Articles & Blogs

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Meet the Innovator helping to reduce freight vehicle pollution in cities

Supply chain specialist Steve Whyman has developed CurbCargo, an environmental software system that encourages businesses to work together to reduce the impact of delivery vehicles in cities.

A person in a navy jacket and matching beanie stands on a waterfront deck, smiling, with the sea and distant buildings in the background.

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Meet the innovator mapping the oceans

Caroline Levey has combined her passions of sailing, geography and data to help introduce new methods of maritime navigation and port management.

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Meet the Innovator sharing cars to improve community cohesion

Rural car club co-founder Susan Ross is developing a community vehicle sharing framework for use across the country, after securing support and funding from Connected Places Catapult.

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Meet the innovator predicting traffic at ports

Enthusiasm, passion and curiosity have driven Toby Mills to develop an artificial intelligence system to predict traffic delays, which is helping the Port of Dover better manage the arrival of freight vehicles.

A man with a bald head and a black shirt sits in a workshop surrounded by various tools and equipment, ensuring everything is ready for the day's focus on virtual reality safety.

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Meet the innovator cleaning the air in train stations

Matteo Maccario and his start-up company Pluvo are about to install new air filtration devices on train platforms in Birmingham and Salisbury.

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Meet the Innovator applying medical thinking to travel

Maths whizz Chris Arthurs created computer simulations showing how human hearts respond to drug treatments, before applying his knowledge of algorithms to build a city navigation smartphone app. Now he is working with Connected Places Catapult to develop a digital twin to help shape highways of the future.

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Meet the Innovator aiming high with wall climbing robots

Jack Cornes is securing global sales of a robot that scales walls after Connected Places Catapult gave his company the chance to trial its inspection device with National Highways.

A maritime innovator with a beard wearing a blue shirt gestures with his hand to form a circle around his eye, standing in a workshop filled with various tools and machinery in the background.

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Meet the innovator making waves in the green marine sector

Ecomar Propulsion is about to sell its first electric outboard motors for boats to a client in the Maldives, and recently participated in Connected Places Catapult’s Maritime Accelerator.

A woman stands on the sidewalk holding a device focused on virtual reality safety, with a busy street, including a bus and several cars, in the background.

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Meet the innovator using virtual reality to improve driver safety

Heavy goods drivers are among the beneficiaries of new safety training developed using virtual reality.

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Meet the Innovator interrogating words to help improve transport services

Ruth Erdal started her career writing punchy copy for books and brochures, and now promotes technology that identifies key phrases in spoken and written text to help transport clients better understand how their customers are feeling.

A man in a suit is holding a microphone and presenting in front of a large screen displaying various images and text related to drone technology.

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Meet the innovator creating community friendly drone ports

David Majoe hopes to automate the transfer of goods between drones and customers with the help of Connected Places Catapult, and make take-off and landing sites convenient and attractive places for local people to visit.

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Meet the innovator powering efforts to make car batteries last longer

Scientist and environmental champion Sindy Chaves from Costa Rica is now based in Coventry, developing an industrial coating for electric vehicle batteries to extend their life with help from the Clean Futures programme.

An older man wearing glasses and a light blue shirt stands next to a metal structure with multiple wires and components, representing advanced satellite-based communication systems, in a laboratory setting.

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Meet the innovator driving autonomous vehicle safety forward

Electronics expert Oliver Leisten has developed satellite-based communication systems to help unmanned aircraft stay safe in the sky. He is now turning his attention to driverless cars with the help of Connected Places Catapult.

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Meet the Innovator creating 3D printed concrete structures

Aiming for profit with social purpose, Natalie Wadley is developing rail and water infrastructure and aims to tackle homelessness by building affordable houses.

A person in a gray shirt and red hat is sailing in deep blue waters, adjusting a winch handle while pointing with their right hand. A bright green flag and yellow safety equipment are visible on the boat.

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Meet the innovator providing 5G at sea

Battling gusty winds at sea in a boat with a broken sail made James Thomas realise just how useful a reliable phone signal would have been to provide emergency navigation and communicate his plight. After making it to shore, he set about developing a floating 5G mobile network to help those in hostile environments stay connected.

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Meet the Innovator using AI to monitor site safety

Computer vision specialist RoboK is gaining a solid reputation for improving site safety around ports, and its co-founder Hao Zheng is helping to steer a Connected Places Catapult advisory board.