• Back story: Dr Ana Cruz Ruiz, ‘Women can offer new and different perspectives’

    Shini Somara: How did you get into robotics engineering? Dr Ana Cruz Ruiz: To get into robotics engineering, I first studied mechatronics. It was clear then that as a woman in robotic engineering, I was in a minority especially in Latin America. At that time, it was a new degree, and I was the only girl there. Often teachers would ask me if I was lost or in the wrong place. I didn’t say much at the time, but I think this affected my self-confidence and my ability to answer questions or put my ideas forward. There were more girls on my master’s degree in robotics, which I studied in Europe. It was nice to see more women on this course. These days, there are more girls interested in engineering. I think the problem women face now is that we experience many barriers in progressing through…

  • E&T Innovation Awards: The winners

    Held at the IET’s home of Savoy Place in London, the event saw 17 awards presented – some in person, some virtually – in a hybrid event that had the advantage of effectively opening its doors to everyone who was interested in celebrating the best projects on the planet. Winners came from around the globe. This year’s Awards programme was the first to embrace E&T’s critical targets – the societal challenges that it is incumbent on engineers and technologists to solve. Woven into the categories was recognition for those who are tackling climate change, diversity, ethics and more. The result was a stellar range of winners, all making positive contributions to the global community. Here are this year’s recipients. Difference-Maker of the Year Esther Ngumbi This year’s recipient was born in…

  • Integrated digital insights can help industry cut waste and embrace the circular economy

    Industries across the world are aware of the impact of their consumption. The production of waste has correlated with the release of emissions into the atmosphere. The UN’s announcement that responsible energy consumption should be the default approach makes sense to industries keen to protect the planet and avoid reputational damage. The circular economy model is right at the heart of the solution: a process in which waste is eliminated and the constant use and recycling of resources is encouraged. But this approach must bring clear business value if it is to be implemented across whole industries, and relied on through thick and thin. Sage research shows three-quarters of manufacturing and distribution organisations have a circular-economy strategy already ; their prioritisation of green…

  • Mars satellites could enter orbit in record time using automated solar panel braking

    Satellites on a science missions to Mars typically aim for a low-altitude orbit in order to carry out their operations. The lower the orbit, the more propellant is required to enter when arriving from Earth. To save propellant, a technique called aerobraking is used. This is where a small propulsive manoeuvre is undertaken in order to enter a large orbit; the satellite then makes many passes through the upper atmosphere, using drag on the solar panels to reduce the size of the orbit a little bit at a time until it is at the right height above the planet. The technique normally requires three to six months to complete and requires near-constant supervision by a ground team on Earth. Aerospace engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have now developed a way to use articulated…

  • Teardown: Fairphone True Wireless Earbuds

    Five years after Apple launched its AirPods, many others have entered the earbud end of the Bluetooth audio market. They stretch from heavier hitters like Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi to specialists in low-cost peripherals. A ‘professional’ pair can cost more than £200 – Apple AirPods Pro are £239 – but prices can go down to less than £20. Quality and lifespan vary. With the increasing disappearance of the 3.5mm socket on many smartphones, there is concern about Bluetooth audio’s contribution to electronic waste. Dutch consumer electronics company Fairphone has established itself in Europe with smartphones that are repairable and recyclable. Its fourth-generation model just received 10 out of 10 for repairability from specialists at iFixit. To coincide with that, it has entered the earbud business…

  • Strict cyber-security laws proposed for firms that provide ‘essential services’

    The proposal from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) also includes other legislation such as improved incident reporting and giving the UK Cyber Security Council, which regulates the cyber-security profession, additional powers. It would allow it to create a set of agreed qualifications and certifications so those working in cyber security can prove they are properly equipped to protect businesses online. The plans follow recent high-profile cyber incidents such as the cyber attack on SolarWinds and on Microsoft Exchange Servers, which showed vulnerabilities in the third-party products and services that businesses rely on. “Cyber attacks are often made possible because criminals and hostile states cynically exploit vulnerabilities in businesses’ digital supply chains…

