#Top App Developers in Nottingham

[mobileappdevelopmentcompanyinuk]

How To Build an Instant Grocery Delivery App Like Gorillas?

Customers and industry participants are concentrating on rapid delivery, or q-commerce, as a result of the recent trend in the retail eCommerce sector. Customers, particularly those who shop at food stores, anticipate prompt delivery. Therefore, as a business owner in the grocery sector, you should be aware of the techniques and methods to deliver goods to clients quickly.

Are you eager to explore the field of on-demand grocery delivery?

If yes, this blog will help you with on-demand grocery app development and ensure the quickest grocery delivery of your identity in the UK area.

Gorilla Clone App: Offer Quality On-Demand Grocery Delivery Solution

The cutting-edge infrastructure used by the Gorillas clone app offers online grocery ordering and delivery services. It comprises customizable modules that take advantage of better business chances and improve your clients’ services. Automating a traditional grocery store is relatively easy with apps like Gorillas, which offer scalability choices and make order management simple for business owners.

Read Also – Must-Have Features to Build Grocery Delivery App in 2023

Why Create a Gorilla-like Grocery Delivery App?

The idea may seem trite when discussing expanding grocery delivery apps, but it is widespread. What makes the idea notable is its overall simplicity with which customers are presented. A supermarket app may be created at a minimal cost and with a good return on investment compared to other projects.

Here are a few of the factors that have contributed to the popularity of grocery delivery applications on smartphones in recent years:

Saves Both Time and Energy

With only a few clicks, customers of any grocery delivery app may complete their daily tasks. Shoppers will pass their time working and having fun instead of standing in lengthy lines to pay and carry heavy luggage.

Upscales the Overall Business

You cannot afford to disregard the trend if you run an offline store. You can hire an on-demand grocery delivery app development business for a modest investment to expand your clientele.

Cost-effective Business Model

The dark shop business plan takes a relatively little initial expenditure if you want to launch a new business but have a limited budget. The functionality employed in the app affects how much a dark shop service costs online.

How does an App like Gorillas Operate?

Following is a description of how the grocery delivery business software works, from placing an order-to-order confirmation to order pickup and delivery:

Most grocery apps have relatively straightforward operations.

Step 1: Customers may shop online or through specialized apps by adding items to their carts and placing orders. Users can also do specific item searches here based on their needs.

Step 2: After a customer order, the retailer can accept or reject the purchase. Once the order is prepared for shipment, an automated notice is issued to the closest delivery provider for order pickup.

Step 3: The order is picked up and delivered to the customer by a delivery service. Customers may use their app to follow the real-time order status here.

Step 4: Consumers can get their orders. They may now choose a payment method and review the services based on their personal experiences.

In this approach, a tool like Gorillas streamlines the procedure for both clients and grocery store proprietors.

What is the cost of grocery delivery app development?

There are many features and factors to consider before starting to design a grocery delivery app. Since every application is different and its price depends on a number of factors, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact cost for every given application.

However, the key components include:

App complexity

Type of application (native or cross-platform)

Development team size

Location of the app development company

Features integrations

Make sure all the contemporary features are included so that users of your software will feel included. The total cost of development rises noticeably as the number of features grows. To get an accurate estimate, it is advised to shake hands with an experienced and reputable app development company in Nottingham.

Conclusion

The future of the food delivery industry is bright and promising as millions of customers move their grocery shopping from traditional retail locations to online retailers. The market for online grocery delivery services is becoming more competitive. Therefore, now is the ideal moment to seize the chance and start your own grocery delivery service by hiring mobile app developers in Nottingham. You may contact Zimble Code to begin developing a grocery app and meet your company’s goals.

Article Resource - https://zimblecode.com/how-to-build-an-instant-grocery-delivery-app-like-gorillas/

[sapphiresoftware]

Top Mobile App Development Company in Nottingham, UK

Sapphire Software Solutions stands out as a top mobile app development company in Nottingham, UK renowned for its innovative approach and client-centric solutions. With a team of highly skilled developers and designers, they specialize in crafting custom mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms.

Read More:

[writerbanana]

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[flynews47]

Digital Marketing Firm Nottingham

Given that 1999, we have actually mixed calculated creativity with technological excellence to aid brand names thrive online with precision, persuasion as well as performance. What you need is active method for the real world, where deep technical expertise combines with comprehensive marketing activities to respond to the what and the exactly how, for the now as well as the next. They will certainly see you to find out about your organization as well as help you accomplish your goals online. We create interesting electronic experiences that demand attention covering everything from sites and also apps to e-mails and also digital banners. Purchasing, Display, Video and also Social are simply several of the PPC channels that can be harnessed to broaden your PPC projects. Our strategy to SEO consists of the application of technological aspects, top quality content and material marketing whilst complying with Google's Web Master Guidelines. We prosper on creating smart, incorporated campaigns as well as seamless customer trips. This honor identifies our ingenious society, our quality at digital automation, and also the results we deliver. In an ever-evolving digital environment, we see to it we're always pressing ourselves additionally, with technologies to aid our customers adjust quickly. Our expert team takes the strategy and transforms it into a clear strategy, which we implement utilizing our knowledge, skills as well as knowledge. Our established framework advances to adjust to the needs of tomorrow's customers. Kumo is a Digital Agency based in Nottingham specialising in Search Advertising, our key solutions consist of SEO as well as Ppc. And also we'll collaborate with your teams to make certain you obtain the outcomes you need. Our services are also available in Chesterfield, Doncaster, Leicester, Derby and the rest of UK. Intelicle Ltd is a Nottingham-based business providing Internet site Layout, Website Growth, Internet Search Engine Optimization, Shopping Solutions, UI/UX Design and Software Development. If you have a task in mind, tell us about it, we 'd love to hear a lot more. Based in West Bridgford, The Dairy Company has placed them as one of the most trusted innovative agencies in the East Midlands. What's more, they have actually done all that while still claiming to hold a fantastic sense of humour and also pleasure in all they do. Established in 1999, Hallam Internet has decades of experience creating dozens of success stories with leading brands. For 2 years running, they've been named as one of the most highly ranked company in the UK by The Drum and have been compensated by Google & Deloitte for Expanding Services Online. We'll develop your web site wisely across all devices and bring an on the internet experience to your customers, connecting your vision while converting clicks to clients. Ben Trott, Taking care of Supervisor examined at Nottingham Trent College prior to he took senior duties in expert services marketing across the nation. We explore different methods, strategies as well as methods based upon your demands. Study, adverts or product promotions, our video clip solutions will certainly showcase your company and its job. Web content is king and also our methods will develop your service as a reliable voice online. So, without any additional trouble, let's delve into the very best digital agencies in Nottingham. We walk the historical roads on our everyday commutes or lunch runs. We're known to go with a drink dealing with the terrific Nottingham Castle. 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[spizevilla]

