News

DJ Air brings gesture-controlled technology to the British Science Festival

Thursday, 29 October, 2026

MINDS and SustAI postgraduate researchers brought DJ Air to the British Science Festival, inviting visitors to mix music and control lighting through gestures captured by an ordinary camera.
Read more: DJ Air brings gesture-controlled technology to the British Science Festival
Nehal Yasin wins MINDS poster prize for research into shortcut learning

Thursday, 29 October, 2026

MINDS postgraduate researcher Nehal Yasin is investigating why machine-learning models rely on convenient patterns instead of learning the full range of information available to them. Her poster, Understanding Shortcut Learning, won the MINDS poster competition at the 2026 MINDS and SustAI Showcase.
Read more: Nehal Yasin wins MINDS poster prize for research into shortcut learning
From neurons to new technology: Xander Lowe on understanding the brain

Thursday, 29 October, 2026

UKRI MINDS CDT postgraduate researcher Xander Lowe combines experiments on real neurons with computational modelling to investigate how the brain processes and holds information. At the British Science Festival 2026, he found a simple but effective way to begin a much bigger conversation about neural connections, memory and brain-inspired computing.
Read more: From neurons to new technology: Xander Lowe on understanding the brain
What talking robots can teach us about building more useful AI

Thursday, 29 October, 2026

MINDS postgraduate researcher Yaseen M. Osman is working to make large language models faster and less demanding to run. His experience with Rosie and Reachy shows why public engagement matters.
Read more: What talking robots can teach us about building more useful AI
Talking rivers, robots and low-power computing: postgraduate researchers share AI research at the British Science Festival

Tuesday, 27 October, 2026

Postgraduate researchers from the UKRI MINDS and SustAI Centres for Doctoral Training brought four interactive demonstrations to the British Science Festival, opening conversations about environmental monitoring, conversational robotics, accessible interfaces and brain-inspired computing.
Read more: Talking rivers, robots and low-power computing: postgraduate researchers share AI research at the British Science Festival
Sam Hilton-Jones takes his large language model research to ICML 2026 in Seoul

Thursday, 15 October, 2026

MINDS postgraduate researcher Sam Hilton-Jones presented his first conference poster at ICML 2026 in Seoul, and came home with ideas that are shaping his PhD.
Read more: Sam Hilton-Jones takes his large language model research to ICML 2026 in Seoul
Navigating magnetic robots for assisted robotic surgery

Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

MINDS postgraduate researcher Jack Hilton-Jones presented his work on magnetic continuum robots for surgery at the 2026 Showcase, and found the alumni speakers invaluable.
Read more: Navigating magnetic robots for assisted robotic surgery
Talking Itchen: what researchers learn when the public questions AI

Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

A new film follows MINDS postgraduate researcher Yaseen Mohammed Osman and his SustAI collaborators as they use sensors and artificial intelligence to give the River Itchen a voice. It also shows why putting developing research in front of the public matters.
Read more: Talking Itchen: what researchers learn when the public questions AI
Mixing music with a wave of the hand: the gesture recognition behind DJ Air

Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

DJ Air lets anyone mix music with hand gestures and a laptop camera. MINDS researchers Keniel Peart, Rudra Mutalik and Epifanios Baikas helped build it.
Read more: Mixing music with a wave of the hand: the gesture recognition behind DJ Air
Xander Lowe’s neural connections game shows Festival visitors the scale of the brain

Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

At the British Science Festival, MINDS CDT researcher Xander Lowe used a hands-on neural connections game to show visitors how the brain builds concepts.
Read more: Xander Lowe’s neural connections game shows Festival visitors the scale of the brain