• Tiny pupil-sized screen delivers ‘breakthrough’ in resolution and clarity

    Researchers have developed a retina e-paper that uses tiny pixels to produce a display indistinguishable from reality. A team across three Swedish universities – Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg and Uppsala University – has created a tiny, pupil-sized screen with an ultra-high display of over 25,000 pixels per inch. They say this represents the smallest amount of pixels ever achieved on a screen that the human eye can perceive, which could offer a breakthrough for virtual or augmented reality applications. The current issue with such applications is that as the screen moves closer to the eye, the pixels that comprise it need to get smaller and smaller. However, currently pixels cannot be made small enough. For example, on a micro-LED screen, pixels can…

  • Turbine design aims to capture train tunnel winds for clean power

    Researchers are attempting to harness the extreme winds found in railway tunnels for use in renewable energy facilities. A team from the University of Manchester are designing vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) that capture airflow generated by trains moving through tunnels – known as the piston effect. With standard overground trains, airflow typically reaches speeds of around 36–72km/h as the train passes. But with high-speed rail such as the Eurostar or France’s TGV, where trains travel at 250–320km/h, wind speeds can reach up to 180km/h. The project, which begins with the Transpennine Route Upgrade project, will explore how this untapped energy source can be integrated into transport infrastructure, providing clean electricity and supporting the UK’s decarbonisation goals. Because…

  • Airbus, Leonardo and Thales merge space divisions to form European rival to SpaceX

    Airbus, Leonardo and Thales are combining forces to form a new major European player in the space sector designed to compete with the likes of SpaceX, Blue Origin and Boeing. The unnamed new company, which is expected to begin operations in 2027, plans to pool technological expertise around space infrastructure in order to improve its ability to compete against well-funded American rivals. The combined entity estimates it will eventually employ around 25,000 people across Europe with an annual turnover of about €6.5bn based on the existing space activities of the three firms. Ownership of the new company will be shared among the parent companies, with Airbus, Leonardo and Thales owning respectively 35%, 32.5% and 32.5% stakes. While Airbus currently has the biggest standalone presence…

  • Eurostar unveils €2bn double-decker trains in major expansion push

    Eurostar has finalised a €2bn (£1.7bn) deal to introduce double-decker trains on its Channel Tunnel service. The new trains, built by Alstom Group, are expected to be delivered by 2031 and will form part of the service’s expansion to Frankfurt and Geneva. Eurostar, which has dubbed the new fleet Celestia, has confirmed an initial order for 30 trains with an option for a further 20 if required. In addition to the new destinations, the 200-metre trains will be interoperable across all five countries already served today. Seat capacity will increase by 20% on each new train, subject to final design specifications. It is expected that each 200-metre set will have around 540 seats. If running in 400m formation (as through the Channel Tunnel today), there would be around 1,080 seats per service…

  • Interview: How a father’s bedtime idea reinvented ice cream

    CEO and founder of freeze-on-demand ice cream company ColdSnap Matt Fonte explains how his breakthrough invention started at story time with his kids. When you meet Matt Fonte face-to-face, you get the feeling that he’s used to being one of the most popular people on the technology conference circuit. While it’s tempting to think that his accolade might be based on the US mechanical engineer’s record as a serial entrepreneur and inventor, his holding multiple patents or the long-standing dedication to engineering in both academic and commercial circles, the real reason is far simpler and more obvious: people flock to his talks because he gives away free ice cream samples. But Fonte isn’t dishing out chilled refreshments because he’s a nice guy. The CEO and president of Massachusetts-based…

  • 3D-printed antennae pave the way for wearable and flexible wireless tech

    3D‑printed flexible antenna arrays could power wearable wireless devices and improve communications across various applications, according to a new study. Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed the antennae and a chip-sized processor using 3D printing techniques with ink made from copper nanoparticles. This ink, developed in collaboration with researchers from the University of Maryland and Boeing, allows the antennae to remain stable when bent or exposed to high humidity, temperature variations or salt. The processor chip corrects errant signals from the antennae in real time, enhancing the performance and electronic communications of the flexible wireless system. Sreeni Poolakkal, co-first author and PhD student at WSU, said: “This proof-of-concept prototype…

  • Industry insight: Cycling teams turn to aerodynamic modelling for a competitive edge

    This article has been provided by Thierry Marchal, industry program director at Ansys Elite sport has always been a proving ground for science. From nutrition to biomechanics and safety, advances in research have consistently translated into marginal gains for athletes. Increasingly, though, the margins are no longer marginal. High fidelity simulation, the same tools once reserved for aerospace and automotive engineering, is emerging as a decisive factor in performance. Cycling offers the clearest example. A recent study, led by Prof Bert Blocken at Heriot-Watt University, found that professional teams can cut aerodynamic drag on their protected rider by up to 76% through alternative formations. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) validated with wind tunnel testing, the researchers…