Artificial Intelligence In Food Industry

Artificial intelligence is already doing a lot in the food and beverage industry, and it has the potential to do considerably more. There are significant risks involved with all sorts of manufacturing, particularly those involving food and beverages. Which of the many potential variables is causing a procedure to fail? What constitutes a "good" product, and what should be the criterion for revising or discarding a product? These queries may be answered by the processing equipment itself. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are systems that use processing equipment to deal with gradations, subtleties, and causes that are too complicated or numerous for the human mind to manage. AI is already being used in several food processing applications and has the potential to be used in many more. Product profiles that aid quality inspection have been created using artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is capturing the interest of corporations across many disciplines and sectors, including Food Processing and Handling (FP&H). According to McKinsey, the FP&H business is currently valued at $100 billion and will increase at a CAGR of 5% through 2021. However, in terms of direct benefits, AI assists the FP&H industry in five important applications, which are, - Package and Product Sorting - Food Safety Observance - Keeping Things Clean - Product Development - Assisting Customers in Making Decisions Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Food Processing and Handling. Food processing is a complex industry. It include sorting food or raw materials from the farm, as well as maintaining machines and various sorts of equipment. Finally, when the final product is ready to ship, people inspect it to determine whether or not it is ready to send. However, AI is used to automate this procedure in many food processing plants. The top five AI apps that directly impact food processing industries and help them generate revenue and improve customer experience are listed below. 1.Package and Product Sorting

The first operational hurdle that food processors encounter is feedstock sorting. Every potato, tomato, orange, and apple is unique, which necessitates meticulous sorting because every food processing company must maintain a particular level of quality in order to compete. This procedure, if not automated by AI and other new technologies like as IoT, necessitates a massive amount of human effort. 2.Food Security Compliance In the food processing industry, safety is a major problem. Food contamination can occur at any level. Factories have begun to use AI-based cameras to assess whether or not an employee is dressed appropriately. However, it is a large-scale application of what the Shanghai municipal health office implemented in Shanghai's eateries. In conjunction with Remark Holding, the firm installed AI-enabled cameras in over 200 eateries, with plans to grow to over 2000. The AI-enabled cameras assisted restaurant management in monitoring restaurant employees to ensure that they were wearing correct food protection gear in accordance with food safety rules. It enables them to notice any lack of discipline in real time. 3.Keeping Things Clean

  Maintaining cleanliness is a major concern in food processing plants. Many businesses claim to be as pure as ice since every procedure is automated and never touched by human hands. What if the machines and equipment become contaminated? Customers have also gotten more knowledgeable, and they understand that having every step automated does not guarantee that the product is safe to consume. They require additional evidence. According to the University of Nottingham, equipment cleaning consumes over 30% of a food processing plant's energy and water supplies. They say that their AI-based sensor technology can save roughly $133 million per year while also reducing time (by half), electricity, and water used to clean the equipment. Traditional cleaning methods lacked sensors, resulting in food particle residue in vessels of equipment. The system was unable of cleaning minute food particles, whereas the new self-optimizing cleaning system was. It employs optical fluorescence imaging and ultrasonic sensing technologies to provide data to the Machine Learning algorithm, which will aid in the monitoring of microbiological waste and food particles in the equipment. 4.Product Development The food processing business is unique in that a single company can produce a wide range of products. Coca-Cola, for example, has purchased over 500 brands and offers its customers over 3500 different sorts of drinks. However, the question of how the corporation choose which flavour to make next arises. Prior to AI, the brand performed surveys and advertising to determine what their customers desired. Coca-Cola now maintains many self-serving soda fountains that allow consumers to build their own customised drink by combining a range of Coca-Cola beverages. Thousands of such fountains were installed around the United States. Each of these fountains was utilised by hundreds of clients to produce unique drinks.

Using artificial intelligence, they discovered that the majority of customers blended cherry-flavored Coke with sprite. This information aided Coca-Cola in developing their new product, Cherry Sprite. 5.Assisting Customers in Making Decisions AI, like food processing industries, assists its clients in making smarter purchasing decisions. Kellogg's released Bear Naked Custom, which allowed customers to make their own unique granola using more than 50 ingredients. The system employed IBM's Chef Watson to store thousands of potential recipes and feed them to an AI algorithm, which assisted users in determining if the components would taste good together. This technology not only assisted clients in creating their tiny personalised quantities of granola, but it also assisted the corporation in determining what their next line of product should be, comparable to Coca-Cola. Conclusion Despite its early stages, artificial intelligence is reshaping the food processing and handling industry. It will forever change the FP&H sector in the future years. AI will assist these businesses in increasing revenue by speeding up the manufacturing process, reducing maintenance time and thus production downtime, decreasing the chances of failure by automating almost every process, and ultimately delivering an excellent customer experience by predicting their likes, dislikes, and desires.     Read the full article

[roadhow]

RoadHow partners with Midven to change driver risk and improve road safety.

RoadHow partners with Midven to change driver risk and improve road safety

Road safety app steers towards success following £500,000 investment

The investment will support RoadHow in the roll out of its road safety app.

Solihull based RoadHow, an app designed to help drivers to become safer and more aware on the road, while potentially saving them money on their insurance, has secured £500k from Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), managed by venture capital firm Midven (part of the Future Planet Capital group).

The software platform and app, which has been in development for two years, can be used by motorists to test their driving knowledge and aid further learning. Insurers will be able to review and monitor the data collected and offer incentives or discounts on car insurance, adding a new set of data into the insurance pricing and underwriting decision making process.

Learner drivers can also use the RoadHow app to practice DVSA Theory Test revision questions. It is the only app on the market that allows learner drivers to build their knowledge in the form of a series of AI-calculated scores as they work towards passing their test, with insurance providers ready to offer premium incentives for drivers who have used RoadHow.

The funding is set to support the business’s growth plans, with RoadHow set to welcome new staff over the next 12 months, supporting sales and marketing, as well as software development and tech.

The app is multi-faceted, and also functions to offer users discounts on hundreds of popular brands as part of its RoadHow Rewards scheme. For a subscription fee, users can enjoy money-off or cashback on purchases made on the likes of Apple, Nike, Expedia, M&S, John Lewis and many more.

RoadHow is the brainchild of Adrian and Anne Ryan. Both have strong backgrounds in multiple technology sectors, having successfully built and sold global aircraft data and records management platform, FLYdocs, prior to developing RoadHow.

Adrian Ryan, Chief Executive Officer at RoadHow, says:

“For too long, the insurance industry has had limited visibility of driver knowledge and skills data upon which to base underwriting and pricing decisions. We’re changing that with RoadHow. Through RoadHow, we will be able to provide insurance companies with real data that will create a much stronger relationship for both the insurance company and the driver. We want to reward good behaviour through data.”

Giovanni Finocchio, Investment Director, says:

“’I’m really excited about RoadHow, not only does it have a great idea, but there are two very experienced founders who have not only invested their time but their own money to develop the platform. Adrian and Anne have surrounded themselves with top software developers, but they haven’t forgotten the need to get the product into the market. And for that, they have brought in several senior execs from the insurance world. I’m looking forward to working with the team in the coming months and years. This will be great business offering a great service.”

Grant Peggie, Director at the British Business Bank, said:

“It’s great to see funding from the MEIF is helping to bring new disruptive technology and software to the motor industry, while promoting road safety and education. With the support of Midven and finance from the MEIF, the Solihull business is well-positioned to now roll out its services and unlock growth. It is also set to create new jobs, boosting the Midlands economy.”

