Researchers from the University of Huddersfield and the University of Southampton have been awarded £5.5 million in funding for a five-year research project to accelerate the development of Industry 4.0 techniques for nanoscale metrology.

The research project, titled Next Generation Metrology Driven by Nanophotonics, aims to develop an ensemble of miniaturized sensors to enable automated production lines to detect and correct errors in situ, without parts having to be removed for separate measurement. The project aims to deliver greater efficiency and cost savings, as well as the ability to manufacture short runs of bespoke items on demand, with greater accuracy.

The research will be led by Huddersfield’s Centre for Precision Technology’s Dame Xiangqian Jiang, with support from Nikolay Zheludev’s Nanophotonics and Metamaterials Group in the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics at the University of Southampton.

The research is funded by a program grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.