Dundee has long been known as the city of discovery. Karen Tocher, business tourism manager at Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau, discusses some of the region’s current technological marvels…
There’s a good chance you’re reading this blog on a smartphone or a tablet. But did you know that research at the University of Dundee in the 70s led to the development of the flat LCD screen we see around us every day?
Abertay University, for example, teaches an undergraduate degree in ethical hacking to help strengthen the cyber security industry. The university has also recently opened a cutting-edge food lab which including the country’s only food facility with x-ray imaging. This allows researchers to understand how food processing affect the texture and quality of foodstuffs. The state-of-the-art facility also boasts a sensory lab which tests the taste, look and smell of foods.
Across the city, the James Hutton Institute continues to innovate with technological advances in the food industry. A series of apps – which identify soil types, predict potato crop size distribution, and identify pests and diseases – have been developed to help farmers and food producers maximise their crops. And a new transparent soil has been created so that researchers can study root growth in plants and crops for the first time.
Dundee’s technological marvels aren’t just confined to the ground, though. Researchers at the University of Dundee have their sights set firmly on the stars, having developed SpaceWire – a data transfer technology similar to USB designed specifically for use in space. It has already been used in major space exploration missions, including the ESA/JAXA Bepicolombo mission to Mercury, and has spun out into its own company – Star Dundee.
Dundee and Angus has a long history of pioneering technological advances; of being a breeding ground for new talent, and attracting some of the world’s greatest minds to collaborate and develop cutting edge research at conferences, exhibitions and events. The region continues to be at the forefront of technological innovation… who knows what the future will hold.
