University of Malta to commercialise high performance imaging solutions

After two successful rounds of research into high performance imaging hardware, the time has come for the Electronic Systems Engineering Department of the University of Malta to prepare some of its technology for the professional market. The products will address the problem of high precision synchronisation that arises between coupled cameras working at thousands, or even millions of frames per second. Such cameras will enable capturing fleeting events from multiple angles.

MEMENTO (Multi camEra high fraMe ratE syNchronisaTiOn) (www.mementosystems.com) is in fact the University’s first initiative at commercialisation of home-grown electronics technology. This is being undertaken in collaboration with a local technology company - MST Audio Visual Limited (www.mst.com.mt), which has established itself as a leading media-engineering consultancy.

It all started as two Master degree projects that led to several prototypes and intellectual property, allowing the University to secure funding for further development. Detailed commercial feasibility studies gave the green light for the development of a range of cameras that will fill an existing gap in the high-end electronic vision market, laying the ground work for a technology spin-off company.

“Such initiatives demonstrate how students can leverage their studies to build their own busi- ness, thereby ensuring that their studies pay off in more ways than one.” says Dr Ing. Marc Anthony Azzopardi, who was himself one of the students and is currently managing the project on behalf of University. The other student, André Micallef, is now managing director of MST Audio Visual Ltd, and is the lead developer on the project. The project grew to involve a total of about 15 people, including a number of summer interns and recent engineering graduates collaboratively working to realise the product.

Applications of this technology include the scientific study of fracture propagation, ink jet droplet formation, combustion wave fronts or high speed impacts which are all ideally observed and analysed from different angles of view for maximum information capture. The technology also has important ap- plications in super-resolution imaging where the effective aperture of a group of cameras working together can be made wider than what is achievable with any single camera.

“Such electronic equipment needs to be easily adaptable for a wide variety of use-cases and this requires careful design using cutting edge technology to stay ahead of an ever-evolving market. For this you need a dynamic team of engineers with complementary skills, but with a shared love of learning and a resolute vision for excellence.” concludes André Micallef.

MEMENTO secured close to €200,000 of funding covering a three year period of intense development, from the Malta Council for Science & Technology through FUSION: The R&I Technology Development Programme 2015.

An early proof of concept prototype using modern electronic hardware (credit: André Micallef)