• Gallery: Early days of the X-ray

    In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923), professor of physics at the University of Wurzburg, discovered a previously unknown type of radiation that was capable of penetrating matter. Röntgen was conducting experiments with a Crookes’ tube – an early type of cathode ray tube. This was a glass bulb containing electrodes at each end. After the air in the tube was emptied and a high voltage was applied, streams of electrons (cathode rays) were emitted from the negative electrode and the tube produced a fluorescent glow. He shielded the tube with heavy black paper, but was surprised to notice green light coming from a fluorescent screen some distance away. Convinced that his tube covering was light-tight, he theorised that the screen was responding to some new kind of radiation that could…

  • Heat sensor allows robots to mimic human reactions to extreme heat

    The device has been built by a team of experts from Liverpool Hope University, who say it’s the first sensor that can trigger this ‘sensory impulse’ that the robotics community has seen. The researchers said their system is so robust it can measure temperature changes of 30°C per second - similar to how someone might quickly pull their hand away from the threat of being burned. The wireless, Wi-Fi enabled sensor could have numerous real-world applications, from space exploration to surgical procedures and even creating "thermo-sensitive soft robots in the near future". Alexander Co Abad, lead author on the study, said: “This feature could be useful for soft robots to act equivalent to humans’ withdrawal reflex in touching hot surfaces in search and rescue, industrial applications and…

  • View from Brussels: Pegasus wings clipped

    Last year, it emerged that the Israeli-developed Pegasus spyware has been used by national governments within Europe to snoop on activists, journalists and politicians, in what was a clear breach of privacy principles. Originally designed to combat terrorism, Pegasus has since been used to hack into phones, listen to conversations and download photos of everyday people. Heads of state and military officials have also been targeted. This week , the European data protection supervisor (EDPS) - the EU’s cyber watchdog - said that Pegasus should be banned because it is “incompatible with our democratic values”, given its ability to spy undetected through smartphone cameras, microphones and so on. “The mounting evidence shows that highly advanced military grade spyware like Pegasus has the…

  • Coal firms bolstered by $1.5tr in funding from major banks despite climate pledges

    As of November 2021, the month COP26 took place in Glasgow, institutional investors held over $1.2tr in global coal industry stocks and bonds, according to research from German environmental group Urgewald. The findings are based on the global coal company database, the 'Global Coal Exit List', which is maintained by Urgewald and was last updated in October 2021. It covers 90 per cent of the world’s coal production and coal-fired power plant capacity. The research also shows that around half of the credit volume can be traced back to just a handful of financial institutions. Katrin Ganswindt, head of financial research at Urgewald, said: “[It is] widely known that the coal industry is the number one driver of the climate crisis. “Financial institutions like to argue that they want to…

  • Spanish government to pump extra €100m into saving polluted lagoon

    Teresa Ribera, Spain’s minister for ecological transition and demographic challenge, visited El Mar Menor (‘The Little Sea’) last week to announce the additional funding, which represents an increase of 26.7 per cent. Overall, the Spanish government has committed to investing €484m by 2026. The degradation of the 135km2 coastal saltwater lagoon in Murcia made international headlines in 2016 when extreme eutrophication led to thousands of dead fish and crustaceans being washed on up on shore. Two more mass die-offs took place in 2019 and 2021, with algae blooms turning the water green. These blooms block sunlight and reduce oxygen in the water, making it difficult for aquatic life to survive.    El Mar Menor is a protected EU site under the Ramsar wetlands convention, but runoff rich in…

  • Why ESG is good business in an increasingly digitised world

    We are living in a time of rapid digitisation, radiating across all industries in all kinds of organisations and for all kinds of tasks. Lockdowns and social distancing have prompted questions about how best to design our cities, our buildings and our children’s education. As individuals, we have become more aware of the fundamental interconnectivity of the world we live in. Every day, across our screens, we are harshly reminded that our actions have consequences, that we have a shared responsibility for our wider communities, and that life doesn’t come with the prospect of a do-over. In turn, the pandemic appeared to heighten public awareness of wider social issues. The voices of social activists and workers’ rights campaigners were amplified, while acknowledgement of the climate crisis…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Prostate cancer diagnostic tools with lower infection risk approved for NHS use

    Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in men in the UK according to Cancer Research UK. It mainly affects men over the age of 50 and the risk is higher for people of African family background and people with a family history of prostate cancer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved four tests for NHS use that carry a lower risk of infection. At present, people with suspected prostate cancer get an MRI scan followed by a prostate biopsy for analysis. There are two ways of doing a prostate biopsy. In a transrectal ultrasound guided (TRUS) biopsy, samples are collected using a biopsy needle inserted through the rectal wall via the anus. However TRUS can be associated with serious infections, sometimes requiring hospital admission and antibiotics…

  • Plutonium problems won’t go away

    At the end of 2021, the UK closed the curtain on one part of its nuclear waste legacy and took a few more steps towards a longer-lasting legacy. A reprocessing plant, built at the cost of £9bn in the 1990s to repackage waste plutonium from pressurised water reactors in the UK and around the world for use in new fuel, finally converted the last remaining liquid residue from Germany, Italy and Japan into glass and packed it into steel containers. It will take another six years to ship it and all the other waste that belongs to the reactor owners, who are contractually obliged to take it back. Even when the foreign-owned waste has headed back home, the UK will still play host to one of the largest hoards of plutonium in the world, standing at more than 110 tonnes. It amounts to a fifth of the…

  • Sponsored: The Food & Beverage industry of tomorrow, challenges and solutions

    A health and environmental crisis, new production models and new consumption patterns... Today, the Food and Beverage industry has to face many structural and economic challenges in order to be truly sustainable. Download our interactive e-guide to learn about the issues and the solutions available to you. Key Learning Points: You'll learn about solutions from real customer examples in 3 areas: Food safety and traceability Environmental impact, performance Flexibility of manufacturing facilities Download free white paper

  • ‘Rewilding innovation’ fund launched to bring back nature

    The charity Rewilding Britain will offer up to £15,000 each for projects that create new opportunities for large-scale restoration of nature. These could include engaging with the community, business plans for enterprises such as ecotourism that generate income for the local economy or using new technology in rewilding. A pilot of the fund last year handed out £55,000 to various projects, including one using new light-detection techniques to measure the carbon capture of scrub and wood pasture at several rewilding sites in England and Scotland, and another to investigate seagrass restoration feasibility in north-east England. The scheme comes as rewilding is rising up the environmental agenda, in the UK and also worldwide. Rewilding is the large-scale restoration of nature to the point…

  • Nuclear transport: is atomic energy really a viable path to reaching net zero?

    As governments around the world recognise the urgent need to decarbonise, nuclear power looks set to make a resurgence as advocates of the technology position it as a key component in the energy mix over the coming decades. Significant resource and investment is being channelled into the development of small modular reactors (SMRs), mini versions of power stations made in factories and capable of powering up to a million homes each. Politicians including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson are backing the concept, while companies including EDF, the world’s biggest operator of atomic plants, Rolls-Royce and TerraPower, a nuclear innovation firm backed by tech billionaire Bill Gates, all have prototype reactors in development. SMRs started life as propulsion systems…

  • View from India: Budget green signal for agriculturists

    Digital is the crux of diverse verticals, so it’s understandable that in her Budget earlier this month the Union Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman (pictured) has initiated efforts to build an industry-ready workforce. The efforts, understood as skilling programmes, include industry partnerships to promote continuous skilling avenues, sustainability and employability. The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with industry needs. That apart, entrepreneurial opportunities are likely to emerge from the Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack) eportal. It aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through online training. It will also provide API-based (application programming interface) trusted skill credentials, payment and channels…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Sponsored: Designing for Facility Management 2.0