  • The race for quantum-resistant cryptography

    There isn’t yet a universal quantum computer big enough to break the widely used public key encryption systems, such as RSA, that secure everyday online information exchanges. Nor does anyone know when there will be. But with many predicting a significant breakthrough this decade, companies and governments are racing to launch cryptographic solutions so they can claim a stake in what is expected to be a billion-dollar market. Public key encryption is based on the assumption that factoring integers – whole numbers – with several hundred or more digits is practically impossible. An algorithm known as Shors showed that a quantum computer could meet the challenge, however, allowing bad actors to decrypt information and spy on communications without detection. And they wouldn’t even need a phishing…

  • Climate change and landslides: the slippery slope towards disaster?

    “In some places the whole hill comes out. When we see these places, you would never know there was a settlement there before,” says Jampa Tsering Lama, who is a Nepalese emergency coordinator for humanitarian aid organisation People in Need (PIN). The charity has helped deliver aid to people who have been hit by some of the 300 or so landslides that struck the country in 2020 alone. “When the landslide is minor, people can recover their livelihood,” Lama explains, “but if the impact is high, their livelihood and property are wrecked.” This displaces people and means “communities are not able to return to their place of origin”. When landslides strike, the effects can be devastating. In 2021 there were several major slope collapses around the world that have caused extensive damage. On 7…

  • Bizarre Tech: Slugbunny, Mini Pupper and LaserPecker 2

    Slugbunny Cute. But why? This caught my eye because why wouldn’t it? Its name is Slugbunny . But it’s not what you’d expect unfortunately. I saw the pictures and thought, wow! This must be some sort of high-tech rabbit/slug hybrid that can bounce around and leave a trail of pink slime in its wake. The hype and pics make me think it’s a Furby-type gadget that I must look after. But no. It’s just a cuddly toy in a box. I’m disappointed. Described as the “squishiest, squarest, lovable bunny plush toy out there! It’s [typo, not me] soft fur is very snugglable [that’s not a word] and easy to machine wash & dry.” It’s half slug, half bunny. But not really. Its “habitat” is a hand-crafted box with a magnetic snap and pull tab, and “it’s [AGAIN?!] playful design gives Slugbunny’s ears…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Fish oils used to create eco-friendly detergents, ousting petrochemicals

    With six-figure funding support from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Eco Clean is aiming to develop a more sustainable alternative to traditionally petrochemical-based surfactants, one which can be produced at scale. Surfactants – aka surface active agents – are used in detergents to disrupt the surface tension on the item being cleaned, helping to trap and remove dirt. Different types of surfactants are used as wetting agents, emulsifiers and foaming agents for a range of products. Eco Clean’s circular approach uses waste from the growing Scottish aquaculture sector to create the valuable chemical compounds, focusing in particular on the fish oils rich in fatty acids which account for around a quarter of the sector’s total by-product output. In 2020, the sector…

  • After All: Of the fateful (and sometimes nearly fatal) fatalism of fate

    This column’s topic was prompted by Dr Hannah Critchlow’s book ‘The Science of Fate. Why your future is more predictable than you think’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2019), which I spotted – among other random volumes – inside my warm and cosy office at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, where I now work as a Writing Fellow. Left behind by the room’s previous occupiers, they varied in subjects and were scattered higgledy-piggledy on the shelves. Dr Critchlow, a leading British neuroscientist (and my fellow Magdalene Fellow), whom I subsequently met at one of the Fellows’ lunches, used to be based in that office until taking up a protracted overseas assignment, after which she was assigned a new room in the college, but some of her books remained in her old office that became mine. So, coming…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • AI tech helps diagnose Covid-19 ‘in minutes’

    The method, developed by a team at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), can detect the virus far more quickly than a PCR test, which typically takes around  two hours. It is hoped that the technology can eventually help relieve strain on hard-pressed A&E departments, particularly in countries where PCR tests are not readily available. The technique utilises X-ray technology, comparing scans to a database of around 3,000 images belonging to patients with Covid-19, healthy individuals, and people with viral pneumonia. It then uses an AI process known as a deep convolutional neural network, an algorithm typically used to analyse visual imagery, to make a diagnosis. During an extensive testing phase, the technique proved over 98 per cent accurate, according to the researchers.…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Artificial pancreas’ uses algorithm to control diabetes in young children