Tim Pile, Chair of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) said:

“RoadHow are a hugely ambitious business, and it is fantastic to see their work come to fruition following MEIF funding. Digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) are crucial to GBSLEP’s commitment of becoming a leading region for innovation. By working with our public, private and education partners and taking a collaborative cross-sector approach, we will continue to support businesses such as RoadHow to capitalise on the opportunities created to drive inclusive economic growth.”

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

– ENDS –

MEDIA CONTACTS

RoadHow Contacts:

Adrian Ryan

CEO, RoadHow

Adrian.Ryan@roadhow.co.uk

Midven:

Drew Craythorne, Digital Glue

0121 389 2784

drew@digitalglue.agency

About RoadHow

RoadHow is a UK based tech company which offers the most advanced driver risk management and learning platform in the marketplace. Dedicated to improving driver behaviour and reducing insurance risk, RoadHow uses data, driver engagement, incentives and current/future forecast metrics to change how drivers approach their time behind the wheel.

Utilising the power of Big Data, AI, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality, the ground-breaking RoadHow app and platform delivers change for all stakeholders – Drivers, Insurers & MGAs, Telematics Service Providers, Intermediaries, Fleet Managers and anyone else involved in vehicle insurance, performance, risk management and monitoring.

About Midven

For more than 25 years, leading Birmingham-based venture capital firm Midven has been supporting Midlands SMEs, investing more than £60m into the region and raising £200m co-investment into their portfolio. Midven’s ‘more than money’ approach helps to build strong and successful companies and support businesses every step of the way. Midven continues to extend its reach to invest in the Midland’s most ambitious entrepreneurs through its recent appointment to manage the £35 million equity portion of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), as well as the launch of the firm’s first Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) fund. For more information about Midven, please visit www.midven.co.uk. Midven was acquired by Future Planet Capital in April 2021.

About Future Planet Capital

Future Planet Capital Limited is a global venture capital and impact investor, connecting the world’s largest investors to the best minds in order to address global challenges. The firm is focused on providing growth capital to leading entrepreneurs and businesses from the world’s top universities and has deployed over $100M on behalf of institutional investors to date. Future Planet Capital’s goal is to profitably solve the world’s greatest challenges in climate change, education, health, sustainable growth & security. For more information about Future Planet please visit www.futureplanetcapital.com.

About the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF)

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund, will invest in Debt Finance, Small Business Loans, Proof-of-Concept and Equity Finance funds, ranging from £25,000 to £2m, specifically to help small and medium sized businesses secure the funding they need for growth and development.

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund is operated by British Business Financial Services Limited, wholly owned by British Business Bank, the UK’s national economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to make finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively, enabling those businesses to prosper, grow and build UK economic activity.

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund is supported by the European Regional Development Fund, the European Investment Bank, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and British Business Finance Limited, a British Business Bank group company.

The MEIF covers the following LEP areas: Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Greater Birmingham & Solihull, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, The Marches, and Worcestershire in the West Midlands; and Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire (D2N2) Greater Lincolnshire, Leicester and Leicestershire, and South-East Midlands in the East and South-East Midlands.

The project is receiving up to £78,550,000 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The programme will continue to spend to the end of 2023.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

The European Investment Bank is providing £122,500,000 to support the Midlands Engine Investment Fund. This follows backing for the Northern Powerhouse in 2017 and backing for the newly launched North East Fund. For further information visit www.eib.org

The funds in which Midlands Engine Investment Fund invests are open to businesses with material operations in or planning to open material operations in the West Midlands and East & South-East Midlands.

The British Business Bank has published the Business Finance Guide (in partnership with the ICAEW, and a further 21 business and finance organisations). The guide, which impartially sets out the range finance options available to businesses and provides links to support available at a regional level, is available at https://thebusinessfinanceguide.co.uk

About the British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to make finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively, enabling those businesses to prosper, grow and build UK economic activity. Its remit is to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.

The British Business Bank’s core programmes support nearly £8bn[1] of finance to almost 94,800 smaller businesses[2]. Since March 2020, the British Business Bank has also launched four new Coronavirus business loan schemes, delivering almost £73bn of finance to around 1.6m businesses.

As well as increasing both supply and diversity of finance for UK smaller businesses through its programmes, the Bank works to raise awareness of the finance options available to smaller businesses. The British Business Bank Finance Hub provides independent and impartial information to businesses about their finance options, featuring short films, expert guides, checklists and articles from finance providers to help make their application a success.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and EU Exit, the Finance Hub has expanded and it now targets a wider business audience. It continues to provide information and support for scale-up, high growth and potential high growth businesses, but now provides increased content, information and products for businesses in survival and recovery mindsets. The Finance Hub has been redesigned and repositioned to reflect this, during this period of economic uncertainty.

British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. They are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at www.british-business-bank.co.uk.

[isharkseo]

How Responsive Web Design Serves The Best Experience?

With the fast pacing lifestyle IT is also immensely growing, and Digital solution providers by providing various kinds of web solution have made this life hack easier and smoother as well and the web design and development companies are along with creative purposeful web development, engaged in mobile friendly responsive web designing and mobile application development as well. Responsiveness of a website is an attribute that make it along with desktop to other internet supportive device friendly such as mobile phones, tablets etc. Though separate hybrid and native mobile app are being developed for Android and iPhone Smartphone which have great user-interface, experience and attractively light weighted to download to work speedily, but it never fade-out a website's importance among users and along with hybrid mobile application, they access the website on this device too.

Usually in today's trend every business provides both it commerce centric website and mobile application too now, in such case it quite thinkable that when Android application have all the features and functionalities of the complete website than why need a responsive website? So here is the some magnificent importance of a responsive website are:

Mobility

The prominent leading feature of a responsive website is its mobility which makes the site easy to access anywhere anytime and any internet friendly device and browser. Though mobile application also does so but its brief layout of complete web portal that gives the limited required features and functionalities and in compare that responsive web design gives device friendly complete website view.

Accessibility

In compare to adaptive website, responsive web design gives the easier and speedily accessibility over handheld devices, and apart you can access it while facing internet speed issue too, most of responsive website gives the Basic HTML Version accessibility during weak signal strength, this version facilitates you to access the site without any interruption and do the willing relevant task from anywhere and anytime.

Website Ranking

A good website is one which is purposeful, user-friendly, web browser compatible, and along with these SEO friendly too to boost up with website ranking on Google to view on top among competitors, and a perfectly designed responsive website by a web design company plays the key role in that and provide SEO and device friendly great user- friendly experience to improve the website ranking and image as well.

Mobile application alternative

It's quite obvious that when you have device friendly responsive website than there is no need to get of mobile application for the same, that reduces the cost and maintenance overhead over two web solutions. It's an appealing alternative of mobile application hence Digital solution provider companies now working on it to provide the client's one unique solution for diversified web-based queries.

However, website designing is not new the trend and anyone without having academic knowledge or experience can craft it for learning purpose but a responsive web design is beyond that and provides competitive diversified internet friendly device experience and professional web development experts work on it to make designed website attractive, web browser compatible and device friendly too.

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[elleharperbcu]

Textiles: Science and Technology

Lecture with Dilusha Rajapakse 

Smart and Electronic Textiles 

Electronic textiles refers to the textiles that incorporate conductive fibres and circuitry components within the structure of the textile. If a textile has some kind of intelligence (sensing, reacting, communicating, data processing or supplying energy), it can be named as a smart textile surface. 

