Createc graduates from the Oxford Centre for Innovation

There has been a surge of growth in companies in the Oxford Centre for Innovation in 2024. At the end of a successful year, we celebrate another of our long-standing clients, Createc, expanding into a bigger space in new premises in Oxford.

We spoke to its product designer Oliver Gummery to find out more about developments in Createc’s innovative work in sensor technology, robotics, software and algorithms, and to reflect on some of the highlights of the company’s time in the centre.

Createc was established in 2010 with its head office in Cumbria. In 2017, it set up an Oxford satellite at the Oxford Centre for Innovation to connect with the strong robotics and innovation communities in Oxford.

A global presence shaping the market

The main core of Createc’s work is grant-funded research and development, demonstrating first-of-a-kind technologies and further productising impactful technologies.

Over the past seven years, the company has grown to over 60 people and has a global presence, with its headquarters in Cumbria and offices in Japan and Norway, in addition to Oxford. Oliver says, “It’s great to be able to share learning from, for example, a project in Japan and apply around the world.”

Robotics and sensor technologies

Among an array of projects covering nuclear, defence and transport markets, one of Createc’s biggest projects over the past seven years has been trialling its system of sensing technologies (N-Visage®) and robotics and developing it for use in dangerous environments, such as decommissioning nuclear power plants.

An earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 led to a serious nuclear accident, one of the world’s worst, at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. It was not safe for humans to access the site. Createc designed and trialled a system of smart sensors and robotics, which could build up 3D data of the area remotely. Hazardous radiation and its source could be located, identified and quantified. This data could then inform how robots could be sent in to effectively do the clean-up.

Trials like these, facilitating learning, problem solving and innovation, are driving the advancement of technologies. Createc is pushing development to new levels to open further opportunities and grow the market. Oliver says they would like to see this type of technology become part of ‘business as usual’ in key industries.

Successful partnership

Createc has been working with robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics for a number of years. Oliver credits their relationship and strong partnership as one of the highlights of the company’s journey. The fusion of their technologies, with Boston Dynamics having one of the world’s most capable robot platforms and Createc’s sensors and software, has allowed them to have a significant impact in the nuclear industry and accessing other dangerous places.

Crowd sensing

Another exciting project under development is the use of LIDAR remote sensing technologies to generate insight into crowd behaviour. This has potential impact in the transport industry where detecting disturbances in the movement and behaviour of large crowds at airports or train stations could enable early detection of incidents. The collective movement of a crowd has patterns to it. Once enough data is collected to model these patterns, one can start drawing conclusions about what is affecting crowd behaviour. Sensors have been set up and trialled in various train stations and airport, gathering data and working out how it can be used.

Awards

Createc’s exciting innovations have been recognised over the past seven years. It has won two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – International Trade in 2018 and for Innovation in 2019. In 2024, it was the awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation.

What does the future hold?

With the move to new premises in Oxford, Createc aims to grow its Oxford-based team. It will be growing its robotics service and expand the range of customers who can benefit from robot technologies.

Oliver says, “it is a fast-paced field and an exciting time for robotics. If we can make robots useful and have an impact on what we do and how we work, that’s really exciting!”

The Oxford Centre for Innovation

“The Oxford Centre for Innovation has been a really great place for us and that’s down to the culture and the atmosphere,” says Oliver. He values the mix of companies and the interactions with them in the centre, highlighting how much incredible work is going on in all these industries. “It’s an inspiring place to be.”

For more information about Createc, see here

Also read our “Five minutes with” interview when we welcomed Createc to the Oxford Centre for Innovation.

 

Feature image: Spot the robot, photographed in 2021, fitted with Createc’s smart radiation detection and mapping technology, with product designer Oliver Gummery in background.