  • Underwater system that converts wave energy into electricity completes dry tests

    A Dutch energy firm has successfully completed dry tests of its underwater wave energy converter, ready for deployment in the North Sea in 2026. Clean-tech start-up Symphony Wave Power is developing wave energy converter (WEC) technology that harnesses the motion of ocean waves to generate electricity. The company is currently in the early commercial phase, having recently completed dry testing of its WEC on land in Gemeente Velsen, the Netherlands. These tests helped validate its design and performance before moving to real-world ocean deployment in 2026. The company describes its technology as being based on point absorbing theory, in which a large amount of energy can be harvested from relatively small devices. Positioned beneath the surface of the waves at a depth of at least 20…

  • Brazil issues oil drilling licence near the Amazon weeks before hosting COP30 conference

    The Brazilian government has approved a licence for Petrobras to begin drilling for oil near the mouth of the Amazon rainforest, sparking cries of hypocrisy from environmental campaigners. On Monday, the administration led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave the state-owned oil firm the go-ahead to begin exploratory works in deep waters off Amapá, 500km from the mouth of the Amazon River and 175km from the coast. The drill rig is already at the well site, and drilling is expected to start immediately and last for around five months. Through this exploratory activity, the company aims to gather additional geological data and assess whether there is oil and gas in the area at an economic scale – there will be no oil production at this stage. With the Brazilian city of Belém gearing…

  • MPs question resilience of UK banking systems after AWS failure hits Lloyds and Halifax

    MPs have expressed concern that key parts of the UK’s digital infrastructure is hosted on servers abroad, following the widespread outage affecting Amazon Web Services (AWS) that took various banking websites offline. The incident affected multiple UK banks, including Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, alongside a raft of other services such as Reddit, Snapchat and Wordle. These three banks, which are part of Lloyds Banking Group, were able to bring their services back online after several hours of frustration from users. However, the outage has led MPs to question whether the UK is over-reliant on foreign data services, with many of the AWS servers located in the US. AWS eventually issued a statement to say that while the issue that caused the outage had been fixed, ongoing issues may…

  • Australia and US sign $8.5bn critical minerals deal to challenge China’s dominance

    Australia and the US have signed an $8.5bn deal that will see Australia supplying the US with critical minerals amid China’s clampdown on rare-earth exports. US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the critical minerals deal at the White House. The deal will see each country provide at least $1bn towards a $8.5bn pipeline of projects in both the US and Australia over the next six months. Australia has rich rare-earth resources critical to the AI and tech sectors, as well as the renewables and defence industries. China has long been the dominant player in the rare earths market, accounting for around 70% of global mining production and over 90% of global rare earths processing. While the critical elements can be found outside of China, decades…

  • Looming water scarcity could threaten the UK’s 2050 net zero ambitions

    The water needed for the UK’s decarbonisation infrastructure, including hydrogen and carbon capture, is likely to exceed the amount available, according to new research. The report, commissioned by national water retailer Wave in collaboration with Durham University, looked at decarbonisation activities across England’s five largest industrial clusters – Humberside, North West England, Tees Valley, the Solent and the Black Country. It then analysed the impact that these activities would have on water resources in those areas. It found that the high-water requirements for decarbonisation projects – such as blue and green hydrogen production and carbon capture – would mean that water scarcity is likely to pose a significant risk to both business growth and future decarbonisation efforts in…

  • Landmark UK fusion experiment uses 3D coils to tame unstable plasma

    The UK’s experimental fusion energy facility has deployed 3D magnetic coils that have been shown to stabilise the key reaction needed to make fusion power a commercial reality. Scientists at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) conducted the experiment at the MAST Upgrade, located at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire. In fusion energy research, plasma – superheated gas containing charged particles – needs to be controlled very precisely, as it can become unstable and escape the magnetic fields that contain it. The 3D magnetic coils help to keep the plasma stable in a way that traditional 2D magnetic fields cannot. The team believes that the innovation could make it easier to achieve sustained controlled nuclear fusion – a potential source of clean energy – and is a…

  • Mid-flight collision may mark the first time a plane has been hit by falling space junk

