Some fun this week going to Darkfield in QEOP with folk from CASA, plus seeing all the CASA2025 students presenting their first project work of the year, and we heard a couple of our PhD job adverts for positions in CASA CE were approved.

Darkfield are 360 immersive audio experiences in shipping containers. I have been cyclist past them on the way to / from work for the past couple of months. They say “DARKFIELD utilise striking sets, complete darkness, binaural sound, sensory effects and shipping containers to situate each participant at the centre of intense evolving narratives.” We visited Coma and spent 25 minutes laid down in bunk beds in complete darkness. I was really impressed with the whole scene setting, building of anticipation and then the quality of audio itself - really immersive.

UCL are now accepting applications for the EPSRC Landscape Award (UELA) 2026/27, offering 50 fully-funded four-year PhD studentships starting 1 October 2026. Among the 100+ projects listed, two of them are based with us at Connected Environments Lab. Mine is titled “The Invisible Cyclist: Mandating V2X Presence Messaging for Autonomous Urban Streets.“ and has been developed in collaboration with Scott Cain at the Bicycle Association. The project is aimed at solving the single greatest threat to cyclist safety: the inability of vehicles to “see” them when line-of-sight is obstructed. With current vehicle safety sensors failing to mitigate risk, and the arrival of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) threatening to marginalise non-connected road users, this is a critical mission to ensure every cyclist’s presence is broadcast directly to surrounding vehicles. Get in touch if you are curious about this project.

Last up, a little video of the CASA2025 students presenting their first project work of the year. Lots of interesting ideas and approaches, and great to see some really creative uses of Vespera.

Photos on Flickr in the Vespera album:

Plus, a new book in the lab - A Makers Fieldguide