The group has developed this research area over a number of years. The application areas for the systems and numerical techniques developed are in the analysis of contact lenses, lens, MEMS, wear and erosion, and hip replacements.
This work encompasses:
At present many sound carriers are stored as unstable archives and at risk of deterioration. The aim of the Archive Sound Project was to investigate non-contact methods for the scanning of mechanical sound recordings and to provide digitised copies of the content. The sound archive can then be developed as an internet accessible resource. A non-contact method protects delicate recordings, does no further damage, and provides a method to even recover severely damaged items.
The research focussed on the very earliest recordings including wax cylinders and coarsegroove discs. Many of these surfaces are delicate, where the surface has been damaged to the extent that a stylus cannot be used.
The work was initially funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) and is in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California. Following the successful outcome of the project a further EPSRC Knowledge Transfer Secondment has been awarded to allow further work on developing easy access to early sound recordings, in collaboration with TaiCaan Technologies, EMI archive and the British Library Sound Archive.