’s first silicon chip design breakthrough in Limerick

The world’s first fabrication and design of a silicon chip without direct human input has been completed by researchers at Lero, the University of Limerick-based Research Centre for Software, heralding the possibility of creating a new high-tech export-based industry in Ireland.

Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Limerick Conor Ryan led the research team which has just filed a patent for the totally Irish-designed process that came from a project entitled “Automatic Design of Digital Circuits’ (ADDC) funded by Research Ireland.

“This is the first time ever anywhere in the world that machine learning has been used to design and fabricate a silicon chip entirely from scratch. This could pave the way for a new era of automated digital circuit design with Ireland at its centre, creating a new export industry with many well-paying jobs.

“The patent secures the proprietary methods and novel approach to automating silicon chip design’s traditionally manual, complex, and error-prone process. The techniques created by Lero replace traditional methods with an entirely automated flow, reducing the need for human intervention and minimising the risks of design errors,” said Prof Ryan, a lead researcher at Lero.

The Limerick-based team plans to work with selected global chip design and fabrication companies following the successful manufacture of a Lero-designed chip by world-leading chip foundry TSMC, paving the way for a new era of automated digital circuit design.

Prof Ryan said their patent covers the use of a grammar-based optimisation engine that ensures all generated designs are manufacturable and ready for production and opens the door to smarter, faster, and more sustainable hardware design, with potential applications in consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive, and more.

“The system combines cutting-edge machine learning with industry-standard tools and workflows, ensuring the results are compatible with modern manufacturing processes.

“It radically reduces the time and financial resources required to produce integrated circuits, democratising access to advanced hardware innovation. Our process also eliminates an entire step in the traditional verification process,” he added.

Prof. Ryan acknowledged that the project was made possible through partnerships with leading experts and organisations, utilising TSMC’s world-class fabrication facilities.

The process is protected under European Patent Application No. 24213734.7 held by the University of Limerick and the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, and covers Digital Circuit Creation Tool and Method.

Lero technological research could enable older people to live independently reducing the stress for them and those who support their self-reliance

Improving technology-enabled home care for older people to help Ireland reduce the annual €500 million impact on the economy from people falling – especially those over 65 – is one of the goals of a new interdisciplinary research programme at Lero, the University of Limerick-based Research Centre for Software.

A two-year €140,000 research programme focussing on technology-enabled care (TEC) in home environments is being part-funded by Shannon-headquartered Ei Electronics, one of Ireland’s leading indigenous electronics manufacturing and exporting companies, employing 1,250 worldwide.

Lero researcher Associate Professor Katie Crowley said that while technology-enabled care (TEC) in home environments currently has support items such as motion sensors and panic buttons, the innovative development and use of technology can help people function safely and remain at home longer.

Dr Crowley, who is also attached to The Ageing Research Centre (ARC) at the University of Limerick (UL), added: “One example of this is in relation to falls. The National Health Service in the UK report that approximately 1 in 3 adults over 65 years and half of people over 80 will have at least one fall a year.  “In Ireland, the economic impact of falls is €500 million annually, according to data from the Health Service Executive. For the elderly, having a fear of falling significantly increases the chance of having a fall, and emerging evidence suggests that having monitoring technology reduces this fear, leading to improved mobility for the older person,” added Dr Crowley, who lectures in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at UL.

Lero lead researcher Prof. Ita Richardson believes a growing need exists to modify and integrate occupational home practice with innovative technology and software, changing homecare significantly for older people who often have cognitive, physical, caregiving and healthcare needs. “Initially, we need to understand how older people’s lives and the lives of their formal and informal carers could change through TEC,” said Prof. Richardson, who also shares her expertise with ARC.

The Lero team also includes Dr Ann-Marie Morrissey, who brings occupational therapy expertise to the project.

Ei Electronics head of research and development Mike Keegan said they are delighted to work with Lero, whose work in connected health, driverless vehicles, smart communities, and other areas is world-leading.

“At Ei Electronics, we are all about deploying dependable technologies to improve people’s living environment today and into the future. Where lives are at risk, especially among older adults living independently, nothing can be left to chance, and we hope this programme can make life less stressful for those living by themselves and those supporting that independence,” he added.