    Cambridge University researchers came to the conclusion after comparing the performance of the artificial pancreas, which uses an algorithm to determine the amount of insulin administered by a device worn by the child, against ‘sensor-augmented pump therapy’. Management of type 1 diabetes is challenging in very young children because of a number of factors including the high variability in levels of insulin required and the way in which children respond to treatment differently, alongside unpredictable eating and activity patterns. Children are particularly at risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) and high blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia), which can affect brain development. Image credit: cambridge university To manage children’s glucose…

  • 2021 was one of seven warmest years on record

    The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said a series of global datasets showed 2021 was the seventh year in a row where the temperature has been more than 1°C above pre-industrial levels. An assessment collating the six datasets, including one compiled by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia (UEA), reveals that 2021 was around 1.1°C warmer than the 1850-1900 average. This was despite the presence in 2020-2022 of La Niña events, a large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean and changes in tropical atmospheric circulation, which temporarily cool global temperatures. The Met Office and UEA’s dataset puts 2021 as the joint sixth-warmest year on record, while other datasets put it between the fifth and seventh warmest, with small differences…

  • The measure of: Gran Turismo Mediterranea (GTM)

    The Gran Turismo Mediterranea (GTM) concept vessel by Rome-based Lazzarini Design pays tribute to the instantly recognisable design language of Ferrari. It has taken inspiration from the Italian carmaker’s latest hyper cars, with its designers dubbing it a ‘hyper yacht’. “We tried to imagine how a Ferrari of the seas would look,” they say. The exterior is finished in what looks like a riff on Ferrari’s recognisable Rosso Corsa red, while the superstructure is crafted from light carbon fibre that is also favoured by the automaker. Image credit: , The automotive cues continue onboard. Accessible via gullwing doors, the cabin features a racing-inspired cockpit that comes complete with pilot seats and gauges, as well as a main saloon, two double guest cabins and accommodation…

  • The measure of: Gran Turismo Mediterranea

    The Gran Turismo Mediterranea (GTM) concept vessel by Rome-based Lazzarini Design pays tribute to the instantly recognisable design language of Ferrari. It has taken inspiration from the Italian carmaker’s latest hyper cars, with its designers dubbing it a ‘hyper yacht’. “We tried to imagine how a Ferrari of the seas would look,” they say. The exterior is finished in what looks like a riff on Ferrari’s recognisable Rosso Corsa red, while the superstructure is crafted from light carbon fibre that is also favoured by the automaker. Image credit: , The automotive cues continue onboard. Accessible via gullwing doors, the cabin features a racing-inspired cockpit that comes complete with pilot seats and gauges, as well as a main saloon, two double guest cabins and accommodation…

  • View from India: Of Unicorns & EVs

    New routes to explore Home to 90 Unicorns, India is the world’s third-largest Unicorn hub. In finance terms, Unicorn refers to startup companies valued at over $1bn. As per the Hurun Global Unicorn Index for 2021, the US tops the list, followed by China, and then India, whose startup ecosystem is represented by approximately 60,000 startups.  When we look at the startup community, most of the new ones are in the fintech and e-commerce space. That’s understandable as online retail and payment gateways are preferred modes of purchase ever since the first wave of the pandemic. Moreover, the data emerging from online purchases reveal consumer preferences, and so the data becomes an asset for retailers to tailor their offerings to customers accordingly. However, as Covid has spurred the need…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK’s first hybrid commuter boat to ferry passengers along the Thames

    Uber launched its Boat service in August 2020, rebranding the existing Thames Clipper vessels, with departures from 23 piers across London from Putney in the west to Woolwich Royal Arsenal in the east. The firm has now built two new vessels at Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight designed to improve the sustainability credentials of its service. The hybrid design will allow the new vessels to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the capital’s Central Zone, which stretches between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers. The boats will recharge while using biofuelled power outside of central London. The technology is not reliant on shore-based charging; the new boats will use excess power from the biofuelled engines to re-charge their batteries…

