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  • Journal article
    Wu H, Harkin R, Nikam S, McFadden Set al., 2026,

    , Philosophical Magazine Letters, Vol: 106, ISSN: 0950-0839
  • Journal article
    Amatuni L, Clemm C, Sprecher B, Tukker A, Mogollón JMet al., 2026,

    , Communications Earth and Environment, Vol: 7

    Product reuse advances circular economy by reducing material demand. However, environmental assessments often assume reused products fully replace new ones, or they overlook market changes and shortened lifespans driven by resale and repurchase opportunities. This study presents an empirically based analysis of the second-hand smartphone market and its cumulative effects on manufacturing demand and carbon emissions. Integrating consumer survey data and product lifetime estimates in a stock-and-flow model, we find that in the United States, each second-hand transaction currently extends smartphone use time by 40%, displaces 0.40 new devices, and that circular consumption results in a 34% lower annual carbon footprint. With 25% of consumers purchasing used phones, production demand and carbon emissions are lowered by 15% and 14%, respectively. Yet, shortened use times offset nearly half the potential gains. If reuse became the norm, manufacturing demand could decline by one-third, revealing both the promise and the limits of reuse.
  • Journal article
    Riley S, Vamvakeros A, Quino G, Morley J, Ouyang M, Shevchuk A, Huang K, Autran PO, Michalik S, Burca G, Wu B, Brandon N, George Cet al., 2026,

    , Communications Materials, Vol: 7

    Understanding the strain tolerance of both standard and mechanically flexible battery electrodes is prerequisite for optimizing performance, safety, and longevity, particularly in heavy-duty applications, flexible electronics and wearables. Achieving this requires a deeper understanding of how mechanical strain drives electrode degradation. In this work, we directly compare the strain response of electrospun (flexible) and slurry-cast (conventional) electrodes. To simulate acute mechanical stress, electrodes underwent a controlled 180° folding, pressing, and unfolding protocol designed to induce measurable damage, we then employed a combination of characterization techniques, including synchrotron X-ray nano-computed tomography, X-ray diffraction mapping, electrochemical analysis, and in situ Tensiometer-scanning electron microscopy to assess both structural and electrochemical degradation modes and provide a standardised upper-bound for strain induced damage. Our results reveal that electrospun electrodes exhibit significantly greater resilience to deformation, attributed to their freestanding architecture and fibrous morphology. These findings underscore the importance of characterizing deformation mechanisms to guide the design of high-performance batteries.
  • Journal article
    Malone L, Cardin MA, Cilliers J, Starr S, Hadler Ket al., 2026,

    , Acta Astronautica, Vol: 246, Pages: 745-759, ISSN: 0094-5765

    As human exploration of the Moon and Mars transitions from temporary missions to long-term habitation, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is expected to play a pivotal role in enabling future sustainable economic and scientific activities in space. Designing and operating ISRU systems under such extreme and uncertain conditions, however, presents major challenges, ranging from dealing with harsh environmental conditions, regulatory complexity, to differing stakeholder risk tolerance profiles and unpredictable technological system behavior. This study introduces a novel experimental methodology to investigate how human factors playing an important role in situational awareness can influence ISRU-related design decision-making and associated performance under uncertainty. Specifically, this study addresses the following research question: What are the main and interaction effects of different levels of visual fidelity and emotional cues on users’ ability to manage remote lunar resource production systems under uncertainty? A controlled user study involving 33 participants used a serious game platform to explore the effects of two key variables: visual fidelity of the simulation and presence of emotional cues. In a realistic though simplified mission, participants were tasked with operating a simulated lunar ISRU system to supply water sustainably to a lunar habitat. Results show that emotional cues can significantly enhance participants’ performance, measured through a novel operational sustainability metric, particularly in low-fidelity visual environments. The results provide no evidence of statistically significant correlation between situational awareness and system performance. These findings highlight the importance of immersive and affective elements in simulation-based training platforms. The proposed methodology provides a structured, replicable framework to evaluate decision-making in complex space systems, and offers valuable insights into how
  • Journal article
    Demirel P, Kesidou E, Wu L, 2026,

    , Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol: 230, ISSN: 0040-1625

    The impact of different policy instruments and policy mixes on innovation novelty remains unclear, particularly in emerging economies. This study contributes to the literature by examining the context-specific associations between innovation policies and different magnitudes of novelty in innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that exposure to R&D tax credits is associated with increases in innovations that can be considered both as relatively more novel and less novel, in line with the market conforming design R&D tax credits that mimic firms' existing R&D portfolios. Conversely, R&D subsidies, often characterised by ‘picking the winners’, are mainly associated with relatively less novel innovation outcomes. We further show that policy mixes that involve R&D subsidies are more likely to support relatively less novel, domestic innovations. Building on Sanjaya Lall's technological capability approach, we propose a conceptualization of incremental innovation and argue that R&D subsidies should not be viewed merely as a misallocation of resources toward relatively less novel innovations at the expense of more novel alternatives. Instead, they should be seen as a context-specific policy mechanism for enabling emerging economies to build and accumulate the technological capabilities necessary for innovation. We empirically test these hypotheses using a unique longitudinal dataset (2013−2021) of 4162 publicly traded firms in China and estimate conditional treatment effects using a propensity score matching method. Our results underscore the nuanced and context-specific effects of R&D tax credits and subsidies on innovation novelty, offering new insights for innovation policy in emerging economies.
  • Journal article
    Wen H, Pinson P, 2026,

    , European Journal of Operational 91ÌÒÉ«, Vol: 332, Pages: 492-504, ISSN: 0377-2217

    Forecast reconciliation is considered an effective method to achieve coherence (within a forecast hierarchy) and to improve forecast quality. However, the value of reconciled forecasts in downstream decision-making tasks has been mostly overlooked. In a multi-agent setup with heterogeneous loss functions, this oversight may lead to unfair outcomes, hence resulting in conflicts during the reconciliation process. To address this, we propose a value-oriented forecast reconciliation approach that focuses on the forecast value for all individual agents. Fairness is ensured through the use of a Nash bargaining framework. Specifically, we model this problem as a cooperative bargaining game, where each agent aims to optimize their own gain while contributing to the overall reconciliation process. We then present a primal-dual algorithm for parameter estimation based on empirical risk minimization. From an application perspective, we consider an aggregated wind energy trading problem, where profits are distributed using a weighted allocation rule. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through several numerical experiments, showing that it consistently results in increased profits for all agents involved.
  • Journal article
    Wang W, Bhattacharya D, Tang K, Kobayashi A, Tokuda F, Seino A, Tien N, Kosuge Ket al., 2026,

    Robotic Fabric Alignment System for Sewing Using Global Local Weighted ICP

    , IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
  • Journal article
    Wang W, Bhattacharya D, Tang K, Kobayashi A, Tokuda F, Tien N, Kosuge Ket al., 2026,

    , IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, ISSN: 1545-5955

    Accurate fabric alignment is a critical step that must be performed before sewing. This paper presents a novel automated fabric alignment system. The system estimates the poses of top and bottom fabric panels—lying flat and wrinkle-free in arbitrary positions—using a new Global Local Weighted Iterative Closest Point (GLW-ICP) method. The system then manipulates the top panel to achieve precise alignment at both edges and sewing lines.Unlike conventional approaches, GLW-ICP robustly aligns both global edges and local sewing lines by globally aligning fabric edge points and locally aligning sewing line points to their corresponding CAD model points, while removing unmatched points in occluded regions. Real-world experiments with various fabric shapes show that the system consistently achieves millimeter-level alignment accuracy under both occlusion and non-occlusion conditions, demonstrating its effectiveness and suitability for automated fabric alignment in practical scenarios.
  • Journal article
    Mohamed M, Ding Z, Wu H, Ganapathy M, Biswas P, Verma RK, Taylor A, Li Net al., 2026,

    , Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals, Vol: 79, ISSN: 0972-2815

    Recently, there was an increase in the demand for lightweight, high-performance automotive structures, which has induced an interest in steel-based fibre metal laminates (FMLs). The conventional separate heating and forming stages for the metal and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) are time- and cost-consuming, which limits the industrial applications. This study presents a simulation-driven methodology for cost-effective one-shot forming of steel (DP780) and FRP (GF/PA6). A coupled thermo-mechanical model is created in Abaqus to represent the nonlinear response of FRP stacks, accounting for temperature-dependent material properties and interactions between FRP layers and steel. The simulation predicts key process defects, including steel–FRP interfacial gaps, FRP delamination, and excessive thickness deviations. The results show good agreement with experimental trials, confirming the model’s accuracy. The simulation framework demonstrates its capability to model the novel forming process for FMLs and to implement it in the industrial-scale production of lightweight, high-performance automotive FML components.
  • Journal article
    Dawber W, Baker CE, Sharp D, Agrawal S, Ghajari Met al., 2026,

    , Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol: 232, Pages: 108545-108545, ISSN: 0001-4575

    Children’s cycle helmets are certified using the same impact conditions as adult helmets, which can overlook important factors contributing to child head injuries. Our objective is to identify common patterns in traumatic brain injury pathologies, age, sex, riding environment, cause of injury, helmet use, and helmet injury reduction in child cyclists to inform child-specific test methods.We reviewed 48,074 head injury cases in cyclists under 17 years across 24 studies. An aggregate data meta-analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns overall and in studies with a high proportion of severe injuries (n = 3,542 cases).Cases most often involved male riders (71.8%, CI: 71.6–72.1%), aged 10–13 years (40.2%, CI: 39.1–41.3%), occurring on paved roads (75.0%, CI: 74.2–75.9%) without prior collision (84.4%, CI: 84.1–84.8%). Injuries were predominantly intracranial (73.7%, CI: 71.6–75.8%). Studies with mostly severe injuries included significantly more males, on-road incidents, motor vehicle collisions, intracranial haemorrhages, and skull fractures. Helmets reduced odds of head injuries (OR = 0.44, CI = 0.41–0.47), but the efficacy was lower for severe injuries (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.58–0.65), which contrasts most findings for adult helmets.The identified factors associated with severe injuries in child cyclists, such as vehicle collisions and intracranial injuries with rotational mechanisms, are not represented in current child helmet test procedures. This work provides a foundation for further work aimed at quantifying representative head impact biomechanics in typical and severe child cycling incidents, with the ultimate goal of developing helmet test procedures tailored specifically to children.
  • Journal article
    Caltabiano A, Voruganti A, Nesi J, Krebs G, Burke T, Di Simplicio M, Van Zalk Net al., 2026,

    Virtual reality-delivered exposure for contamination concerns in adults with obsessive-compulsive symptoms: a single-arm pilot study

    , JMIR Serious Games, ISSN: 2291-9279

    Background: Exposure and response prevention is a first line intervention for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), yet many individuals with contamination concerns do not access care. Virtual reality exposure (VRET) may improve scalability and acceptability.Objective: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a standardized single-session VRET protocol targeting contamination concerns, whether it elicited within-session anxiety and exploratory contamination symptom change at 1-month follow-up.Methods: We conducted a single-arm, pilot in adults with elevated contamination concerns and no formal OCD diagnosis, recruited via convenience sampling. Participants completed a baseline survey, an in-lab VRET session using a standardized virtual public toilet environment, and a follow-up survey. Outcomes included momentary anxiety (Subjective Units of Distress Scale) during exposure, affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) across time points, and contamination symptoms (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Revised contamination subscale) at baseline and follow-up. Usability (System Usability Scale; SUS) and VR sickness were also assessed. Within-session outcomes used repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman tests; symptom change used paired t tests (alpha = .05); point estimates include 95% CIs. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation (random forest; m = 5); 37.5% of participants did not complete the follow-up survey (overall missingness: 5.47%).Results: Sixteen participants were included (ages 18-32 years). Anxiety increased during exposure tasks and decreased after virtual hand washing in both trials (Exposure 1 Friedman’s Test: χ²(3) = 28.56, P < .001, W = 0.6); Exposure 2 repeated measures ANOVA: F(1.85, 27.81) = 5.35, P = .012, GES = 0.058 (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected). Negative and positive affect both changed significantly across time points (negative affect: Friedman’s Test: χ²(3) = 13.76, P = .003, W =
  • Journal article
    Pan W, Yang J, Zhao Y, Gao Z, Liu H, Ma Det al., 2026,

    , Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering
  • Journal article
    Aleo O, Dieckmann E, Stephan A, Cheeseman C, Fottner Jet al., 2026,

    Barriers to closed-loop manufacturing: challenges for a circular economy in automotive production

    , Journal of Circular Economy, ISSN: 2752-163X

    The transition to closed-loop production is critical for sustainable manufacturing, yet linear models remain dominant due to prioritization of profitability over resource efficiency. This study examines barriers to closed-loop manufacturing in the automotive sector, focusing on inefficiencies in material recirculation in production. Through site observations and interviews with 21 key stakeholders, 12 barriers are identified across strategic, operational, legal, and economic dimensions. Key challenges include fragmented supply chains, lack of standardization and insufficient coordination. Addressing these barriers requires standardized frameworks, improved communication, and integration of waste management into production to enhance resource recovery and economic viability. The study highlights the need for a holistic approach that integrates waste management into production, reducing material loops, and maximizing resource recovery. The work provides actionable insights to support manufacturers in achieving eco-effectiveness through closed-loop manufacturing and improved economic viability.
  • Journal article
    Riley S, Marcuccio F, Xu X, Brandon N, Korchev Y, Liu F, Shevchuk A, George Cet al., 2026,

    , ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol: 9, Pages: 7575-7583

    Silicifying diatoms are unicellular algae that can be cultivated sustainably to aid the battery materials supply chain. Diatom silica frustules (DSF) are explored as active materials or templates for Li ion battery anodes due to the high lithium storage capacity of SiO<inf>2</inf>, particle size diversity, and porosity, and high potential to reduce carbon footprint associated with Si materials production. However, to practically benefit from their complex hierarchical structures in battery electrodes, an understanding of scale-dependent lithiation and delithiation processes is required at the single particle level with high spatial resolution. Here, we used in situ scanning ion conductance and electrochemical cell microscopy to simultaneously image structure and map electrochemical activity upon lithiation and delithiation of untreated DSF collected from as-grown diatom monoculture. Our results demonstrate a direct correlation between structure, composition, and electrochemical activity of DSF as active particles in half cells and their contribution to full-cell battery electrochemistry that can be maintained reversibly with appreciable capacities upon battery cycling. This opens possibilities to directly assess the electrochemical properties of DSF in situ that will enable us to select and tailor optimum structures for high-performance and sustainable battery applications.
  • Journal article
    Baker C, Wang Z, Low L, Ashworth E, Wilson M, Sharp D, Lubbe N, Meng S, Ghajari Met al., 2026,

    Face the facts: a characterisation of 2013–2025 UK motorcycle collisions, head impact locations and injury outcomes supporting facial impact testing

    , Traffic Safety 91ÌÒÉ«, ISSN: 2004-3082

    There is limited contemporary evidence on head impact conditions and injuries in motorcyclists, despite substantial recent changes in vehicles, helmet design and test standards. This constrains evidence-driven improvements to helmet protection and impact test protocols, particularly for underrepresented facial impacts. We quantified head impact locations and associated head and facial injury distributions in 12 years of motorcycle collisions from Great Britain’s Road Accident In-Depth Studies (RAIDS) database (1 April 2013–31 March 2025). Injuries were classified using Abbreviated Injury Scale codes augmented with free-text identification of clinically utilised Mayo-classified brain injury, and primary helmet impact location was derived from investigator summaries and helmet photographs. Most of the 353 motorcyclists were injured (93%) and male (90%) and 2% were unhelmeted. One third sustained at least one head injury and 23.6% sustained Mayo-classified traumatic brain injury (16.9% moderate–severe). Facial injuries occurred in 12.2%, including 4.4% with facial fracture. Skull fractures (including basilar) and intracranial haemorrhage were also common. Head and facial injuries were more prevalent in fatally injured motorcyclists than survivors. Primary helmet impact location was determined for 125 motorcyclists with 50.4% of impacts were to the facial region. Head injury rates and patterns were similar across primary impact locations. When primary facial impacts caused head injury, upper face and chinbar impacts dominated visor impacts. Facial impacts are both frequent and associated with clinically important head injuries. Helmet standards and consumer ratings should incorporate facial impact assessments and adopt injury risk criteria reflecting skull fractures, focal brain injury and intracranial haemorrhage.
  • Conference paper
    Bhattacharya D, Tang K, Xu H, Tokuda F, Tien N, Kosuge K, Bhattacharya Det al., 2026,

    RTFF: Random-to-Target Fabric Flattening Policyusing Dual-Arm Manipulator

    , IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

    Robotic fabric manipulation remains challenging due to fabric deformability and occlusions from wrinkles and the manipulator. This paper defines Random-to-Target Fabric Flattening (RTFF) as the task of bringing a randomly wrinkled fabric to an arbitrary user-specified wrinkle-free target pose. RTFF requires simultaneous flattening and pose alignment, where the two objectives are inherently coupled since flattening the fabric displaces its pose, while realigning it tends to introduce wrinkles. To solve this task, this paper anchors both the current and target fabric states to the same template mesh, enabling direct vertex-level wrinkle and pose assessment without registration. Building on this representation, a hybrid Imitation Learning--Visual Servoing (IL--VS) RTFF policy is proposed. A novel Mesh Action Chunking Transformer (MACT) leverages structured mesh observations to achieve goal-conditioned coarse alignment from a compact demonstration set, after which VS ensures precise convergence to the target. The policy is validated on a real dual-arm teleoperation system, demonstrating precise alignment to unseen target poses, fabric types, and scales. Code and videos:
  • Conference paper
    Forward M, Porat T, Mougenot C, 2026,