    This white paper brings together industry thought leaders from across the value chain to discuss a recommended path forward, including the tangible benefits to each stakeholder with proof of success. Key Learning Points: You will better understand that even though evolving standards and guidelines are encompassing many of the new FM challenges, the industry has yet to catch up and embrace the vision of facility management 2.0. You will learn about the challenges faced by each stakeholder group across the building value chain and the tangible benefits they can realise through a more collaborative approach in the design-build process. You will discover a recommended set of new best practices intended to help all players, large and small, around the globe move forward in helping make the…

  • The bigger picture: Human-faced robot

    The robot, which can copy human expressions, has the ability to move its eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and other muscles. It can also answer questions, serving as a “companion”, the company claims. Promobot, the company behind ‘Android Robo-C’, claims its human-like bot, which has a specially developed artificial skin, has a range of over 600 facial expressions. Promobot's chairman of the board of directors, Aleksei Iuzhakov (pictured below, eyeing up his robotic alter ego), says anyone will now be able to order a robot with any appearance, for professional or personal use. Image credit: , Iuzhakov says the company can build a linguistic model based on popular phrases of a particular person – the robot will communicate and answer questions by analysing frequent expressions…

  • Hands-on gadget review: Kokoon Nightbuds

    These are petite Bluetooth earbuds designed to be comfortable even in your sleep, however you sleep. They’re not separate ‘true wireless’ earbuds; instead the two are joined together with a wire. The design seeks to minimise the size of the buds and ensure that they stay in firmly. Each genuinely fits into your ear without protruding. A spur of silicone points backwards and helps it stay comfortably in place, while the wire goes upwards and then is shaped to loop over the back of your ear. Then the design unusually has a zig-zag of wires leading to a flat, fabric-covered pack at the back of your head. The pack contains controls, an indicator light and no doubt the battery. There are just three little buttons at the top of the pack. One for power and the others adjust the volume. They’re…

  • Zero carbon energy grids need nuclear in the short term, study finds

    Currently, gaps in energy production from wind and solar are often replaced by power generation from natural gas. In a zero-emission electricity system, another way is needed to provide electricity when renewables are not generating energy. “Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are great for reducing carbon emissions,” said lead researcher Lei Duan from the Carnegie Institution for Science. “However, the wind and Sun have natural variation in their availability from day to day, as well as across geographic regions, and this creates complications for total emissions reduction.” Previous studies have shown that curbing 80 per cent of carbon emissions can be achieved by ramping up wind and solar power harvesting installations. However, gaps between supply and demand created by…

  • Could nuclear power help get us to net zero?

    The last decade or so has been full of ups and downs, with construction of two EPR pressurised water reactors (PWRs) at Hinkley Point C a prominent example. Originally announced in 2010 and, according to lead investor EDF, now on course to open in 2026, the project has been the source of financing tensions between the government and its owners. A reflection of those is that while the original estimate was that Hinkley C could produce electricity at £20/MWh, the final ‘strike price’ EDF negotiated is £92.50/MWh (2012 prices and indexed to rise with inflation). And the project is still a year behind schedule. It is the only one of eight nuclear power station sites originally selected by Westminster to be under construction. In 2018, Toshiba pulled out of a project at Moorside in Cumbria,…

  • Scotland to get two ‘green freeports’ with focus on net zero commitments

    Freeports are special areas within the UK’s borders where different economic regulations apply and are centred around one or more air, rail, or seaport, but often extend beyond it too. The Department for Levelling Up said the new hubs will support the regeneration of communities across Scotland and will bring jobs to the region. The Green Freeports will be built with net-zero targets in mind as prospective bidders will have to make a pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. The bidding process will open this spring with hope that the new sites will be operational by the same time next year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Freeports will help to accelerate our plan to level up communities across the whole of the United Kingdom. “They have the power to be truly transformational…

  • Photo essay: modern X-ray gallery

    Little has changed in radiography since it was first used. Shadow images are still captured with a detector and film is still often processed with the same techniques of the late 1800s. It is, however, always in development; images are now of higher quality with greater sensitivity, thanks to better film and film grain size. In many industries, digital array detectors have replaced film, which means the digital capture can go anywhere, any time, and never degrade, which physical film could. Technology has enabled diverse fields to access radiography and the industry now has access to smaller and portable equipment, which can be used at airports and other locations that need security systems. With radiographic inspection, many weird and wonderful items can be picked up. …

  • Radioactivity boasts benefits in medicine and beyond

    Radiation is a double-edged sword for healthcare. The high-energy waves can be used to examine bones in X-rays and destroy tumours, but the same high-energy rays can be destructive, burning skin and damaging internal organs without any outward sign. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to but more intense than infrared, ultraviolet or microwaves. Radiation therapy uses X-rays and gamma rays delivered in a beam of high-energy light by an external source. Today, around 50 per cent of cancer patients benefit from radiation therapy in the treatment and management of their disease. The rays actively divide cells in DNA and also oxidise water to make free radicals, which diffuse to the DNA. Splitting a double strand in the DNA in a tumour cell will kill it. There are different…

  • Apple will update its AirTag tracking devices to allay privacy concerns

    AirTags, which were first introduced in April last year, are small devices designed to be attached to bags, keys or anything users want to keep track of. Their whereabouts can then be tracked using Apple’s ‘Find My’ network, which uses Bluetooth if nearby or an encrypted network made up of nearly a billion Apple devices if not. Since their release, some people have reported being tracked using AirTags without their consent, raising privacy concerns. Addressing the concerns, Apple said: “We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we’ve received. Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many.” It condemned “malicious” use of the product and revealed plans…

  • Google’s privacy changes accepted by competition watchdog

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the search engine has now signed up to legally binding rules designed to inhibit Google extending its market dominance even further in online advertising. Regulators will have an oversight position to ensure Google’s 'Privacy Sandbox' plan avoids squeezing competition when removing third-party cookies on its Chrome browser. The commitments, which run for six years, include the CMA and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) working with Google during the development and testing of the new Sandbox proposals. Regulators said they want to ensure the changes protect consumers both from competition and privacy and will not be put into action prior to a series of testing phases. Google has already delayed rollout of the plans until 2023 and…

  • ‘Engineers who forget to think about materials will never be good engineers’: Dr Kate Black, Meta Additive

    Tucked away in the red-brick Dickensian backstreets of Stoke-on-Trent, in the area of the industrial Midlands known as the Potteries, there’s an old bottle kiln called Sutherland Works that’s being restored. This is where you’ll find Meta Additive, one of the UK’s leading lights in additive manufacturing, or as Kate Black puts it: “in layman’s terms, a 3D printing company that focuses on new materials.” For the past few decades, says Meta Additive’s chief technology officer, this Next Big Thing has been “limited by the materials it uses”. We’ve come a long way from the days when the process of stereolithography, or ‘rapid prototyping’ as it was once called, produced “plastic trinkets that helped you to see how something worked”. Black is referring to decades-old, antiquated processes that…

  • £2.5m bid to turn Devon site into woodland wildlife haven

    The nature charity is asking for the public’s help to urgently raise the remaining £1m of the £2.5m asking price needed to transform land near Lympstone, close to the Exe Estuary in Devon, with a mixture of planting and letting trees and shrubs grow back naturally. Areas will also be left as open ground with wood pasture and grassland and it is hoped the project will create conditions for a range of species to colonise, including rare nightjars, threatened bats, hazel dormice (pictured above) and dingy skipper butterflies. The 54-hectare (134-acre) site could even attract beavers from the nearby River Otter population once streams and waterways have been restored and colonised with native alder, willow and other trees, the charity said. The area is currently made up of farmland and small…

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