Passive Smart Textile: Considered as the early phase of smart textiles. They could only sense the environmental conditions. i.e. UV absorbing textiles. 

Active Smart Textile: Are more smarter and they are equipped with both actuators and sensors. i.e. Sense and change colour, shape, structure, etc. 

Ultra Smart Textile: Considered as the smartest textiles, which can sense , react and adapt themselves to environmental conditions. 

The use of conductive threads goes back to the Elizabethan era (1558 to 1603) when gold threads were woven into garments for a gleaming accent. The concept of metallic threads has existed for centuries for decorating garments. 

A patent from 1911 describes an electrically heated glove for “drivers of aeroplanes, automobiles and motor boats which are guided by manually operated steering wheels”. By the 1930s systems were developed for adding heating elements to blankets, quilts and clothing. The Second World War gave added impetus to the technology. In the 1990s the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed methods to add boxed electronics into clothing or otherwise attached. 

Generation 1: ‘The Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard’ (SMART SHIRT) developed by Sundaresan Jayaraman, 1996-98, Georgia Tech. Inst. 

Sensing technology within clothing - detecting penetrating bullets, noxious fumes or the heartbeat of a baby for parents.  

Generation 2:

2000 Philips/Levis ICD + Jacket 

The Levis ICD+ jacket was launched commercially in summer 2000 and this product is widely considered to be the first commercial wearable Electronic garment. 

The patented ICD jacket was designed in four styles and all had an integrated electronic system connecting a range of portable electronic devices carries by young professional people. 

Generation 3 (Future):

Electronics embedded into textiles at a yarn level. Electronically active yarns, Advanced Textile Research Group Nottingham Trent University. 

The global smart textile market size is expected to reach USD 5.55 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 30.4% over the forecast period. 

The defense and military segment is anticipated to account for the highest market share by 2025, while sports and fitness segment will register the fastest CAGR over the forecast years. 

Military and Protection: 

Soldiers could achieve a higher level of performance due to the integration of sensors, triggers and controlling units. 

Smart textiles could also be used to camouflage a soldier, monitor health, detect location and sense heat or cold stress. 

Smart textiles could also enhance the safety of firefighters, law enhancement and workers in extreme environments. 

Sports: 

For sports applications, smart and e-textiles could provide;

Thermal comfort (evacuation of the sweat, thermal isolation).

Precise measurement of physiological parameters (ECG,EEG).

Data on performance to adapted training according to the user’s profile.

Higher visibility and enhance experiences. 

Smart textiles for health monitoring / sports + performance

Performance monitoring 

Distance and speed analysis 

Movement sensing 

Technique review and training

The Under Armour E39 - 

Smart Compression top monitors athletes’ vital signs and intensity levels, sending the information wirelessly to a separate device for further analysis. 

About Wearable X

Technology

Tech-Enabled Yoga - Step 1 

The Nadi X experience lets you practice yoga on your own terms. Our patented technology with integrated sensors and haptic feedback (vibration) helps you improve your yoga. Nadi X is good for pre and post workout at home and wherever you go.

Get Connected - Step 2

Activate the pulse by charging with the usb cable. Once the light turns green, double tap the surface until you see a blinking white light. Nadi X uses Bluetooth Low Energy to connect to your smartphone. 

Attach the pulse to start your flow - step 3 

The pulse clips into the pants behind the left knee and contains a 370 mAh battery to ensure you don’t run out of juice during your practice. Once you have set your vibrations strength, you can place the phone next to your yoga mat during your session. Your pulse is monogamist to your phone, you can have different Nadi X pants, but your phone will always want to connect to your pulse. 

Personalise your yoga - step 4

Our new app lets you choose between different workouts according to your preferences. 

Practice with audio guidance - step 5 

The audio instructions are paired with gentle vibrations to give you clues where to focus. The accelerometer values are processed in your smartphone and the audio instructions will let you know if you have made it into the pose at the end of each pose. 

Nadi X are machine washable

Medical and Healthcare 

Most of the high-end smart textile application for health care sector are currently been developed and are not readily available for commercial purposes. This is due to the longer and expensive authorisation process that the product need to go through. 

Smart Aesthetics for Fashion / Textiles 

Cutecircuit 

Electronically controllable dynamic effects 

The patented electronic textiles developed by CuteCircuit employ modules of LEDs that can be electronically programmed and controlled to visualize a variety of animated effects. 

Manufacturing with sustainable methods 

Tomtex 

Tomtex biomaterial is created from shell seafood waste and coffee ground, with the aim to work as a sustainable alternative instead of faux and animal leather. It’s 100% composable, and free of plastic. 

Living Colour 

Living Colour is a biodesign research project exploring possibilities of natural textile dyeing with bacteria that produce pigment. They explore an alternative to toxic synthetic textile dyes. The pigments found in some bacteria are biodegradable and friendly to humans, animals and the environment. With scientists they investigate optimum growth conditions for bacterial pigments, ways to speed up the growth process and the possibilities of growing bacteria in patterns by subjecting them to sound frequencies. Growing bacteria as a dye factory can lead to a more sustainable way to colour the world.  

Biomimetics / Bionics / Biomimicry 

Getting inspirations from natural phenomena or biological processes and inventing new materials, products, functions and technologies. 

Looking into nature to understand;

How ro reduce usage of energy?

How to be multi-functional?

How to use abundant energy sources?

Lotus Leaf - self cleaning, super-hydrophobic properties. 

Water repellent properties were incorporated onto textile surfaces through the development of plasma treatments. 

Morpho butterfly - structural colour.

Wings structures cause light to diffract from the surface and create multi-colour change effect. 

Surface: shark-skin-inspired fast skin swimsuit 

Speedo’s fastskin swimsuit could make the wearer swim faster by reducing the drag caused by the friction between the body and the water. 

3D printing method to personalise textile to infinite length 

Performance Enhancement: Technical Textiles 

Nomex Fabric for Military and Police 

For police officers and military personnel, reporting for duty can mean exposure to many threats including flash fires and explosions. Nomex fabric helps provides uniforms with proven protection against intense heat and flames. 

When exposed to extreme heat, Noemx undergoes a special reaction, changing its properties to capture more energy in the fabric, giving the wearer valuable extra seconds of protection from heat transfer. 

Temperature Management 

The polychromelab reversible jacket is the first light weight single layer jacket suitable for the extreme temperature changes in mountain tops. 

[sknews7]

Premier League season returns on talkSPORT with three huge games live including Arsenal vs Fulham and Liverpool vs Leeds

GameDay is again and greater than ever because the Premier League season will get beneath approach on Saturday.

Following on from the unprecedented 2019/20 marketing campaign, the top-flight groups have had a fast turnaround to prepare for the brand new time period.

As soon as once more, talkSPORT can be on the coronary heart of all of the motion with greater than 120 dwell and unique Premier League video games to carry you this season.

getty

Liverpool had been victorious final season however will they prime the desk once more come subsequent Could?

Each Saturday, we are going to carry you three dwell Premier League commentaries throughout our community as a part of our GameDay protection.