    A United Airlines flight has faced a mid-air collision with a falling object that is speculated to be a piece of space junk. While unconfirmed, the incident would be the first time that a piece of debris entering the Earth’s atmosphere from space has hit a plane mid-flight. No one aboard the 737 Max flight from Denver to Los Angeles faced any major injuries, although it was forced to reroute and landed safely at Salt Lake City International Airport. Unconfirmed pictures on X show a dent in the right front windscreen and some scorch marks on the pilot’s arm. On X, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it had taken the windscreen for a laboratory analysis and was looking at the radar, weather and flight recorder data. Photo NOT confirmedHearing there were scorch-marks,…

  • Government announces V-levels to simplify vocational qualifications for 16-19-year-olds

    V-levels, a new vocational qualification, will be introduced by the Department for Education for 16-19-year-olds to simplify a “fragmented” post-GCSE education. The qualification, detailed in a new government white paper, will replace approximately 900 vocational-linked courses currently on offer, such as Level 3 BTECs and other post-16 technical qualifications. The large number of courses can be overwhelming for students, with many overlapping. The new V-levels aim to simplify options for students. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the new courses would streamline a “fragmented” and “confusing” system for young people, while giving them a "vocational route into great careers”. According to the government, the reason for the introduction of V-levels is to help address a long…

  • Tiny electronic eye implant restores reading vision to blind eyes

    An electronic eye implant has restored central reading vision in patients with sight loss, according to a study. The retinal implant device PRIMA, developed by neural engineering firm Science Corporation, has been trialled by researchers at University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital. During the clinical trials, conducted in 17 hospital sites across five countries, 38 patients were implanted with the device. All these patients had lost the central sight of the eye being tested, leaving only limited peripheral vision. This was due to an untreatable progressive eye condition called geographic atrophy with dry age-related macular degeneration. The results showed 84% of participants implanted with the PRIMA device were able to read letters, numbers and words following the…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Amazon to build US nuclear reactor facility to power AI and data centre growth

    Tech giant Amazon has announced plans to build a small modular reactor (SMR) facility in Washington state to provide carbon-free energy for its expanding data centres and AI infrastructure. The Cascade Advanced Energy Facility will be built outside Richland, Washington. A collaboration between Amazon, Washington-based utility Energy Northwest and SMR developer X-energy, the facility will feature up to 12 SMRs. Amazon said that these SMRs will power its operations with clean energy and supply carbon-free electricity to the grid. Like other tech giants, including Meta and Microsoft, Amazon intends to harness nuclear energy to help power its AI efforts. The reason for this is reliability of energy supply and reduction in carbon emissions. Whereas nuclear plants typically take a decade…

  • Under development: Lithium extracted from water, nervous system for robots

    This issue, we look at the race to extract lithium and a robot with sensitivity to touch. Lab: US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory What: Advanced membrane technology to extract lithium from water Stage: TRL-2 With lithium production concentrated in just a handful of countries, concerns about supply chain security abound. Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago have developed a membrane technology that can efficiently extract lithium from salt water brines. The membrane is made from vermiculite, a naturally abundant clay, which consists of ultrathin layers stacked together. To prevent the clay layers falling apart in water, microscopic aluminium oxide pillars between each layer hold them in place. This architecture enables…

  • ‘Supercharged’ battery combines sodium and lithium to boost capacity and stability

    A breakthrough full-cell dual-cation battery combining lithium and sodium ions could transform future electric vehicles and port

  • The data revolution that made sport smarter – but less fun to watch

    Last April, Manchester City and Manchester United played out a turgid 0-0 draw in the Eng-lish Premier League (pictured). Former

  • Tiny brain implant targets multiple regions for precise drug delivery

    A new type of brain implant that can deliver drugs to multiple regions of the brain with high precision has been developed by re

  • The Eccentric Engineer: How the age of simple machines became the era of complexity

    From three to six to over 300, the journey of machines has been a bit more complex than Renaissance scientists could imagine... Anyone reading E+T today would probably agree that engineering is really very complex, but for Renaissance scientists it all came down to six simple machines – or ‘mechanical powers’ as they were called. These were the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge and the screw, all quite closely related. I hardly need to tell engineers what each of these are, but as a quick recap: a lever consists of an arm that is free to turn about a fixed pivot point called the fulcrum. The wheel and axle is a circular (first class) lever whose fulcrum is the axle. A pulley is a grooved wheel that turns freely on an axle, and hence another circular lever…

  • Mini 3D printer builds biological tissue from inside the human body

    A tiny 3D printer capable of printing human tissue directly inside the body with micrometre accuracy is being developed.

  • Four technologies that can keep astronauts healthy on a trip to Mars

    Space is a tough environment for humans. Are technologies available to make that trip to Mars more manageable?

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