Sharp/NEC assists the University of Portsmouth in the creation of a space mission incubator

The goal was to design, stock up and create a fully functional room that would be easily usable by up to twenty industry experts. Sharp/NEC has provided the centerpiece of the installation, a dvLED display of 162 inches with a pixel pitch of 1,8 Mm.

Working under the tightest deadlines, orchestrated by the integrator Roche AV, Sharp/NEC has provided the University of Portsmouth the technology that allows academics and industry experts to visualize the design of space missions.

Bringing scientists together, Researchers & Industry Experts, the 'Space Mission Incubator', inspired by NASA, It accelerates the development of space missions and gives academic teams access to the kind of heritage and expertise that are crucial to early-stage mission design.

“We want to realise the ambitions of the British Space Strategy and make the UK a benchmark nation in the space sector, And one of the ways to achieve this is by lowering the barrier to access space, so that anyone can access a mission design service”, says the professor Adam Amara, Director of the Institute of Gravitation and Cosmology (ICG) of the University of Portsmouth.

The service is hosted in a Concurrent Design Facility (Concurrent Design Facility – CDF) of the University of Portsmouth, that allows experts from different disciplines to work together on various ideas, These include solutions that respond to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity.

The change for the CDF

Create a Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) it was a key objective for the University of Portsmouth, a space capable of adopting the approach pioneered by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The success of this facility means that this teaching centre is now one of the few CDF providers in the UK and Europe.

Sharp/NEC and Roche AV, who were working with very tight deadlines and supply issues that created additional pressure, Faced a challenge to meet the customer's requirements.

“Design, Sourcing and creating a fully functional room that would be easily usable by up to twenty industry experts and facilitate projects worth millions of pounds was no easy task”, explains Mike Reid, Senior Service Delivery Specialist at the University of Portsmouth.

The centerpiece of the installation is a dvLED display 162 inches and 1,8 Mm Sharp / NEC Fine Pixel Pitch, integrated by Roche AV, manufacturer that has a long history at the University as a preferred brand for campus-wide visual systems. Simultaneously with this project, For example, There is a program to upgrade classrooms with 15 NEC PA525UL projectors.

dvLED Solution

The series NEC dvLED E It offers all the brightness and high contrast benefits that were needed for this project. Built with a rugged aluminum housing, Its slim and lightweight design allows the display to be integrated very close to the wall with front service modules for easy maintenance.

the Full HD LED display, combined with a multi-window processor and more traditional video switching, It offers a large number of possibilities for collaboration between multiple users. Any combination of more than 40 tickets can be shared both in the room and through a UC client, Creating an environment conducive to collaboration, both face-to-face and distance. This display is controlled by a digital system that allows multiple presentation modes.

The video conferencing system incorporates two PTZ cameras, one to document the whiteboard, with microphones that span the entire room. The system offers a simple and intuitive user experience that allows users to prioritize screens as needed, with control for the room project manager.

Although LED technology offers optimal energy efficiency, Roche AV's system designers took additional steps to minimise consumption.

Absence sensors in the room cause the LEDs to stop emitting light if no motion is detected during the time. 30 minutes, as well as during scheduled night hours, This calculates a saving of about 45 kWh of electricity per week. In addition, Led display shuts off completely for extended periods of time, Like the university breaks. This results in savings of up to 90 kWh per week.

The University of Portsmouth now has a Simultaneous Design Facility that directly assists the space industry, in addition to indirectly contributing to inspire and train future engineers.

“The original vision of having a NASA-like CDF and adding technologies for total remote presence (via Zoom Rooms) It was achieved. It was also improved with some visits to technology centers, which helped us make our decisions quickly. All aspects of the supply chain were excellently managed and all technology provider partners were managed, including Sharp/NEC, TVOne, Microsoft, Crestron, Boat & Sennheiser, They elevated their service for us. It is quite possible that an idea worked on in this room will become a reality in a spacecraft in lunar orbit in the near future: We've created the environment in which that can happen”, Reid concludes.

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