The 2020/21 marketing campaign begins on talkSPORT with a cracking lunchtime London derby between Fulham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage.

Then we’re heading across the grounds so that you received’t miss a single little bit of motion from the 3pm kick-offs earlier than we head as much as Merseyside for the standout fixture of the opening weekend.

Champions Liverpool are internet hosting Leeds United of their first top-flight match in 16 years in a mouthwatering match, with that sport dwell at 5:30pm.

After which to prime all of it off, we’re again in London as West Ham face Newcastle at 8pm to spherical off a bumper day of top-flight motion on GameDay.

Getty Photos

Marcelo Bielsa masterminded Leeds’ Premier League comeback – can he steer them to victory over the Premier League champions?

We’ve additionally acquired a number of Championship and EFL motion coming your approach this season.

talkSPORT 2 can be your vacation spot for all issues decrease league with unique commentary from Birmingham v Brentford and QPR v Nottingham Forest on our airwaves this opening weekend.

In order that’s 5 dwell video games on talkSPORT this Saturday and a complete heap of different goodies so that you can take pleasure in – you actually received’t miss a factor with us!

Opening day fixtures on talkSPORT

Right here’s what’s developing on GameDay…

Fulham v Arsenal – 12:30pm (talkSPORT)

Birmingham v Brentford – 12:30pm (talkSPORT 2)

GameDay Stay with Adrian Durham – 3pm (talkSPORT)

QPR v Nottingham Forest – 3pm – (talkSPORT 2)

Liverpool v Leeds – 5:30pm (talkSPORT)

West Ham v Newcastle – 8pm (talkSPORT)

The right way to hear on talkSPORT

To tune into our protection this season simply click on the respective radio participant beneath or HERE for the dwell on-line stream.

Listed below are the opposite methods to hear…

App iPhone – Download from the Apple store

Android – Download from Google Play

Good Speaker – Simply ask to play talkSPORT by means of your Alexa or good speaker

Radio – talkSPORT is on the market throughout the UK by way of DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM

TV – Take heed to talkSPORT by means of your TV on the next channels: Sky: Channel 0108 Virgin Media: Channel 927 Freeview: Channel 723 Freesat: Channel 731

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[bigyack-com]

