Osprey Charging, the UK’s leading and fastest growing public EV rapid-charging network, recently conducted an eye-opening experiment which saw children aged 7-14 have their visions of the future brought to life by an AI artist. Asked to describe what they think the future holds for humanity, the children offered fascinating yet startling ideas on how they envisage the future, and were astounded as these were projected back to them via AI.   The children’s initial hopes centred around the advanced use of technology and a sense of community, but their expectations presented a different image of the future. This comprised images of a heavily polluted sky, artificial greenery and visions of the sick struggling to walk, all as a result of the unchallenged use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions. As these visceral images were projected on to a screen behind them, the children were shocked at the visualisation of the harsh landscapes that they had described. Conversely, as they explained their dream futures, the AI image generator simultaneously projected these wonderfully vivid and hopeful visions of future societies, demonstrating a more optimistic outlook of what could be possible, with images of vibrant nature, clean air and innovative transportation. In response to these images, the children involved outlined how they believe positive action to reduce carbon emissions, utilising green energy and driving electric vehicles can help us protect and improve the world around us. Many of the participants highlighted the need for action to be taken now, to avoid a cycle of missed opportunities to preserve our environment. Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, commented: “It has been incredibly eye-opening and insightful to hear the thoughts, hopes and fears of our next generation on what they believe lies in store for our society and environment, and the stark visualisation using AI generated images cements the need for action to be taken to support the move to net zero. Here at Osprey Charging, we’re continuing to be at the forefront of this transition, installing increasing numbers of public EV chargers across the UK, with over 1,000 rapid chargers now available on the Osprey network, in a range of accessible rural and urban locations. “This experiment and the engaging input from each child that participated highlighted the necessity for both businesses and individuals to continuously strive for greater green and sustainable practices, something which we pride ourselves on. Through installing charging infrastructure, powered by renewable energy, from Land’s End to John O’Groats and across Great Britain, we are providing the critical infrastructure that is supporting the UK’s transition to electric vehicles” Osprey’s network of chargers has an outstanding reliability rate of 99%, and in the last twelve months Osprey was awarded Charging Network of the Year at the Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellent awards and Best EV Charging Network at the Transport and Energy Awards. Furthermore Osprey’s easy charging experience saw the network recognised as a ‘Driver Recommended Network’ by Zap-Map for the fourth year running. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Tarkett, a global leader in recyclable flooring solutions, has launched its groundbreaking virtual reality ‘Human Conscious Design Platform’ (HCDP). This technology enables users to experience how physical spaces may look, sound and feel from the perspective of someone who is neurodivergent.  One in seven people is estimated to be neurodivergent, meaning their brain functions, processes information and reacts to sensory stimuli differently than those considered neurotypical. Common examples include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dementia. Increasingly, communities and organisations recognise that fostering true inclusivity requires designing environments suitable for every neurotype. “Our new Human Conscious Design Platform represents a major leap forward in Tarkett’s ‘Human-Conscious Design’ philosophy of creating spaces that are good for people and planet. It builds on our existing industry-leading work around designing for dementia and the ‘Through their eyes’ VR experience that we launched in 2018,” said Shaz Hawkins, Segment Marketing Manager at Tarkett. “This latest technology continues our drive to cultivate invaluable empathy and understanding amongst architects, designers, organisations and the public by allowing them to experience an environment through a neurodivergent lens first-hand. This can help shape more accommodating, equitable spaces where all individuals feel welcomed and are able to thrive.” The HCDP has been developed following a couple of years worth of research and development including interviews with neurodivergent individuals, teachers, businesses and support organisations as well as extensive desktop research. The platform immerses users in virtual environments like offices, schools, hospitals and care homes rendered to highlight sensory stimuli that may overwhelm, understimulate or distress someone with sensory processing differences. Users can toggle augmented sound, lighting and other elements to vividly experience an environment from multiple neurodivergent perspectives.  To support the launch of the VR platform, Tarkett is also rolling out a RIBA-accredited Human Conscious Design continuing professional development (CPD) course to educate architects and designers on the principles and best practices for inclusive design addressing neurodiversity. The team has also published a report, Human Conscious Design Principles, to help organisations and designers understand neurodiversity better along with practical advice on how to create inclusive spaces. To download the guide and learn more about Tarkett’s Human Conscious Design approach and the new HCDP virtual reality platform, visit the website. Architects and designers interested in the RIBA CPD course can find out more here [Tarkett CPD materials – ribacpd.com]. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

NAVTOR has taken another step forward on its ambitious growth path with the acquisition of specialist software development company Masterloop. With a proven track record within IoT (Internet of Things), AI and web solutions, Masterloop’s arrival boosts NAVTOR’s innovation and development team, already strengthened by the acquisition of Voyager Worldwide in December. The Norwegian-headquartered business will now focus resources on the continued push for data-driven efficiency, performance and decarbonisation for customers, integrating further solutions into its connected digital ecosystem. Fresh perspectives “Masterloop provides another piece of the digital puzzle as we continue our mission to make life easier, safer and more profitable for shipping companies worldwide,” comments Tor Svanes, NAVTOR Founder and CEO. “The team’s industrial IoT strength and maritime understanding, highlighted by their Bluekey vessel efficiency application, will feed into our drive to enhance our portfolio with intelligent, data-based, AI solutions that simplify the increasingly complex operational reality faced by today’s maritime businesses. “Masterloop brings something new to the table, with fresh perspectives and broad experience gained from outside of shipping too. We believe they can help accelerate our innovation, as we push to deliver transformational technology for an evolving industry. It’s great to have them on board.” Shared visions NAVTOR is the world leader in e-Navigation and performance solutions, with products and services aboard over 18,000 vessels in the world fleet. Masterloop, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a proprietary IoT platform, Bluekey and a smart bike-sharing application CityBike Cloud. Its client history includes names such as Easee, Zaptec, Kolumbus and Kverneland Group. Jan Helge Skailand, Masterloop’s Founder and CEO, has a long history of collaboration with NAVTOR. He was originally one of the founding team in 2011, taking the role of CTO, before leaving to form Masterloop in 2013. The two companies have collaborated on numerous projects since that point. Deep-dive expertise “In many ways this feels like ‘coming home’,” says Skailand. “I know NAVTOR very well and the two companies share the same values, innovation culture, and commitment to developing new solutions that unlock powerful benefits for users. However, we also have a deep-dive domain specialization within IoT and have gained experience from working alongside a unique mix of customers. So, I think we have something to offer a team that is already at the vanguard of maritime technology. I can’t wait to see what comes of this.” Masterloop’s team of ten, based in Norway and Sri Lanka, will now join NAVTOR’s global network of approximately 400 specialists. A key task will see them feeding competence into the Green AI for Sustainable Shipping (GASS) project, which is now tailoring digital twin and AI-based tech to introduce ‘dynamic voyage optimisation’ for vessels, aiming to cut emissions by up to 20%. Purpose driven development “We want to lead from the front and help change the industry with smart technology,” comments NAVTOR CTO Anders Holme. “Optimising performance and energy efficiency is one of our main focuses, helping our customers comply with stricter regulations, dramatically reduce fuel costs, and, of course, work towards ambitious decarbonisation goals. “We have a strong sense of purpose and an important role to play. It’s great to see a talented team like Masterloop buying into that, enhancing our capacity as we seek to ‘make a real difference’ for the industry we serve.” NAVTOR offers a comprehensive range of integrated smart shipping solutions, including advanced planning platform NavStation, fleet performance software NavFleet, and unique digital logbooks, amongst other products and services. To discover more please see www.navtor.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals