Smart key system brings national award for software engineer

An innovative electronic smart key system has secured a software system engineer a major national award following a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the University of Lincoln, UK, and Lincoln Security Ltd.

Nandagopal Lakshminarayanan, who has been working as a KTP Associate at the security specialists for the past two years, won the Business Leader of the Future award at Innovate UKÂ’s ‘KTP Best of the Best Awards 2015′.

The award, recognising his outstanding achievement on the project, was presented at a ceremony attended by over 400 people at Old Billingsgate, London, in November.

The national KTP scheme helps businesses to innovate and grow by linking them with a university to work on a specific project.

The software for the electronic locking system, called eLOQ, has been created jointly by the University’s School of Computer Science and Lincoln Security under a KTP.

Lincoln Security has established a separate company, Dynamic Access Solutions, in order to take the product to market.

Dr John Murray, Principal Lecturer in the University of Lincoln’s School of Computer Science, said: “The project has been very fortunate to have recruited Nanda. He came with a predominantly embedded hardware background which meant that although he had good programming skills, there was a lot for Nanda to learn.

“However, very quickly he had taken up the challenge and has been one of the most enthusiastic and diligent people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Due to the nature of the KTP there have been many changes and developments in the objectives of the project, and where other associates might not have been so accommodating, Nanda took this as an opportunity to expand his learning and deliver excellent project outcomes.”

Mr Lakshminarayanan, who studied previously in India and Singapore, said: “The project has enabled me to get involved in both the academic and business sides. The KTP project has presented a unique challenge because it was not just about innovation and technicality but also about creating awareness of a new product.” eLOQ enables the creation and management of electronic keys and locks which cannot be copied or picked. The locks contain no batteries and do not require rewiring as all of the power is taken from the key and allows all areas to be controlled. The key records an audit trail of each event so that administrators can track who has gained access at specific times.

Peter Corlett, Managing Director for Dynamic Access Solutions Ltd, said: “The KTP between the University and the company has enabled the company to diversify the business and offer a unique product when compared to traditional locking systems that meets the needs of the 21st Century.”

Over the past two years Nanda has provided the company with the necessary skills to develop a high-level online management platform where keys and locks can be programmed and managed.

“The launch of this product comes at a time when only two other similar products are available, our solution offers customers not only cost savings but also greater flexibility.”

For further information on KTPs at the University of Lincoln, contact Michelle Davis by email: mdavis@lincoln.ac.uk