    , PDC 2026 Vol. 2: Participatory Design Conference 2026, Vol. 2: Exploratory Papers and Doctoral Colloquium, Publisher: ACM, Pages: 242-247
  • Journal article
    Kormushev P, Zou Y, CHEN W, Shen R, Childs Pet al., 2026,

    , Design for Augmented Humanity, ISSN: 2977-6481
  • Journal article
    Fischer B, Stam E, Roundy PT, Demirel P, de Moraes GHSM, Brown Ret al., 2026,

    , Industry and Innovation, Pages: 1-10, ISSN: 1366-2716
  • Journal article
    Batcup C, Almukhtar A, Menon A, Leff D, Judah G, Demirel P, Porat Tet al., 2026,

    Exploring the overuse of non-sterile gloves in operating theatres: a cross-sectional survey and interview study

    , BMJ Open, ISSN: 2044-6055

    Objectives: To identify factors influencing unnecessary non-sterile glove use in operating theatres, and to estimate how common these factors are across the UK.Design: Mixed-methods study using interviews and a cross-sectional survey.Setting: 91ÌÒÉ« College Healthcare Trust for interviews, and nationally across the UK for the survey. Participants: 19 interviewees and 329 survey respondents, all clinical staff working in UK operating theatres.Outcome measures: Barriers and facilitators to unnecessary non-sterile glove use in operating theatres.Results: The findings highlight a combination of key drivers leading to the unnecessary use of non-sterile gloves: (1) lack of prioritisation of sustainability, (2) fears around negative patient outcomes, (3) strong social influences such as norms to use gloves, (4) the absence of clear guidelines and limited training on glove use, (5) availability of alternatives and quality of gloves, and (6) beliefs about personal safety and habitual glove use. Respondents also suggested potential intervention strategies.Conclusions: 67% of participants reported using gloves unnecessarily. Our findings highlight the role of habitual behaviour, social influences and unclear guidelines in driving this practice. Interventions should address these factors, for example by clearly communicating when gloves should and should not be worn, encouraging changes to local social norms towards waste reduction, improving access to hand gel, and supporting habit change to reduce unnecessary glove use and associated environmental impact.
  • Journal article
    Caltabiano A, Akin AD, Martina DS, Nejra VZet al., 2026,

    , Virtual Reality, Vol: 30, ISSN: 1434-9957

    Objective: This systematic scoping review mapped the empirical literature on Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy (VRET) delivered via commercially availablehead-mounted displays for adult anxiety-related disorders, to characterize study targets, methods, and gaps. Methods: A comprehensive database search yielded 1097 records. Publications were excluded if anxiety was not a measured outcome; if exposure was paired with other techniques (e.g., relaxation or additional therapies) in a way that prevented evaluation of exposure as a stand-alone component; or if virtual reality was delivered via methods other than head-mounted displays. Thirty studies met inclusion criteria and were charted for synthesis. Results: The 30 included studies examined phobias (n = 11), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (n = 4), public speaking anxiety and social anxiety (n = 13), and other anxiety presentations (n = 2; social physique anxiety; MRI anxiety). Most studies reported pre- to post-intervention reductions in anxiety symptoms, but study designs and outcome measures varied substantially. Acceptability and engagement were generally favorable when assessed, but measurement approaches were inconsistent and adverse effects were not uniformly reported. Methodological heterogeneityand limited replication constrained cross-study comparability. Conclusions: The current evidence base indicates growing application of HMD-based VRET across multiple anxiety-related targets and suggests potential clinical benefit in many studies; however, heterogeneity and small samples limit the strength of inferences regarding comparative outcomes. Future research would benefit from standardized reporting of intervention parameters and equipment, consistent measurement of acceptability, and adequately powered comparative designs with longer follow-up to clarify where HMD-based VRET is most feasible and beneficial.
  • Journal article
    Mcmeeking A, Wang CT, Tsuge T, Ellis T, Lee KY, Li J, Dieckmann Eet al., 2026,

    , Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications, Vol: 14, ISSN: 2666-8939

    Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a renewable polymer valued for its strength and purity, but its brittleness and hydrophilicity limit wider application. Incorporating biodegradable polyester polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) offers a pathway to functional, scalable composites. We establish two complementary routes for producing bacterial nanocellulose-polyhydroxybutyrate composites. In-situ co-cultures of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus (KR) and Cupriavidus necator (CN) were optimised through inoculation timing, medium screening, and pH buffering. 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) at 50 mM stabilised culture conditions, improved cellulose output, and enabled PHB co-localisation of 4% total wet weight. These natural incorporation levels provided benchmarks for a solvent-free blending strategy, in which powdered PHB was introduced into plasticised sterilised BNC using Gellan gum, Glycerol, PEG400, and CaClâ‚‚ at loadings of 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.7%, and 2.0% (approximately 10%, 30%, 70%, and 200% relative to dry BNC mass) and heat pressed. Blended films reproduced co-culture PHB levels and tolerated up to 0.7% (wet weight) before shrinkage and brittleness were observed. Heat pressing promoted PHB diffusion between cellulose fibrils, enhancing interfibre bonding; in blended films at 0.3 % PHB (heat-pressed), this yielded a 6.3-fold increase in ultimate tensile strength and a 9.5-fold increase in Young's modulus. Co-culturing defined the biological starting point, while blending enabled scalable processing and systematic characterisation, offering complementary routes to manufacture BNC-PHB composites.
  • Journal article
    La Magna N, Bettelli A, Nenna F, Orso V, Pierobon L, Mingardi M, Gamberini Let al., 2026,

    , Virtual Reality, Vol: 30, ISSN: 1359-4338

    A promising trend in Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of embodied interfaces, systems that involve full-body motion within a Virtual Environment. These devices enhance immersion and user experience while reducing cybersickness when compared to hand-held interfaces, such as gamepads. However, existing embodied interfaces often lack comprehensive motion cues and control. In this study, we evaluated the VitruvianVR, a novel embodied interface, providing self-motion cues through 3-axes rotation, suitable for multiple VR experiences such as flight simulations. This gyroscopic VR device allows users to rotate their entire body in all directions, simulating the sensation of flying. VitruvianVR has been compared to a traditional hand-held interface (i.e., gamepad) during a flight simulation. Combining both self-reported and objective data, we focused on performance metrics (i.e., flight accuracy, failures, birds report), cybersickness, User eXperience (UX), sense of presence, acceptance, mental load and participants’ head and body rotation behaviours. Our main findings show that users’ flight accuracy performance with Vitruvian VR is reduced when compared to the gamepad, and generates more mental workload than a hand-held interface. VitruvianVR is associated with greater head rotations compared to the gamepad session, while being associated with lower perceived cybersickness symptoms than the counterpart. Furthermore, VitruvianVR leads to higher scores of UX, including overall satisfaction, enjoyment, realism, novelty, perceived safety and sense of presence compared to the gamepad. The results broaden the knowledge regarding full motion cueing interfaces and provide a step forward in the design of effective bodily rotating devices. VitruvianVR suggests promising opportunities of application in various flight-related contexts.
  • Journal article
    Tan R, Yu X, Ghajari M, 2026,

    , Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Vol: 54, Pages: 1914-1936, ISSN: 0090-6964

    PurposeFalls and trips are a leading cause of work-related traumatic brain injuries, yet the protective performance of industrial helmets in such scenarios remains poorly understood. This study assesses the effectiveness of different industrial helmet designs under impact conditions representative of falls and trips.MethodsSix industrial helmets with different designs were tested. Four were suspension-based models compliant with EN 397, including two versions of the same model, one with and one without the rotation reduction system, MIPS. Two additional helmets were foam-based, meeting both EN 397 and EN 12492 standards. Helmets were dropped onto angled anvils at different speeds and impact locations to simulate trips and falls. Tests were conducted on two surface types: P80 abrasive papers and roof shingles. The new EN 17950 headform was used.ResultsHelmet performance varied by design and impact condition. Foam-based helmets offered better protection against impacts than suspension-based helmets, which showed greater sensitivity to impact location. Front impacts near the rim at 5.5 m/s produced the highest severity, with peak linear accelerations exceeding 700 g for some suspension-based helmets, followed by rear impacts. In the single helmet model evaluated, MIPS reduced peak rotational acceleration. Finally, the influence of the surface type on peak head kinematics was borderline significant, with P80 papers producing larger peak kinematics.ConclusionHelmet design has a key role in protection against trip and fall impacts, with foam-based helmets providing added benefits. These findings highlight the need for improvements in helmet safety standards and helmet designs to better prevent work-related brain injuries.
  • Journal article
    He P, Han Y, Zhou Y, He R, Xu R, Zhao Y, Wang J, Ren W, Hopper M, An Q, Makarov D, Gilmore IS, Mai L, Xu Yet al., 2026,