  • Official Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics app rife with privacy risks

    In a detailed report compiled by Canada's Citizen Lab, researchers analysed the MY2022 app for potential privacy and security issues. The investigation found that the app collects a long list of sensitive information including device identifiers and hardware model, service provider information, a list of other apps installed on the device, WLAN status, real-time location, audio access, and access to storage, among other sensitive personal data. The collection of this data is disclosed in the app's privacy policy and is ostensibly required for Covid-19 protection controls, translation services, Weibo integration, and tourism recommendations and navigation. According to Citizen Lab, the app's encryption system also has a major flaw that potentially enables bad actors to access documents,…

  • FCA proposes crackdown on high-risk cryptocurrency investing

    The price of cryptocurrency started booming near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic leading many people to start investing in the highly volatile currencies. But the past year has seen wild fluctuations in the price of Bitcoin, which is the most sought-after cryptocurrency. In July the value of one Bitcoin fell as low as £21,000 before rising rapidly to a peak just under £50,000 by the beginning of November. Since then, its value has again plummeted by nearly 50 per cent to just £31,000. The FCA said it wanted to address concerns about the ease and speed with which people can make high-risk investments by proposing a significant strengthening of its rules on how high-risk financial products are marketed. Under newly proposed rules, it will ensure firms that approve and communicate financial…

  • Needle destruction system prevents accidental jabbing of healthcare workers

    A recent survey found that the vast majority (94 per cent) of practising surgeons in the UK have either been personally affected by a needlestick injury (NSI) or have seen a colleague experience one. The Royal College of Nursing also reported last year that the pressures of the pandemic and lack of training accounted for a 50 per cent rise in sharps injuries. While the risk of infection following an NSI is low, the risks of contaminating HIV, hepatitis or another bloodborne illness are still concerning. To tackle the issue, UK firm NeedleSmart has designed an end-to-end vaccination and safe needle destruction system aimed at reducing the 100,000 NSIs experienced by NHS workers in the UK each year. As well as destroying the hypodermic needle, it also provides a full audit trail of each…

  • How dinosaur fossil analysis could address modern day challenges

    Last October, the UN released a promo video, during which an animated dinosaur walks into the UN General Assembly and warns actors posing as delegates that humans will go extinct if we don’t address the climate crisis. Shock-tactic publicity stunt, it may have been, but according to palaeontologist Phil Manning from Manchester University, real dinosaurs, through the fossils they’ve left behind, actually have something to tell us about how to live more sustainably – if we ask the right questions. “We know that studying the fossil record can help quantify how living things interact with their environment,” he says. “But what if we could reverse-engineer enough information from these fossils to help us devise more sustainable solutions for current problems?” Manning is known for using high…

  • ‘You’ve got criminals thinking this is an easy way to launder money’

    “There were a lot of very disappointed online retail clients over Christmas,” says Matt Gracey-McMinn. “They were essentially victims of bot attacks.” Shoppers hoping to buy electronic goods over the internet experienced premium stock scarcity on legitimate vendor sites and were forced to redirect their trade to re-seller sites. This is where they were exposed to extortionate price uplifts that exploited the pre-Christmas demand increase. None of this is necessarily illegal, says the head of Threat Research at Manchester-based Netacea, but the power of scalper bots (that digitally jump the customer queue to snap up bulk stock of in-demand products) is now becoming a tool for the murky world of organised crime. “It’s got to the point where the US government is exploring a bill to legislate…

  • London needs to charge drivers by the mile to cut emissions, says mayor

    A new 'net zero by 2030' report, published today by consultancy Element Energy and commissioned by the Mayor of London, sets out the scale of the action required to move London towards a greener future and net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The report specifies the key actions urgently required in order to reduce air pollution, tackle the climate emergency and cut congestion in the capital city to create a healthier city fit for the future. According to the report's findings, between 2000 and 2018, London achieved a 57 per cent reduction in workplace greenhouse gas emissions, a 40 per cent reduction in emissions from homes, but just a 7 per cent reduction in emissions from transport. The research commissioned by the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, found that at least a 27 per cent reduction in London…

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