• Why tech is at the heart of levelling-up ambitions

    Back in 2019, the UK government laid out its ambitious plan to ‘level up’ the country, tackling regional inequalities and encouraging private sector investment outside London and the South East. A lot has happened since then to hamper progress, but fast-forward to today and levelling up is firmly back on the national agenda. One way the government intends to boost productivity, jobs and living standards is by ramping up domestic public investment in R&D beyond the Greater South East of England by at least 40 per cent, as revealed in its Levelling Up White Paper . But this injection of funding comes alongside a hike in private industry investment, with a 17.5 per cent increase in R&D spending from big industrials in Q3 2021. On the one hand, this signals the next stage in the UK’s recovery…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • AI and robotics uncover hidden signatures of Parkinson’s disease

    Using their automated cell culture platform, scientists at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute collaborated with Google Research to successfully identify new cellular hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease by creating and profiling over a million images of skin cells from a cohort of 91 patients and healthy controls. The study leveraged NYSCF’s vast repository of patient cells and state-of-the-art robotic system – the 'NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array' – to profile images of millions of cells from 91 Parkinson’s patients and healthy controls. Scientists used the Array to isolate and expand skin cells called fibroblasts from skin punch biopsy samples, label different parts of these cells with a technique called 'cell painting' and create thousands of high-content optical microscopy…

  • Radio transmitting devices located with pinpoint accuracy with new technique

    Known as an analogue photonic correlator, the device is considerably simpler than equivalent devices existing today, the researchers said. “The photonic architecture we developed uses no moving parts and enables real-time signal processing,” said researcher Hugues Guillet de Chatellus. “Real-time processing helps ensure there isn’t any downtime, which is critical for defence applications, for example.” Many of today’s radio signals have large bandwidths in order to increase the amount of data they can carry. The device offers a simple method for correlating signals with bandwidths of up to a few GHz, a larger bandwidth than is available from commercial approaches based on purely digital techniques. It can be used to compute what is known as a cross-correlation function for two signals…

  • What kids expect from driverless cars, and why it matters

    ‘If you had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.’ Henry Ford You’ve probably heard the quote many times before - I know I use it often - but according to the Harvard Business Review, there isn’t actually any evidence to suggest the auto pioneer ever said this. True or not, it suggests that people in the pre-automotive era expected expected transport to evolve gradually from the horse-drawn carts they were familiar with. And by extension that consumers aren't able to verbalise or even imagine their transport needs beyond the one dimension of speed, instead settling on incremental improvements, over innovative and unimaginable leaps. As a recent visit to a local primary school showed me, when it comes to driverless cars, this lack of imagination simply does…

  • Nearly 60 million Europeans living with excessive noise pollution from road traffic

    Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health assessed the levels of noise generated by road traffic and examined its impact on health in 749 European cities. They said that compliance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) noise-level guidelines could prevent 3,600 deaths annually from heart disease alone. Road traffic is the main source of environmental noise. Previous research has linked environmental noise to a range of adverse health effects: sleep disturbance, annoyance, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, adverse birth outcomes, cognitive impairment, poor mental health and well-being, and premature mortality. Long-term exposure to road traffic noise can also cause a sustained stress reaction, which results in the release of stress hormones and increases in heart…

  • Coronary artery disease and more predicted by voice recording analysis

    Researchers found that people with a high voice biomarker score were 2.6 times more likely to suffer major problems associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), a build-up of plaque in the heart’s arteries, and three times more likely to show evidence of plaque build-up in medical tests compared with those who had a low score. While the technology is not yet ready for use in the clinic, the demonstration suggests voice analysis could be a powerful screening tool in identifying patients who may benefit from closer monitoring for CAD-related events. Researchers said this approach could be particularly useful in remote health care delivery and telehealth. “Telemedicine is non-invasive, cost-effective and efficient and has become increasingly important during the pandemic,” said Jaskanwal…

  • Amazon introduces fully electric HGVs into its UK fleet for the first time

    The vehicles, which will replace five traditional, diesel-powered trucks, will operate from Amazon’s fulfilment centres in Tilbury and Milton Keynes. Amazon estimates that the vehicles will travel around 100,000 miles annually, which will prevent 170 tonnes of CO 2 e from being emitted in comparison to their traditional trucks. The online retailer plans to incorporate a total of nine electric HGVs into its fleet by the end of 2022, joining more than 1,000 electric delivery vans currently on the road in the UK. In 2019, the firm’s CEO Jeff Bezos said that Amazon was aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 following a letter earlier in the year from more than 7,600 employees urging him to introduce a comprehensive climate change mitigation plan. The electric HGVs will be Amazon’s…

  • Smart bra could aid in early detection of breast cancer

    Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 129,000 new cases diagnosed in 2020. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only around half of women in these regions live for more than five years after being diagnosed, with late diagnosis being a major factor. To tackle this, inventor Kemisola Bolarinwa hopes her smart bra innovation will be “instrumental” in addressing the barriers to early detection of the disease. “My beloved mother died of breast cancer in 2017 at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, because it was diagnosed late,” said Bolarinwa, founder of Nextwear Technology, a wearable technology company based in Abuja, Nigeria. She added: “In her ward at the hospital, I saw women of different age groups, even…

  • Low-cost green energy generated at Scottish reservoir in pilot scheme

    A hydroelectric generation solution, comprising a reversible-pump turbine, generator and regenerative variable speed drive (VSD), has been installed at Lower Glendevon reservoir’s compensation measuring house, in a pilot scheme involving Torishima Service Solutions Europe Ltd (TSSE), Scottish Water and ABB. The installation produces enough renewable electricity to power some 100 homes in the local area, while fulfilling the reservoir’s primary purpose of providing the statutory minimum flow to the River Devon. “In the first three months of operation, we have generated over 113,000kWh of electricity, which we have been able to return to the grid and puts us on course to save at least the equivalent of 93 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually," said Tom Coutts, senior project manager for TSSE…

  • Book review: ‘Get Rich or Lie Trying’ by Symeon Brown

    It’s hard to overstate how thoroughly youthful aspiration has become concentrated on online fame. A 2019 survey of 11–16-year-olds found 17 per cent wanted to be influencers and 14 per cent YouTubers. For comparison, the only traditional career choice that came ahead was doctor at 18 per cent. In ‘Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy’ (Atlantic Books, £16.99, ISBN 9781838950279), Channel 4 reporter Symeon Brown takes the reader on a whistlestop tour of the world of online fame and the aspiration, envy, deception, and division it breeds among those who see it as their best chance at social mobility. It is a compelling take on the evergreen ‘exposing the ugly underbelly of a glamorous industry’ genre. Brown starts by recounting how, as a school student…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • New type of ultraviolet light can disinfect large, public areas

    Scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians found that even as microbes continued to be sprayed into the room, the level remained very low as long as the lights were on. Known as far-UVC, the light is safe for humans to be around and it is thought that lamps installed in the ceiling could be an effective passive technology for reducing person-to-person transmission of airborne-mediated diseases such as Covid and influenza indoors. “Far-UVC rapidly reduces the amount of active microbes in the indoor air to almost zero, making indoor air essentially as safe as outdoor air,” said David Brenner, co-author of the study. “Using this technology in locations where people gather together indoors could prevent the next potential pandemic.” “Far-UVC light is simple to install…

  • Asia’s major banks falling behind on decarbonisation efforts

    While many of Asia’s governments have declared long-term net zero targets - including China, which finally made the commitment in 2020 - their financial institutions have not. The report from Singapore-based environment group Asia Research & Engagement (ARE) said they can mitigate future risk by setting funding strategies that adhere to market developments that favour climate-positive business ventures. However, it warned that a “reactive approach”, where practices are only shifted in the face of tighter carbon regulation, would negatively impact their business in the long term. The report looked at 32 leading banks listed in nine major Asian markets and found they have not kept pace with changing expectations when compared with banks in other markets. “Asia’s banks are mispricing exposure…

