Nature Inspired and Decentralised Technologies Research

Technology Researcher

Cefn Hoile is a Nature-inspired technologies researcher and inventor, working for BTexact Technologies at Adastral Park, he has a background in philosophy, nature-inspired computing, marketing and management. He undertakes patent creation, exploitation and contract research in self-organising and self-adaptive systems, especially peer to peer computing, ad-hoc networking, information retrieval and human interface design. Personal interests include paragliding, hand-drumming and collecting an infeasibly large collection of internetworked gadgets.

Specialist Areas

• Artificial Life and Artificial Intelligence
  • Multi-Agent Systems
  • Genetic Algorithms
  • Neural Networks
  • Ecosystem-Inspired Simulations and Technologies
  • Adaptive Information Retrieval
  • Morphological Development
• Innovations in Peer to Peer, Nature Inspired and Self-Organising Networked Applications
  • Implementation of DIET - A Peer to Peer Decentralised computing platform
  • Coinventor and prototype developer for SWAN, a massively scalable system for resource lookup in fully decentralised Peer to Peer networks
  • Peer to Peer application development leveraging DIET and SWAN
  • Design of Ecosystem-Inspired Systems
  • Autonomic approaches to system administration and control
  • Simulation tools, Experiments and Technology Integration in Ad Hoc and wireless networks
  • Identification of applications and approaches for the use of Adaptive Algorithms in Art and Science
• Technology Community - Technology Tracking and Community Participation
  • Regular publications in Conferences, Journals and Edited Volumes
  • Completion of contract research for BT Lines of Business and external customers
  • Creation and Administration of ECoMAS Yahoo community focusing on Multi-Agent Systems and Evolutionary Computation

Current Projects

At present I am engaged in a number of projects which have been recently published in the public domain, based on patents filed both personally and jointly with the members of the DIET team.
Decentralised computing projects DIET and SWAN
A Prototype for an intuitive form of pointing device employing machine vision techniques

Past projects have included...
Black Shoals An artificial ecosystem of articulated creatures whose morphology and behaviour evolves in an ecosystem driven by real-time stock market trading
Doctor - A Platform Independent Document Editing Tool in Java

Introduction

Overview

I developed a strong interest in Artificial Intelligence and Artificial life during my degree in Philosophy at Nottingham which was focused largely on the philosophy of mind. Having spent several years in marketing and business administration, I was lucky enough to get a place to study nature-inspired computing at the University of Sussex. Following the successful completion of this course, I was offered a post at BTexact's Adastral Park research facility, where I am today. My interdisciplinary background offers unique insights in problems of system design and deployment. The domains of study and research with which I have been involved are conceptually quite strongly linked, as I hope to explain in more detail as I expand the website.

Background

Academic :

1st class Hons Ba Philosophy Nottingham University and MSc Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems Sussex University.

Non-degree courses completed in complex systems, network security, patent filing, HR Issues (performance management and diversity) and workshop facilitation.

Commercial :

Joined the V&A Group, (the patent exploitation group famous for the AnywayUp Cup), after first degree in 1995, when the company consisted of 2 directors and 1 administrator and turned over approx £200,000. Left in 1999, the year it was listed as the fastest growing company in Wales, employing 70 people and turning over £6,500,000.

After completing my MSc I was fortunate enough to join a commercial research team. the Future Technologies Group, part of the Intelligent Systems Lab of BTexact Technologies at Adastral Park, Ipswich. This team specialises in nature inspired computing - conceiving, prototyping and commercially exploiting designs which are inspired by the study of natural systems. This role involves the patenting, prototype development and commercialisation of a series of innovations conceived individually or jointly with other members of the team. Additional roles include Network Security for the lab, CARE Representative for the lab, facilitating workshops in Performance Management, and line management.