Dublin Drone Innovation Partnership will shape the future of urban air mobility

A two-year in-depth study to help prepare Dublin and other European cities for the widespread use of drones in commercial and civic life has been launched today at the offices of Dublin City Council, by the Minister of State at the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, James Lawless T.D.

The project is led by a research team from Lero, the Research Ireland Centre for Software and Maynooth University, in collaboration with Dublin City Council (DCC), and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

Speaking at the launch, Minister Lawless said: “Ireland has an established record of leadership in regulation of emerging technologies. As drones begin to be used more and more across the globe, at home we have seen them supplying emergency medicines, delivering fast food, used for search and rescue purposes and to enhance public safety among a range of important applications. Earlier this year, the Government held a public consultation on the development of a policy framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones. The research partnership being launched today, between Lero, Maynooth University, Dublin City Council and the Irish Aviation Authority, with stakeholder engagement at its heart, is very much aligned with Government’s efforts to foster the industry’s growth while mitigating safety, security, environmental, privacy, and other concerns.”

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy CEO of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, the newly established research and innovation funding agency, said: “Research Ireland supports partnerships such as this to bring key stakeholders together, to drive progress and capitalise on the advantages offered by innovative and disruptive technologies. While exploring emerging technologies and systems to capture data and support responses to critical events, this collaborative approach helps us to better understand its potential benefits and impact on wider society. Investing in basic research is of strategic importance to Research Ireland, as it allows us to support a pipeline of transformative solutions to bring about real-world benefits.”

Project Coordinator Professor Tim McCarthy of Maynooth University and LERO believes the project is particularly timely as unmanned drone ecosystems are beginning to emerge globally and involve a wide variety of stakeholders and end-users.

A vital aspect of the research project, according to Prof. McCarthy, will be the creation of a digital twin for Dublin City to explore and simulate urban drone flight ecosystems, allowing researchers to address issues that emerge in a safe and controlled environment.

“This digital twin will capture inputs from all stakeholders, enable simulation of drone activities and provide prototype digital optimisation services in addressing various business, market, safety, privacy, nuisance and environmental concerns,” he added.

The partnership will also deliver a number of ‘state of the art’ drone applications to show the benefits of autonomous and remote piloting of drones to support life-saving and emergency response applications in a Dublin City setting.

“This unique drone innovation partnership will contribute to Dublin City Council’s Drone and Urban Air Mobility Strategy 2024-2029, an ambitious roadmap to support the integration of drones into city services and position Dublin and Ireland as a European leader in Drones and Urban Air Mobility,” said Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead Dublin City Council.

Enda Walsh, manager of the IAA’s UAS division, believes the partnership will deliver crucial insights for safely integrating UAS into urban environments while maximising benefits to society, and laying the foundation for developing UAS Traffic Management (UTM) for the State.

“The Drone Innovation Partnership project will look at stakeholder concerns and provide crucial information and analysis of the key aspects around security, environment, and privacy for UAS integration into urban environments. It will also support the future establishment of a comprehensive and effective UTM infrastructure for the State, which provides a safe environment for all air traffic while facilitating a growing UAS industry.”

 

Lero partners with Arm to build prototype car cameras for enhanced road safety

Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Software, has today announced an innovative new partnership with Arm, the global semiconductor and software leader. The research project, valued at €566,000, is designed to explore new technologies that will enable cars to see and react to their surroundings faster, more intelligently and more effectively.

A four-year collaboration between Lero and Arm, the ARMADAS1 project is focused on the development of next-generation car camera systems. The project will explore the optimisation of artificial intelligence to enhance how vehicles perceive their surroundings.

The research is being led by Professor Patrick Denny of Lero, who is Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Imaging at University of Limerick and an expert in automotive imaging.

The ambitious project is designed to help reduce road accidents by modelling advanced imaging systems for vehicles that are more responsive than existing technology.

