International tech companies visit QM

More than 40 people from eight countries that spanned Latin America, Europe and USA were welcomed to the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science in a visit coordinated by the Tech City Investment Organisation and UKTI.

Many of the attendees represented companies that are either in the process of opening offices in Tech City or are part of the Digital Shoreditch Festival programme.  

Dr Chris Moore, from UKTI said: "The visiting group of SMEs welcomed the chance to see a number of engaging demos, hear about current research projects and talk to faculty members and researchers. Queen Mary's highly successful Media and Arts Technology Doctoral Training Centre has been very active within the Tech City community and represents a great way for SMEs to work with a university partner."

Andrew McPherson, Lecturer in Digital Media at QM and creator of the magnetic resonator piano spoke about a new project called TouchKeys, which overlays sensors to the surface of the keys of a piano-style keyboard to allow new expressive techniques like vibrato and pitch bends.

Richard Kelly, Programme Manager for the Media and Arts Technology (MAT) Programme gave an overview of the Doctoral Training Centre and in particular the wide range of internships on offer.

Richard explained: “Many of our students already have a Masters degree or are established artists in their own right. One of the exciting features that the MAT programme offers is the five month internship, which gives them an opportunity to put their skills into practice with big companies like the BBC or Proctor and Gamble, and smaller ventures such as Engineered Arts, a manufacturing firm based in Cornwall that’s trying to make robots with more human characteristics.”

Professor Mark Sandler, Head of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, said: “We're keen for other Schools within Queen Mary to develop links with Tech City either through internships or through Creative Works London, a consortium of universities that we lead and that aims to combine academic knowledge and entrepreneurial skill to benefit the UK’s creative sector."