China’s mass surveillance system flags Uighurs for detention camps - world news

The watch towers, double-locked doors and video surveillance in the Chinese camps are there “to prevent escapes.” Uighurs and other minorities held inside are scored on how well they speak the dominant Mandarin language and follow strict rules on everything down to bathing and using the toilet, scores that determine if they can leave.“Manner education” is mandatory, but “vocational skills improvement” is offered only after a year in the camps.Voluntary job training is the reason the Chinese government has given for detaining more than a million ethnic minorities, most of them Muslims. But a classified blueprint leaked to a consortium of news organizations shows the camps are instead precisely what former detainees have described: Forced ideological and behavioral re-education centers run in secret.The classified documents lay out the Chinese government’s deliberate strategy to lock up ethnic minorities even before they commit a crime, to rewire their thoughts and the language they speak.The papers also show how Beijing is pioneering a new form of social control using data and artificial intelligence. Drawing on data collected by mass surveillance technology, computers issued the names of tens of thousands of people for interrogation or detention in just one week.Taken as a whole, the documents give the most significant description yet of high-tech mass detention in the 21st century in the words of the Chinese government itself. Experts say they spell out a vast system that targets, surveils and grades entire ethnicities to forcibly assimilate and subdue them -- especially Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim Turkic minority of more than 10 million people with their own language and culture.“They confirm that this is a form of cultural genocide,” said Adrian Zenz, a leading security expert on the far western region of Xinjiang, the Uighur homeland. “It really shows that from the onset, the Chinese government had a plan.”Zenz said the documents echo the aim of the camps as outlined in a 2017 report from a local branch of the Xinjiang Ministry of Justice: To “wash brains, cleanse hearts, support the right, remove the wrong.”China has struggled for decades to control Xinjiang, where the Uighurs have long resented Beijing’s heavy-handed rule. After the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Chinese officials began justifying harsh security measures and religious restrictions as necessary to fend off terrorism, arguing that young Uighurs were susceptible to the influence of Islamic extremism. Hundreds have died since in terror attacks, reprisals and race riots, both Uighurs and Han Chinese.In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched what he called a “People’s War on Terror” when bombs set off by Uighur militants tore through a train station in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, just hours after he concluded his first state visit there.“Build steel walls and iron fortresses. Set up nets above and snares below,” state media cited Xi as saying. “Cracking down severely on violent terrorist activities must be the focus of our current struggle.”In 2016, the crackdown intensified dramatically after Xi named Chen Quanguo, a hardline official transferred from Tibet, as Xinjiang’s new head. Most of the documents were issued in 2017, as Xinjiang’s “War on Terror” morphed into an extraordinary mass detention campaign using military-style technology.The practices largely continue today. The Chinese government says they work.“Since the measures have been taken, there’s no single terrorist incident in the past three years,” said a written response from the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom. “Xinjiang is much safer....The so-called leaked documents are fabrication and fake news.”The statement said that religious freedom and the personal freedom of detainees was “fully respected” in Xinjiang.The documents were given to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists by an anonymous source. The ICIJ verified them by examining state media reports and public notices from the time, consulting experts, cross-checking signatures and confirming the contents with former camp employees and detainees.They consist of a notice with guidelines for the camps, four bulletins on how to use technology to target people, and a court case sentencing a Uighur Communist Party member to 10 years in prison for telling colleagues not to say dirty words, watch porn or eat without praying.The documents were issued to rank-and-file officials by the powerful Xinjiang Communist Party Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the region’s top authority overseeing police, courts and state security. They were put out under the head official at the time, Zhu Hailun, who annotated and signed some personally.The documents confirm from the government itself what is known about the camps from the testimony of dozens of Uighurs and Kazakhs, satellite imagery and tightly monitored visits by journalists to the region.Erzhan Qurban, an ethnic Kazakh who moved back to Kazakhstan, was grabbed by police on a trip back to China to see his mother and accused of committing crimes abroad. He protested that he was a simple herder who had done nothing wrong. But for the authorities, his time in Kazakhstan was reason enough for detention.Qurban told the AP he was locked in a cell with 10 others last year and told not to engage in “religious activities” like praying. They were forced to sit on plastic stools in rigid postures for hours at a time. Talk was forbidden, and two guards kept watch 24 hours a day. Inspectors checked that nails were short and faces trimmed of mustaches and beards, traditionally worn by pious Muslims.Those who disobeyed were forced to squat or spend 24 hours in solitary confinement in a frigid room.“It wasn’t education, it was just punishment,” said Qurban, who was held for nine months. “I was treated like an animal.”WHO GETS ROUNDED UP AND HOWOn February 18, 2017, Zhu, the Han Chinese official who signed the documents, stood in chilly winter weather atop the front steps of the capital’s city hall, overlooking thousands of police in black brandishing rifles.“With the powerful fist of the People’s Democratic Dictatorship, all separatist activities and all terrorists shall be smashed to pieces,” Zhu announced into a microphone.With that began a new chapter in the state’s crackdown. Police called Uighurs and knocked on their doors at night to take them in for questioning. Others were stopped at borders or arrested at airports.In the years since, as Uighurs and Kazakhs were sent to the camps in droves, the government built hundreds of schools and orphanages to house and re-educate their children. Many of those who fled into exile don’t even know where their children or loved ones are.The documents make clear that many of those detained have not actually done anything. One document explicitly states that the purpose of the pervasive digital surveillance is “to prevent problems before they happen” -- in other words, to calculate who might rebel and detain them before they have a chance.This is done through a system called the Integrated Joint Operations Platform or IJOP, designed to screen entire populations. Built by a state-owned military contractor, the IJOP began as an intelligence-sharing tool developed after Chinese military theorists studied the U.S. army’s use of information technology in Iraq and Afghanistan.“There’s no other place in the world where a computer can send you to an internment camp,” said Rian Thum, a Xinjiang expert at the University of Nottingham. “This is absolutely unprecedented.”The IJOP spat out the names of people considered suspicious, such as thousands of “unauthorized” imams not registered with the Chinese government, along with their associates. Suspicious or extremist behavior was so broadly defined that it included going abroad, asking others to pray or using cell phone apps that cannot be monitored by the government.The IJOP zoomed in on users of “Kuai Ya,” a mobile application similar to the iPhone’s Airdrop, which had become popular in Xinjiang because it allows people to exchange videos and messages privately. One bulletin showed that officials identified more than 40,000 “Kuai Ya” users for investigation and potential detention; of those, 32 were listed as belonging to “terrorist organizations.”“They’re scared people will spread religion through ‘Kuai Ya,’” said a man detained after police accused him of using the app. He spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to protect himself and his family. “They can’t regulate it....So they want to arrest everyone who’s used ‘Kuai Ya’ before.”The system also targeted people who obtained foreign passports or visas, reflecting the government’s fear of Islamic extremist influences from abroad and deep discomfort with any connection between the Uighurs and the outside world. Officials were asked to verify the identities even of people outside the country, showing how China is casting its dragnet for Uighurs far beyond Xinjiang.In recent years, Beijing has put pressure on countries to which Uighurs have fled, such as Thailand and Afghanistan, to send them back to China. In other countries, state security has also contacted Uighurs and pushed them to spy on each other. For example, a restaurateur now in Turkey, Qurbanjan Nurmemet, said police contacted him with videos of his son strapped to a chair and asked him for information on other Uighurs in Turkey.Despite the Chinese government’s insistence that the camps are vocational training centers for the poor and uneducated, the documents show that those rounded up included party officials and university students.After the names were collected, lists of targeted people were passed to prefecture governments, who forwarded them to district heads, then local police stations, neighbor watchmen, and Communist Party cadres living with Uighur families.Some former detainees recalled being summoned by officers and told their names were listed for detention. From there, people were funneled into different parts of the system, from house arrest to detention centers with three levels of monitoring to, at its most extreme, prison.Experts say the detentions are a clear violation of China’s own laws and constitution. Margaret Lewis, a professor of Chinese law at Seton Hall University, said the Communist Party is circumventing the Chinese legal system in Xinjiang.“Once you’re stamped as an enemy, the gloves go off,” she said. “They’re not even trying to justify this legally....This is arbitrary.”The detention campaign is sweeping. A bulletin notes that in a single week in June 2017, the IJOP identified 24,612 “suspicious persons” in southern Xinjiang, with 15,683 sent to “education and training,” 706 to prison and 2,096 to house arrest. It is unknown how typical this week might be. Local officials claim far less than a million are in “training,” but researchers estimate up to 1.8 million have been detained at one point or another.The bulletins stress that relationships must be scrutinized closely, with those interrogated pushed to report the names of friends and relatives. Mamattursun Omar, a Uighur chef arrested after working in Egypt, was interrogated in four detention facilities over nine months in 2017. Omar told the AP that police asked him to verify the identities of other Uighurs in Egypt.Eventually, Omar says, they began torturing him to make him confess that Uighur students had gone to Egypt to take part in jihad. They strapped him to a contraption called a “tiger chair,” shocked him with electric batons, beat him with pipes and whipped him with computer cords.“I couldn’t take it anymore,” Omar said. “I just told them what they wanted me to say.”Omar gave the names of six others who worked at a restaurant with him in Egypt. All were sent to prison.WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE CAMPSThe documents also detail what happens after someone is sent to an “education and training center.”Publicly, in a recent white paper, China’s State Council said “the personal freedom of trainees at the education and training centers is protected in accordance with the law.” But internally, the documents describe facilities with police stations at the front gates, high guard towers, one-button alarms and video surveillance with no blind spots.Detainees are only allowed to leave if absolutely necessary, for example because of illness, and even so must have somebody “specially accompany, monitor and control” them. Bath time and toilet breaks are strictly managed and controlled “to prevent escapes.” And cell phones are strictly forbidden to stop “collusion between inside and outside.”“Escape was impossible,” said Kazakh kingergarten administrator Sayragul Sauytbay, a Communist Party member who was abducted by police in October 2017 and forced to become a Mandarin camp instructor. “In every corner in every place there were armed police.”Sauytbay called the detention center a “concentration camp...much more horrifying than prison,” with rape, brainwashing and torture in a “black room” were people screamed. She and another former prisoner, Zumrat Dawut, also told the ICIJ detainees were given medication that made them listless and obedient, and every move was surveilled.AP journalists who visited Xinjiang in December 2018 saw patrol towers and high walls lined with green barbed wire fencing around camps. One camp in Artux, just north of Kashgar, sat in the middle of a vast, empty, rocky field, and appeared to include a police station at the entrance, workshops, a hospital and dormitories, one with a sign reading “House of Workers” in Chinese.Recent satellite imagery shows that guard towers and fencing have been removed from some facilities, suggesting the region may have been softening restrictions in response to global criticism. Shohrat Zakir, the governor of Xinjiang, said in March that those detained can now request time and go home on weekends, a claim the AP could not independently verify.The first item listed as part of the curriculum is ideological education, a bold attempt to change how detainees think and act. It is partly rooted in the ancient Chinese belief in transformation through education -- taken before to terrifying extremes during the mass thought reform campaigns of Mao Zedong.“It’s the dark days of the Cultural Revolution, except now it’s powered by high-tech,” said Zenz, the researcher.By showing students the error of their former ways, the centers are supposed to promote “repentance and confession,” the directive said. For example, Qurban, the Kazakh herder, was handcuffed, brought to an interview with a Han Chinese leader and forced to acknowledge that he regretted visiting abroad.The indoctrination goes along with what is called “manner education,” where behavior is dictated down to ensuring “timely haircuts and shaves,” “regular change of clothes” and “bathing once or twice a week.” The tone, experts say, echoes a general perception by the Han Chinese government that Uighurs are prone to violence and need to be civilized -- in much the same way white colonialists treated indigenous people in the U.S., Canada and Australia.“It’s a similar kind of savior mentality -- that these poor Uighurs didn’t understand that they were being led astray by extremists,” said Darren Byler, a scholar of Uighur culture at the University of Washington. “The way they think about Uighurs in general is that they are backward, that they’re not educated....these people are unhygienic and need to be taught how to clean themselves.”Students are to be allowed a phone conversation with relatives at least once a week, and can meet them via video at least once a month, the documents say. Trainers are told to pay attention to “the ideological problems and emotional changes that arise after family communications.”Mandarin is mandated. Beijing has said “the customs of all ethnic groups and the right to use their spoken and written languages are fully protected at the centers.” But the documents show that in practice, lessons are taught in Mandarin, and it is the language to be used in daily communication.A former staffer at Xinjiang TV now in Europe was also selected to become a Mandarin teacher during his month-long detention in 2017. Twice a day, detainees were lined up and inspected by police, and a few were questioned in Mandarin at random, he told the AP. Those who couldn’t respond in Mandarin were beaten or deprived of food for days. Otherwise, speaking was forbidden.One day, the former teacher recalled, an officer asked an old farmer in Mandarin whether he liked the detention center. The man apologized in broken Mandarin and Uighur, saying it was hard for him to understand because of his age. The officer strode over and struck the old man’s head with a baton. He crumpled to the ground, bleeding.“They didn’t see us as humans,” said the former teacher, who declined to provide his name out of fear of retribution against his family. “They treated us like animals -- like pigs, cows, sheep.”Detainees are tested on Mandarin, ideology and discipline, with “one small test per week, one medium test per month, and one big test per season,” the documents state. These test scores feed into an elaborate point system.Detainees who do well are to be rewarded with perks like family visits, and may be allowed to “graduate” and leave. Detainees who do poorly are to be sent to a stricter “management area” with longer detention times. Former detainees told the AP that punishments included food deprivation, handcuffing, solitary confinement, beatings and torture.Detainees’ scores are entered in the IJOP. Students are sent to separate facilities for “intensive skills training” only after at least one year of learning ideology, law and Mandarin.After they leave, the documents stipulate, every effort should be made to get them jobs. Some detainees describe being forced to sign job contracts, working long hours for low pay and barred from leaving factory grounds during weekdays.Qurban, the Kazakh herder, said after nine months in the camp, a supervisor came to tell him he was “forgiven” but must never tell what he had seen. After he returned to his village, officials told him he had to work in a factory.“If you don’t go, we’ll send you back to the center,” an official said.Qurban went to a garment factory, which he wasn’t allowed to leave. After 53 days stitching clothes, he was released. After another month under house arrest, he finally was allowed to return to Kazakhstan and see his children. He received his salary in cash: 300 Chinese yuan, or just under $42.Long an ordinary herder who thought little of politics, Qurban used to count many Han Chinese among his friends. Now, he said, he’s begun to hate them.“I’ve never committed a crime, I’ve never done anything wrong,” he said. “It was beyond comprehension why they put me there.” Source link Read the full article

