Engineering Building Facilities

This spacious studio hosts an aircraft cabin simulator, crafted from an Embraer 145 jet's central section.

The simulator, enhanced and installed by engineering students, features surround sound, window display screens, and seat shakers. It serves as a valuable tool for studying the impact of noise and vibrations on passengers.

Students can learn to solve practical engineering problems facing the aerospace industry in the laboratory and software environment.

This area hosts a mini production line simulation, testing new robotics for manufacturing.

The studio transforms to simulate corridors, aiding our researchers in developing AI-powered robots for factory and hospital logistics.

This lab includes 3D printers and mechanical testers for characterisation through tensile and compression testing.

3D printing – used by students and researchers to create things like pier supports, aerofoils and mechanical linkages using CAD Design. We also have equipment to test the compatibility of materials and other properties. For instance, we have tested aerofoils in our wind tunnel. These resources are available to all students and are incorporated into their coursework. We encourage students to also use the printers for their personal projects. They can book time slots online to design and print items for themselves.

Vacuum former – helps students learn about mould making and using thermoplastic to create complex-shaped parts. It has applications in packaging, prosthetics, medical devices, vehicle body parts, and windows.

Shimadzu mechanical tester – a tool used to study different materials by applying force in both pulling and pushing directions. It has the capacity to test up to 20 kilonewtons (KN), which means it can examine a variety of samples ranging from delicate fabrics to strong steel beams and composite materials. One specific use of this device is in improving crash structures that can change shape upon impact. By using the tester, engineers can fine-tune the structure's inner framework to better absorb and distribute energy during a collision, making it safer.

Mechanical engineering teaching suites equip undergraduate students with the essential knowledge of solid mechanics and fluid dynamics. They explore concepts here such as heat exchange in HVAC systems and the resonant frequency of structures.

These facilities offer the necessary equipment to teach fundamental principles that will guide our students throughout their degree and future careers.

The lab's versatile capabilities cater to both artistic finishing touches and the intricate fabrication of cutting-edge composite structures.

It houses a spacious, well-ventilated booth designed for painting and manufacturing tasks involving composite materials like fibreglass and carbon fibre. Our sports engineering students have effectively employed this facility to construct lightweight carbon fibre bicycle forks and swingarms.

Moreover, the lab serves as a hub for various extracurricular clubs, including the formula student team and our lawn mower racing enthusiasts. In this dynamic space, students and club members collaborate, innovate, and apply their knowledge to diverse automotive projects.

The lab's subsonic wind tunnel allows demonstration and testing of prototypes to optimize aerodynamic designs by minimizing drag and enhancing fluid dynamics.

Students can validate their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulated designs using this wind tunnel.

Additionally, it serves as a platform to teach the fundamental aerodynamic principles to our undergraduate students.

This space offers students the opportunity to deconstruct existing products or create their own designs.

It is equipped with various tools such as laser and plasma cutters, milling machines, sandblasting and welding facilities, and a wide array of hand tools.

The technical team supervises these areas, offering guidance on equipment usage, conducting inductions and training sessions, and providing support in material selection and manufacturing methods.

This versatile space is dedicated to promoting research, education, and the advancement of medical practices. The laboratory houses various advanced equipment such as the EEG system, Functional Near-Infrared System, Eye tracker, and Laparoscopy simulator. It serves as a hub for measuring physiological parameters, including brain and heart activity, enabling a deeper understanding of human body behaviour in both healthy and diseased states.

This facility helps students build invaluable foundation for generating innovative concepts for monitoring health. Moreover, it serves as a training ground for clinicians, allowing them to perform surgical skills and evaluate novel surgical tools.

The lab is dedicated to cell growth and creation of biological scaffolds for growing 3D biological cell structures.

An extensive range of equipment will help you develop good biological, engineering and chemical laboratory skills, and to enable you to design and develop your own ideas and products to improve future healthcare. Including cell culture facilities, optical sensors, bioprinter and spectrophotometer.

The lab is equipped with all necessary tools for biomedical engineering education.

Students gain hands-on experience in fundamental laboratory skills like weighing, measuring, and liquid handling. They also learn advanced techniques, such as manufacturing medical-grade hydrogels. These hydrogels undergo evaluation for water permeability on our optical tensiometer or undergo rigorous testing on a micro-scale mechanical tester until their limits are reached.

This comprehensive facility offers a platform for students to explore and develop their understanding of biomedical engineering through practical experimentation and analysis.

Housing equipment for our students to record accurate anatomical, physiological and biomechanical measurements.

This includes an extensive range of exercise equipment such as cycle ergometers, arm crank ergometers and a treadmill for testing human performance including our climatic chamber to study elite athletes’ responses to extremes of heat, cold and altitude.

The equipment in this lab will help you better understand the interactions between humans and their environment, which can affect health and the function of biomedical engineering tools.

Find more information about the Sport Engineering Lab.

Students studying electronics can learn and benefit right from the fundamentals through to processor design. This includes oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, function generators, spectrum analysers, logic analysers, analogue and digital electronic training kits, and RF training kits.

Find more information about the Electronics Lab.

From simulating aircraft vibrations to speeding at 120 mph on a virtual track, students use this lab to explore the effects of vibration, sound, and motion on people, and develop methods to reduce or enhance current technology.

The VR suite includes a customized soundproof chamber, enabling students to conduct noise-sensitive experiments like electroencephalography (EEG) for measuring brain activity, as well as studies on focus and comprehension.

Essentially, in this multifunctional space, students delve into the intricate relationship between human experiences and technological advancements.

The Robotics Test Arena is a playground for our students to explore and develop their robotics skills in a practical and engaging environment.

The test arena provides a safe space where students can experiment with various robotic technologies and learn through hands-on experience. Here are some features and benefits of our robotic test arena:

Motion Capture System - Human Motion Tracking - Drone Tracking – Used to track and capture the movements of humans within the robotic test arena. It enables researchers and developers to analyse and mimic human motions for various purposes such as motion planning, gesture recognition, and human-robot interaction. Drone tracking system track the movements and positions of drones. It can be used to test and develop drone navigation algorithms, assess the performance of autonomous drones, and facilitate research in drone swarm coordination and control.

Type of drones we have are:

Educational – Used to teach and engage students in learning about robotics, programming, and aerial technology.

Swarming – Collection of autonomous drones that work together in a coordinated manner, programmed to collaborate and communicate with each other to perform tasks.

Photographic – Equipped with high-quality cameras and imaging systems. Capture aerial photographs and videos for various purposes, including cinematography and aerial mapping.

Industrial, LiDAR, Thermal – Equipped with sensors to generate detailed 3D maps of terrain or objects. Additionally, they may have thermal imaging capabilities for inspections, monitoring, and identifying thermal anomalies in industrial processes or infrastructure.

Other equipment:

Roboto Dog also known as robodog, used to study animal-inspired locomotion, human-robot interaction, and develop advanced control strategies.

Swarm Robots allows to study swarm intelligence, collective decision-making, and emergent behaviours. Swarm robots have applications in areas such as search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and distributed sensing.

Offers cutting-edge resources for companies and academic institutions to advance digital technologies and wireless networks. It features an electronics workshop, a showcase room, and internal/external wireless networks such as LoRaWAN and 5G. These facilities enable innovation and experimentation in various areas within the campus.