“As car camera systems become increasingly sophisticated and AI is deployed across the vehicle, this research aims to explore the potential of smarter, more responsive imaging systems optimised for computers rather than humans. The collaboration between Lero and Arm could revolutionise the way vehicles perceive their environments by optimising cameras and sensing systems for AI processing, enabling cars to sense and react faster to their environment,” explained Prof. Denny.

“The automotive market is going through an unprecedented transformation and as part of this, we’re seeing an explosion in the demand for AI across the vehicle,” said Andy Rose, VP Technology Strategy and Fellow, Arm. “Bringing together Arm’s technical expertise and market knowledge with Lero’s internationally recognised software and computer imaging research capabilities, this project has the potential to drive exciting new developments for next-generation automotive vision systems.”

This research will benefit drivers, the public, and vulnerable road users. The project’s advancements have the potential to not only help make cars smarter but also empower chip manufacturers to develop innovative new products for this market.

Lero researchers explore research opportunities with Qualcomm to develop AI technologies for enhanced efficiency

Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, today announced a research initiative with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. This initiative aims to explore ideas relative to both the University of Limerick and Qualcomm Technologies, focusing on enhancing performance by using highly advanced technology for artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative, led by Lero researcher Professor Patrick Denny of the University of Limerick (UL), leverages technology from Qualcomm Technologies with the aim of improving the decision-making capabilities of AI in various applications.

Professor Denny, who holds 151 patents, said, “Through this work with Qualcomm Technologies, we aim to explore (or study) the ability of AI to interpret complex data more effectively, to improve operations across multiple environments and potentially increase efficiency. “We want to better understand how vision systems can be combined with AI, particularly in challenging visual conditions.”

“The results of this research can support the development of more reliable vision systems for a range of applications, such as potential automotive, drone, and robotic technologies,” said Prof. Denny, who lectures in the Dept. of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS) at UL.

Paul Kelleher, VP of Engineering, QT Technologies Ireland Limited, added, “Lero’s excellent international research reputation and Qualcomm Technologies’ commitment to research and development of next-generation technologies will drive and support cutting-edge research. Through enhanced AI capabilities, we are aiming to significantly improve how systems perceive and react to their environment.”

Lero researchers team up with Abbey Machinery to develop autonomous farm machinery to improve on-farm efficiency

The technological advancement of Irish-made autonomous farm machinery is being enhanced by researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and Abbey Machinery, under a new research partnership agreement.

Lero researcher, professor Joseph Walsh, based at the Munster Technological University’s Kerry campus, is leading the partnership with Toomevara, County Tipperary headquartered Abbey Machinery.

Prof. Walsh points out that with global food production required to increase by close to 70% to feed a growing population, the agricultural industry has to become more innovative by using technology to add value to our food supply chains.

“The farmers leading the way in adopting the new technologies will ultimately accelerate the movement that transforms the global agri-food system into one which will efficiently feed nine billion people by 2050,” he added.

Prof. Walsh said the partnership with Abbey would leverage MUT’s industry-leading innovative AgriTech research in IoT, AI and Manufacturing to develop the next generation of intelligent, connected tankers and feeders.

“These machines will be designed to allow remote operation and monitoring by employing state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in sensor networks, communications, and data analytics,” he added.

Abbey Machinery MD Clodagh Kavanagh said that as an export-orientated company with 60% of sales coming from overseas, the goal of Abbey Machinery is to research and develop the next generation of smart, connected, and automated generation of tankers and feeders.

“These machines will be designed to allow remote operation and monitoring by employing state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in the fields of telematics, sensor networks and communications, and data analytics to meet the needs of our customers in Ireland, Britain, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand and Iceland,” she added.

Ms Kavanagh said the research has two strands: Next-generation smart electronic architecture for agriculture machinery and software systems for telematics monitoring and remote operation.

Prof. Walsh said the necessary deliverables for Abbey Machinery will be a prototype of the full-stack software platform that monitors the telematics, automates service reminders, and remote operations that have the potential to lead to the development of new products and services for Abbey Machinery.

MTU ​President Professor Maggie Cusack said: “MTU and Abbey Machinery have an established educational and research partnership spanning a number of years. This project marks the extension of this partnership, and we look forward to the positive impact this R&D project will have both nationally and internationally.”