David Flynn

Professor David Flynn is the the founder of the Smart Systems Group (SSG) at Heriot-Watt University; the activities of the SSG involve multidisciplinary expertise in sensor technologies, manufacturing and embedded intelligence to create Smart Systems. In the area of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), the SSG investigate solutions in partnership with colleagues within the Edinburgh Centre of Robotics to create the next generation solutions for intelligent asset management. This research relates to applications within challenging and remote environments, for example, offshore wind turbine asset management and subsea power cable inspection, where we take advantage of hybrid (human-machine) remote inspection and repair to deliver a new paradigm in asset management of critical and complex systems. Dr Flynn is a founder and Associate Director of the new EPSRC National Centre for Energy System Integration (£25,000,000). My research strategy within this programme is the integration of prognostics and health management principles to support enhanced system level asset management and planning of the energy network. I am also the deputy director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence (£13,000,000). Within the CDT programme I have industrial supported studentships from MacTaggart Scott Ltd, Baker Hughes and MacPhie, representing different high value engineering sectors all based on integrated sensor technologies with front end intelligence to support optimised asset management of systems.