    , Adv Sci (Weinh)

    Potassium (K) metal anodes are attractive for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to their low redox potential and elemental abundance, yet their practical application is hindered by dendrite growth and unstable solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs). Here, we replace conventional roll pressing with a cutting-based fabrication strategy to produce crystallographically more uniform and minimally deformed K surfaces, while independently tuning SEI chemistry through electrolyte concentration. This approach establishes a unified framework that elucidates the synergistic coupling between surface uniformity and SEI robustness in governing K plating/stripping stability. Only their synergy delivers fast kinetics, high areal capacity, and long-term reversibility. Consequently, optimized K||K symmetric cells operate stably for over 4 000 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 and 4 mA h cm-2. Full cells paired with K1.97Mn[Fe(CN)6] cathodes retain 90% capacity after 1200 cycles. These findings highlight the importance of concurrent morphological and interfacial regulation for practical K metal anodes.
  • Journal article
    Nutbeam T, Cottey L, Dungay K, Rodgers LR, Foote E, Leech C, Baker CE, Box E, Johnson L, Lee B, MacQueen M, Fenwick R, Lang N, Guy I, Marritt I, Dunbar I, Barnard EBG, Mini -Review Authorset al., 2026,

    , Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med

    BACKGROUND: Road traffic injury remains a leading cause of death and serious injury in the United Kingdom, yet the post-collision phase of care has received comparatively little research attention. The Road Injury Chain of Survival framework identifies five interdependent links where coordinated action can improve outcomes. To address evidence gaps across this pathway, we conducted the first UK Priority Setting Partnership focused specifically on post-collision care, following James Lind Alliance methodology. METHODS: A national open survey collected research uncertainties from patients, carers, bystanders, clinicians, emergency responders and policy stakeholders between July and August 2025. This was supplemented by a targeted literature review identifying research uncertainties from clinical guidelines and systematic reviews. All submissions underwent evidence checking using the BestBETs methodology. The Steering Group, comprising patients with lived experience, emergency service representatives, clinicians, and researchers, conducted interim prioritisation to produce a shortlist. A final prioritisation workshop was held in November 2025, using nominal group technique across three facilitated small-group rounds followed by plenary consensus. Methodological adaptations enabled structured remote participation for contributors unable to attend due to injury-related barriers. RESULTS: In total, 179 survey submissions and 73 literature-derived questions were consolidated into 57 indicative uncertainties. Following evidence checking and interim prioritisation, 23 questions proceeded to the final workshop. Thirty-nine participants reached consensus on ten priorities. These emphasised preventable deaths and critical intervention windows, recognition of occult life-threatening injuries, multi-agency coordination, technology-assisted bystander care, automatic crash notification, first aid training effectiveness, emergency call-handler decision support, inequalities in injur
  • Journal article
    Sreekumar A, Komis G, Barman SK, Astolfi A, Chronopoulos Det al., 2026,

    , Proceedings of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol: 482, ISSN: 1364-5021

    Abstract – Interpolatory reduced-order models (ROMs) rapidly approximate high-dimensional systems by constructing and blending low-order systems at selected interpolation points. This avoids repeated projection of full-order operators and yields orders-of-magnitude speed-ups, making these methods well-suited for real-time prediction, optimization and control. Existing surveys examine individual techniques in isolation and employ advanced differential-geometric or system-theoretic formalisms, limiting accessibility to the broader engineering and computational communities. In contrast, this review proposes a novel taxonomy categorizing all interpolation-based ROM families without cataloguing every variant. For each family, the core mathematical ideas are conveyed through pseudocode and originally integrated into a unified six-stage workflow, accompanied by explicit (Formula presented) cost analyses. We then highlight key methodological extensions required for complex, real-world applications focusing on computational mechanics. A combined quantitative and qualitative assessment against six canonical benchmarks and traditional projection–based ROMs provides performance insights. The result is a practical roadmap enabling engineers and scientists to select, adapt and deploy interpolation-based ROMs with clarity and assurance.
  • Journal article
    Li H, Zhao Y, Zhou H, Pfaff T, Li Net al., 2026,