[offgridthegame]

Off Grid Development blog 8.11.2017 - Changing Times!

The times-they-are-a-changin.’  New horizons, a shake up, big things happening - this has been a heck of a sprint!

Blocktober

Completely unaware of our social media surroundings, Rich managed to spend a good portion of this sprint during October whiteboxing and completely miss the whiteboxing trend on Twitter that was #Blocktober! Nothing nearly as fancy as the timelapsed art passes from the Naughtly Dog team on how they constructed key hero sequences in the latest Uncharted, but we do have a new building for the intro scene in the player’s apartment. If you haven’t seen this yet at a demo I won’t give away any spoilers, but this level is where your hacking journey begins!

Indies Unplayed

We were extremely fortunate to be asked along to Indies Unplayed at Secret Weapon Loading Bar in Stratford. It’s always great to show the game and get player feedback. Many thanks to Lauren Francis for having us along, it was a very cool little event and we had some really inspiring titles along side us. Below you can see a player learning the setup to our hero’s story in the intro cutscene we are currently making playable.

We got to play some fun new indie games and catch up with some old friends too, including old chum Tim Constant, who we last saw at Nottingham Gamecity in 2013!!!

Tim is working on a very cool dystopian job sim.  It’s a #PapersPlease-like game, where you play an immigrant bouncer in a post-Brexit apocalypse:

‘Settings’ it up

It’s been quite short and quick sprint, so there are no new amazing game features to talk about from Pontus. But as promised, our settings system has now evolved from a bunch of background systems and code into an actual menu. With some actual settings you can adjust!

The graphics will definitely need more work, but the plan is to fill in more options and then do a second pass on the artwork and layout to make sure everything works well with the content. For now, everything is functional at least.

Web work

Apart from that, things were polished up in the web side, with some imrpovements and additions to our wiki and to automate our newsletter. That’s going to make our life easier, and hopefully also help any players/modders to find the right Lua API and instructions for how to set things up in LevelKit in the future. I would say “go and check it out” but there’s not really much interesting things in the wiki yet, at least unless you are one of the lucky ones who have access to our builds and the LevelKit already. In which case, you of course should go and check it out to get you started testing how to create your own content for the game!

No funny bugs fixed by Pontus this sprint, and no interesting game design work either. But there definitely will be next time, he’s already spent the past few days with XMind open for plotting some pretty big changes for the game…

Mod testing

This sprint Josh, our modding and level design intern, challenged himself to build a level using the modding tools. The aim was to learn how to build a typical level with a focus on the Lua scripting side of things rather than art, and then take those learnings and see where he could fill in the gaps on the wiki that he found wanting.

We’ll let him tell you a bit more himself though:

“So I started out by blocking out the map that I wanted to create. Once I had the basic level that I was happy with I got stuck in with the Lua scripting with which I managed to learn a great deal upon completion of the level.

One of my favourite parts of creating the mod was the conversations, as it was super simple to create but also great fun generating branching dialogue between characters.            Following this, I began work on a guide to building a level mod which has been added to the wiki.This is something that I felt would be important for potential modders to have to help make the modding experience more accessible.

This also resulted in a few new pages being created to explain some sections not covered on the wiki yet, such as the ability to add characters to your level. This is a very exciting and interesting feature which will allow you to create many gameplay elements, from conversations to patrolling guards.

I also had the pleasure of testing the new ability to upload mods to the steam workshop using the Level-kit tools.

Shortly after that it was decided that we should create a mod level that people can download that would demonstrate some of the pre-made devices that any modder can essentially drag and drop into their own mod. It will also be playable which I will turn into an interactive tutorial of how these devices were made to help new modders create their own from scratch.”

Farewell Harry

Harry had his last sprint with us this month as he is moving to join the development team at Unity, but we made sure he had time to part with a gift for any of our followers who are devs interested in making their games moddable too.

In his time on the team, Harry's done great work pushing modding in Unity 3d, and so we’ve open sourced his work on the Lua framework that makes Off Grid moddable, enjoy!

https://github.com/Semaeopus/Unity-Lua

Out with the New in with the Old ;)

And with our youngest team member Harry heading to Unity we have gained the wonderful Steve Allen in his place. Steve comes with a bundle of  AAA and Indie experience, so much so that he qualifies for ‘industry veteran’ status, and we are pumped to have him aboard the good ship Semaeopus. I’ll stop rambling and let him introduce himself though:

Hello! I’m new here. I’ve joined the Off Grid team as a programmer, though will no doubt stick my nose in elsewhere. I’ve been programming games for, well, rather a long time, and am really excited to be part of the project. There’s lots of interesting stuff that still needs to be done and it’s already been a welcome change from the larger, corporate games I’ve been working on over the last few years. And who knows, next time I write one of these updates I might have done some work! - Steve

You’ll hear a lot more from Steve in the coming sprints, he’s already made good strides into impletmenting and extending new features in the Lua API for modders to play with, so watch this space!

