60 second guides

The Wheeltop Project

A partnership between BT and disabled charity Scope has led to the development of a prototype communications solution known as the Wheeltop.

Designed to help disabled people overcome some of the barriers they face when it comes to participating in society, the Wheeltop has already helped to change and enrich the lives of several young disabled people studying at Beaumont College, Scope's further education establishment in Lancaster.

Wheeltop is a customised, wheelchair-mounted communication device for disabled people. It uses off-the-shelf hardware and software to provide a voice output communication system, while Grid2 software from Scope's technology partner Sensory Software enables the students to operate speech programmes using a variety of input methods. As Grid2 runs on Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, users can also access standard Windows applications.

The Wheeltop is to be the focus of a European Commission (EC) study that aims to identify and explore innovative and successful e-inclusion initiatives promoted by non-governmental organisations and/or private institutions.

BT Global Services: Oil & Gas sector

BT has for some while been focusing R&D investment on some of the Oil & Gas industry's most intractable problems, and recently this has begun to bear fruit with some truly innovative technology solutions showing real promise in trials - particularly in the exploration sector.

Effective remote collaboration around complex geo-scientific 3D Graphics applications is a major challenge for many companies operating in the sector due to the sheer size of the data files.

BT has addressed this challenge with a patented solution that separates and compresses the visual output from the vast and practically immovable data sets, meaning the graphics can be relayed over normal networks - even DSL bandwidths. This allows the mission-critical geological models to be remotely viewed and manipulated by a skilled analyst who could be on a different continent, saving time, travel costs and increasing exploration effectiveness.

A closely related innovation has also proved invaluable to clients needing to get clear pictures back from ROVs (remotely operated vehicle), the unmanned midget submarines used for pipeline construction and inspection operating at huge depths. BT's compression technology surpasses anything previously used in terms of performance. It also helps to reduce the risk of accidents and increases available operational days.