  • US ends tariffs on British steel in boost to domestic industry

    In 2018, former US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on UK steel and 10 per cent on aluminium in order to protect domestic producers. But international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has now announced that the UK has secured a resolution with the US to end the tariffs following two months of talks. Under the agreement, there will be quotas for tariff-free imports of the two metals. The announcement is good news for the steel and aluminium sectors, which support the jobs of over 80,000 people across the UK. The changes will take effect at the beginning of June. In response the UK will suspend rebalancing measures on US products including whiskey, blue jeans and motorcycles. Both sides have also agreed to work closely to address the wider issue of global steel…

  • Smart traffic-management system launches in Melbourne

    The ‘Intelligent Corridor’ at Nicholson Street, Carlton, will be launched by the University of Melbourne, Austrian technology firm Kapsch TrafficCom and the Victorian Department of Transport. Covering a 2.5km stretch of Nicholson Street between Alexandra and Victoria Parades, the Intelligent Corridor will use sensors, cloud-based AI, machine-learning algorithms, predictive models and real-time data capture to improve traffic management, with the goal of easing congestion, improving road safety for cars, pedestrians and cyclists, and reducing emissions from clogged traffic. Leveraging different types of traffic sensors already installed by the Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES), the team will fine-tune the Intelligent Corridor over the next three years. The sensors will connect…

  • Biodegradable implant could help doctors monitor brain chemistry

    In a minimally invasive procedure on mice, the primary researchers at Penn State University in the US inserted a wireless, biodegradable device into the deep brain region of a mouse. The device collected data on levels of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter, and other properties of the brain, such as pH levels, temperature and electrophysiology, before harmlessly dissolving back into the body. Because dopamine is critical in many neural-related conditions, doctors could use a biodegradable sensor to detect the neurotransmitter for a range of treatments and operations. “The direct measurement of dopamine can be very significant because of the role that neurotransmitters play in a lot of neural-related diseases,” said Larry Cheng, professor in engineering at Penn State and an associate…

  • This time the network is the computer

    At its autumn AI conference for developers (GTC), chipmaker Nvidia was still entertaining the idea that it would, eventually, acquire processor-designer Arm. At the spring event, that plan is barely even in the rear-view mirror. The Cambridge-1 computer that the company said it would build in the UK as a cooperation between Nvidia and Arm is going ahead but now looks to be a prototype for a much larger very much Nvidia-focused machine that it plans to use as the blueprint for what founder and CEO Jensen Huang calls an “AI factory”.   Though the focus of Huang’s keynote at the spring GTC this week (21 March 2022) was on the replacement for the Ampere graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture, which is now being moved out to provide AI acceleration for robots and other embedded systems…

  • Hands-on review: Lenco L-92WA turntable

    To celebrate its 75th birthday, the Swiss-origin, now Dutch-owned audio brand Lenco released a premium pair of anniversary turntables. The L-92WA is a belt-driven turntable housed in a classy walnut-effect exterior, aimed primarily at the home vinyl enthusiast, while the L-3809 is a direct-drive model designed for DJs and professional users, as well as for those with an industrial decor bent to their domestic environment. Both players feature a robust full-size aluminium platter for stability during playback, a built-in moving magnet phono preamplifier to make connecting them to any output nice and easy, and a USB connection to hook the turntables up directly to a Mac or PC so users can digitise their records. We've spent the last couple of months living with the Lenco L-92WA. Strictly…

  • Rooftop gardens shown to counter urban heat island effects

    Heat is often intensified or amplified in cities, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. Asphalt, concrete and similar materials absorb and retain significantly more heat than vegetation, so temperatures in urban areas are often 5°C hotter than surrounding suburbs or rural regions. In neighbourhoods with fewer trees and green spaces, this heat often disproportionately affects older adults, low-income communities and some communities of colour. A team at Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) have used freely available satellite data to measure the effectiveness of architectural changes designed to reduce urban heat. These include replacing black tar and other dark-coloured roofing materials with bright, Sun-reflecting surfaces or “green roofs” full of plant cover…