Fixes and additions

Harry’s last couple of weeks were also a great opportunity for us to dig into some of the bugs in our backlog that haven’t been top priority, but would be welcome fixes with a little effort. We had a fantastic flurry of small fixes from the team, with Harry leading the charge.

Main game:

Messaging with CryptoChat

We setup a small notification to say that a character is typeing while you are waiting for them to respond to you in a conversation. It’s essentially a ‘Smedley is typing’ animation much like you’d see when using a messaging app like whatsapp or imessage.

We also and fixed the pause time between messages, which just needed a little finessing to feel more real.

And most importantly, we set up ‘B’ to skip single messages instead of all of the incoming messages from another character.

Include Mods in use, in save games

We now have save games recording what mods you have subsribed to so you can progress with your mods intact!

Saving NFC

NFC data is now being saved correctly.

Trailer video

We fixed a strange long wait at the end of our trailer that had been bugging us.

Player Phone

We fixed a bug to do with interactions when the player phone didn't appear when doing swipe interaction or scanning things.

Stuck Running

We had a somewhat funny but awkward bug in our animation state machine where the player can get stuck if you were crawling and spammed the run button while getting up - the player would get stuck runnning in circles!  That is now fixed ;)

Look around you

The player character’s look-at IK needed more restriction on target height so that you didnt look at interesting objects on the floors above or below you.

Invisible walls and soft bathroom sinks

Lots of missing colliders were fixed.

LevelKit:

UV Warning

We updated asset importer post processing script to warn about missing normals and UVs on new models. This means as you are modding and making new geometry, the LevelKit tool will tell you if it is missing anything that could cause a later error.

Mod Content structure

We re-structured level directories so that the content a modder makes is in a neater structure.

Non Steam works / DRM free mod exports

Added Export as Zip option to build tab so that you can upload your mod anywhere for anyone (with a copy of the game) to try it out.

That’s all folks

Lots of big things happening so we’ll look forward to catching you next time.

Pontus, Rich, Sarah, Steve & Josh

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[peterkayscarshare]

Interview with Peter on Steve Wright 25 April

Q: There is kind of an underlying thing with these two characters that you want them to kind of be in love, don't you really?

A: Yeah I never realised it would be so much of a subtle romance. There is an undercurrent of romance but I don't want it to be Just Good Friends - not that I didn't like Just Good Friends, I loved it, but they did circle each other for a good few series.

Q: Yeah, but I think that's one of the strengths of the whole series that it is a love story in a sense, did it start out like that?

A: No, not at all, it didn't. It just developed into this. I didn't realise people would think of it more of as a romance. But that's what's more intriguing about it is unrequited love, or people who very much want to be loved and would love to be in love but are frightened of getting hurt. I was always really affected by that film Remains of the Day with Anthony Hopkins, where they really loved each other but they could never quite say it. It really upset me at the end, 'cos I thought "Tell her! Tell her!" So I thought you need to have that thing where they want to say it, but they are just so frightened that if they say it and get rejected... so the easy option is to just say "No, it's not for me. If I don't get involved, I won't get hurt, I've been hurt before." But really, they want to be in love.

Q: I know you guys sit down and write it, but do you improvised as well some of it looks like it might be improved at times.

A: Listen, Tim, Tim my friend. (laughs) We did a lot of improvisation, and unfortunately that hasn't made it through to the programme... (awww) but there's some bits of it left - There's a bit about Crazy Frog  - But a lot of it is, we do. There's a lot of plot in this series. I tell you who's in it, an absolutely amazing actor called Conleth Hill and he plays a lady called Elsie. And he's in the West End now in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf with Imelda Staunton. He's in Game of Thrones as well. But he's won Olivier awards for The Producers, and he's brilliant  - been in Woody Allen films and all. Anyway, he is fantastic. You know what, I just give everything to him. There's 18 minutes of him. And nothing excites me more when you see someone who's funny and you just let them shine and just let him do it. He's brilliant.

Q: That's fantastic. Guy Garvey was great as well how did you get him involved Pete?

A: Yeah, when I was writing it I kept picturing Guy Garvey. And um, I don't know why I just kept picturing him as this guy with a bike. And I rang him, and he said he enjoyed it, and I said well funnily enough would you fancy being in it? And he said I've not done anything since school plays. And I said well you'll be easy enough. And he was really, really good. So it was a bit of a gamble cos he could have been really wooden, but he was relaxed enough to just be himself. And I just thought it's a nice little cameo, I didn't do it for any like popular reason. Same as I didn't cast Conleth cos of Game of Thrones - I've known Conleth for years, and then Guy I just kept picturing him in the part. And I thought he's a lovely man and he's very funny. I like interesting casting, you know, it just casting people who you think might be slightly different in parts.

Q: Your genius is you're a fantastic observer of the way we are. You know, watching it, that's exactly how they are and yet of course you're acting?

A: First of all I think the word genius is someone who saves children's lives in hospital, it's not a comedian so let's get that straight right now. But also, Sian and me... it's obviously recognising that if you can tap into our real relationship and our chemistry, which I always thought would hopefully be the success of it, and I think because we know each other so well the lines are blurred. And also shooting on 5 cameras simultaneous means you can overlap each other, do you know you can just go a bit stream of consciousness but we can interact... People are saying never mind all that, say something funny. Go on, you're a comedian for God's sake. I'm at work here! Make me laugh, son.

Q: You were telling me that there are some things that don't get included. How much do you do and how much do you throw out?

A: Eh, some things just don't work. You know you get in the edit and you just watch it think eh that's too self-indulgent that, or it's too convoluted, or it doesn't seem to work now. You've got to be quite vicious. I was surprised cos they were about 37 minutes and they've come down to about 26, 27. So we've cut a lot out. Some things just aren't funny when you get in the edit. And you think nah it's too monotonous. So if people are watching it and they think it's monotonous now, imagine how it could have been. (laughs)

Q: What about Dance for Life? You've got a couple more to go haven't you?

A: I've got 3. I've got Leeds on the 8th May, then Nottingham 12 and 13th. Thankfully they're all sold out. it's for cancer research.They have been the best thing I've ever done.

Q: For anybody that doens't know, just tell us what the concept is?

A: It's a 3 hour danceathon. So people come and there's a great atmosphere and dance for 3 hours. It's a very happy experience. A lot of people get sponsored, a lot of people come who are having treatment or have had treatment. And it's like the atmosphere you get at Race for Life but put music on top of it and it's great. we did it last year, we did 7 arenas about like 10,000 a night, and we did 7 this year. And next year we're doing Alexandra Palace, and um that's 10,000 a night. So it's just something that's a lovely happy experience. Me and Sian do it together. And it's lovely having Sian with me because I feel like a a bit of an idiot standing up there on me own.

Q: You're like a superstar DJ now right?

A: I know but I'm not really, I've got an app for one ninety...no one-forty nine. Does it all for you, you know? So I don't mean to shine a daylight upon magic.