    , Results in Engineering, ISSN: 2590-1230

    Crashworthiness is a key performance measure in the design of safety-critical vehicle panel components such as B-pillars. Finite element (FE) simulations are widely used to evaluate crash responses but remain computationally expensive for large-scale, nonlinear impact scenarios, particularly when integrated into iterative design and optimisation processes. Although machine learning-based surrogate models have been developed for rapid crashworthiness analysis, they exhibit limitations in detailed representation of complex 3-dimensional components. Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have emerged as a promising solution for processing data with complex structures. However, existing GNN models often lack sufficient accuracy and computational efficiency to meet industrial demands. This paper proposes Recurrent Graph U-Net (ReGUNet), a graph-based surrogate model for crashworthiness analysis of vehicle panel components. By representing FE meshes in graph form, the model naturally accommodates complex irregular structural geometries. Its hierarchical architecture improves computational efficiency and accuracy, while the introduction of recurrence enhances stability of temporal predictions over multiple time steps. A side-impact case study of hot-stamped steel B-pillars with varying geometries is used to generate training dataset. The trained model demonstrates high accuracy in predicting the dynamic deformation behaviour and crashworthiness indicators of previously unseen component designs. ReGUNet achieves over a 52% reduction in the average deformation prediction error relative to baseline methods, together with markedly improved computational efficiency. ReGUNet provides rapid and reliable crashworthiness assessments, which in turn accelerates the design cycle of vehicle panel components.
  • Journal article
    Zhou J, Corbett F, Byun J, Porat T, Van Zalk Net al., 2026,

    , Communications Psychology, ISSN: 2731-9121

    Interactive intelligent agents are being integrated across society. Despite achieving human-like capabilities, humans’ responses to these agents remain poorly understood, with research fragmented across disciplines. We conducted a systematic synthesis comparing a range of psychological and behavioural responses in matched human-agent vs. human-human dyadic interactions. A total of 162 eligible studies (146 contributed to the meta-analysis; 468 effect sizes) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, which integrated frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Our results indicate that individuals exhibited less prosocial behaviour and moral engagement when interacting with agents vs. humans. They attributed less agency and responsibility to agents, perceiving them as less competent, likeable, and socially present. In contrast, individuals’ social alignment (i.e., alignment or adaptation of internal states and behaviours with partners), trust in partners, personal agency, task performance, and interaction experiences were generally comparable when interacting with agents vs. humans. We observed high effect-size heterogeneity for many subjective responses (i.e., social perceptions of partners, subjective trust, and interaction experiences), suggesting context-dependency of partner effects. By examining the characteristics of studies, participants, partners, interaction scenarios, and response measures, we also identified several moderators shaping partner effects. Overall, functional behaviours and interaction experiences with agents can resemble those with humans, whereas fundamental social attributions and prosocial/moral concerns lag in human-agent interactions. Agents are thus afforded instrumental value on par with humans but lack comparable intrinsic value, providing implications for the development of interactive intelligent agents.
  • Journal article
    Cieslak C, Rivers S, Childs P, 2026,

    , Journal of Fluids Engineering, Transactions of the ASME, Vol: 148, ISSN: 0098-2202

    Offshore and onshore wind turbine blades present significant inspection, maintenance and repair challenges arising from location, economic drivers, environment and the specific blade architecture concerned. In-situ tasks have traditionally been undertaken by people abseiling from the tower or use of gantries. Harsh conditions associated with windy environs, along with pressures to limit downtime, have led to a range of new technologies becoming available. This paper presents results from the use of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) measurements of subsurface blade topography arising from in situ and static blade inspection for a range of wind turbine types. The measurements have been enabled using a hexapod robot that can accommodate NDT scanners within its chassis and can, using pneumatic suction for the robot pedipulators, navigate the convex, concave, and flexing form of in situ wind turbine blades. The arising NDT tomographic scans provide detailed information on blade integrity, the presence or otherwise of bonding materials, and local feature condition. Measurements, presented over a 600 mm traverse span, have confirmed the reliability of the robotic platform to deliver high-quality, consistent, and reliable data to be acquired with limited NDT experience and to allow subsurface inspections to be performed and analyzed remotely. In addition to detailed measurement of subsurface blade features, the robot system has also demonstrated the capacity to undertake functions such as lightning protection system verification.

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