  • Shell reconsiders Cambo oil project after sharp rise in crude prices

    The firm originally made the decision not to go ahead with the project in December, after concluding that the economic case for investment in the site off the coast of Shetland was “not strong enough.” The price of a barrel of oil was only $70 (£52) at the time but has since reached highs almost double that. According to the BBC, Shell is now reconsidering its position especially in light of the UK government’s recent decision to fast track extraction projects as part of a drive to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian oil. Earlier this month, the government committed the UK to phasing out the import of Russian oil in response to the invasion of Ukraine while stepping-up local fracking production. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it is “crazy” that the UK…

  • World fails to meet WHO air quality guidelines, report finds

    The 2021 World Air Quality Report, which analyses PM2.5 measurements from monitoring stations in 6,475 cities in 117 countries, regions and territories, also found that only three per cent of cities had managed to meet the guidelines. Fine particle pollution, known as PM2.5, is commonly accepted to be the most harmful, widely-monitored air pollutant and has been found to be a major contributing factor to health effects such as asthma, stroke, heart and lung diseases. It leads to millions of premature deaths every year. Last year, MPs urged the UK government to amend the Environment Bill to include targets for lower concentrations of PM2.5. In an analysis of the WHO data, IQAir found that only the territories of New Caledonia, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico met the WHO’s updated guidelines…

  • Japanese turn down heat and lights as power cuts loom after quake

    The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that occurred last week off the north-eastern coast temporarily cut power to about two million households, including hundreds of thousands in Tokyo. Wednesday's quake occurred in the same region devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which ultimately led to the disastrous meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant . Wednesday's quake hit six thermal plants, knocking them out of operation in areas served by Tepco and Tohoku Electric Power Co. The damage could leave some of them idle for weeks or even months, according to Koichi Hagiuda, minister of economy, trade and industry (METI). In Tokyo, neon signs were turned off, the lights dimmed and thermostats dialled down after the government issued an urgent call to save energy, warning of…

  • Birmingham Airport welcomes first autonomous shuttle

    Coventry-based transport company Aurrigo, which employs over 70 people at its Advanced Engineering Centre, will deploy its 10-seater 'Auto-Shuttle' alongside live traffic on the roads of the airport. The zero-emissions autonomous shuttle uses a suite of sensors, including lidar, to understand its surroundings and move safely around its environment. For testing, Aurrigo will limit the shuttle to a top speed of 20mph. In line with current legislation, a safety operator will be always on board who can take control of the shuttle at any point if required. Miles Garner, sales and marketing director at Aurrigo, explained: “We are delighted to be working with Solihull Council again to deliver another milestone, with Birmingham Airport becoming the first-ever airport to test our autonomous shuttles…

  • How a lack of joined-up thinking could block EV charging expansion

    A number of letters published in recent issues of E&T have discussed issues relating to electric vehicle charging and smart metering. As part of my work with IEC technical committees covering smart grids and smart metering, I have been looking at some of the challenges that will arise as EVs become more popular. The UK government, in common with other countries, is keen to introduce real-time pricing that incentivises the use of energy during off-peak times. This is seen as a way to reduce carbon emissions by influencing consumer behaviour through pricing. The plan is to introduce consumers to half-hour pricing (or 15 minutes in continental Europe) through tariffs downloaded to smart meters. Prices are generally set the day before, so the consumer can plan activities the day after. This…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Tentacle robot’ powered by magnets can delve into narrow tubes of human lungs

    Known as a magnetic tentacle robot, it measures just 2mm in diameter - approximately twice the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. Magnets on the outside of the patient will be used to guide it into place. A proof-of-concept device has already been made based on laboratory tests involving a 3D replica of a bronchial tree modelled from anatomical data. The next phase of the research will investigate the effectiveness of the device in navigating lungs taken from a cadaver. Currently, doctors use an instrument called a bronchoscope to carry out an examination of the lungs and air passages. The procedure involves passing a flexible tube-like instrument, about 3.5-4mm in diameter, through the nose or mouth and into the bronchial passages. Due to its size, the bronchoscope can only travel as…

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