• Optical processors light the path to warp factor computing

    Data has been sent across wide-area networks as light pulses for decades, but optical (or photonic) computing has been slow to meet the challenges of moving data in the form of light at the processor level: photons have proved profoundly trickier to traffic than electrons. And while conventional data processing continued to get faster year-after-year, there seemed scant incentive for technologists to crack the optical conundrum. Nowadays, however, it’s roundly acknowledged that compute performance gains with conventional processor architectures have arrived at an impasse. Worse, physical limits on the number of cores that can be crammed onto a conventional IC are being reached just as advanced applications in AI and quantum need more – much more – compute power for them to pay their way.…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘We must redefine defence’s future,’ says Defence Secretary

    The Conservative MP spent the day at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) trade exhibition at ExCel London, speaking to innovative companies in the business. During his visit, he warned the UK “can’t afford to stand still in defence”, especially in an age of increasing global competition. Wallace said: “Our adversaries have studied our strengths and weaknesses. And, over the past few decades, they’ve been progressively whittling down our western edge. Today they are not only challenging us in the traditional domains. They are becoming masters of the sub-threshold. “No longer limited by geography or lines on the map, they are using bots to disseminate misinformation, hackers to break into global systems and UAVs to target their deep artillery fire. The threat has moved…

  • ‘We have to boost the pace of discovery’: Ed Pyzer-Knapp, AI lead at IBM

    “To deal with the challenges our world is facing, we have to boost the pace of discovery,” says Dr Edward O Pyzer-Knapp, worldwide research lead for AI enriched modelling and simulation at multinational technology corporation IBM. A man on a mission, if you take only one thing away from meeting the 33-year-old British scientist, it will be that there is an imperative firmly placed on the shoulders of the STEM community to do things better and quicker. “The need for science has never been more urgent,” says Pyzer-Knapp, and the way to get that message across is to talk about it in simple terms. A passionate advocate for the public understanding of science, he talks continually about “real-​world applications”. You get the feeling that he’d be happier with a slightly less intimidating job title…

  • View from Washington: Aukus looms over AI and quantum

    Most of the talk has been about submarines, but another important aspect of the new Aukus alliance between Australia, the UK and the US is that it defines emerging technologies – particularly artificial intelligence and quantum computing – as first-order national security issues. As Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a Twitter thread : “Bringing together the military industrial complex of these three allies together is a step change in the relationship. We’ve always been interoperable, but this aims at much more. From artificial intelligence to advanced technology the US, UK and Australia will now be able to cost save by increasing platform sharing and innovation costs. Particularly for the smaller two, that’s game-changing.” Tugendhat is right. The…

  • Securing your network when the prevention gap is too wide to fill

    Organisations aren’t short of technologies they can deploy to protect their digital assets. From old-school firewalls to SIEM (security information and event management), endpoint detection and response (EDR), network analysis, and continuous vulnerability scanning, tools exist to cover virtually the whole potential attack surface of a company’s IT infrastructure. Yet attacks continue to happen and cyber crime is at an all-time high. In 2020, ransomware attacks increased by 62 per cent compared with the previous year, to a total of 304 million. This means either that cyber criminals are doing something right, or that organisations are doing something wrong. Yes, attackers have upgraded their playbooks and technology arsenals, but we shouldn’t give cyber criminals more credit than they deserve…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • National map of buried pipes and cables draws nearer with contract awards

    Following earlier pilot projects , the government’s Geospatial Commission has appointed Atkins to deliver the Build Phase of NUAR, initially providing what is described as “a production minimal viable product” for the North East of England, Wales and London before the scheme is rolled out more widely. It will cover gas, water, electricity and telecommunications. It’s estimated that accidental strikes on underground pipes and cables cost the economy around £2.4bn a year, inaccurate location information being a common cause. Once operational, NUAR is expected to deliver around £350m per year in benefits by avoiding accidental asset strikes, improving the safety and efficiency of works and better data sharing. Atkins will be supported by 1Spatial, a Cambridge-based specialist in managing location…

  • Latest figures show the UK rail sector was booming before pandemic losses

    According to researchers Oxford Economics, UK rail was helping to drive growth, investment and jobs right across the UK in 2019, the last year for which full data is available. With the Government now looking for sectors that can help the country economically recover from the pandemic, the report argues that the rail sector could be one of the leaders of this effort. Oxford Economics found that in 2019, the rail industry supported £43bn in economic growth compared to £36.4bn in 2016; it employed 710,000 people, compared to 600,000 in 2016; it raised £14bn in tax revenue annually, compared to £11bn in 2016; and for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 of income was generated in the wider economy, compared to £2.20 in 2016. But while the report demonstrates a booming rail sector based on 2019…

  • Engineering places: Victoria Falls Bridge

    Victoria Falls Bridge was the brainchild of British administrator and financier Cecil Rhodes, who envisioned a railway scheme the length of the African continent, from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cairo, Egypt. The former governor of Rhodesia (today Zambia and Zimbabwe) reputedly instructed the bridge’s engineers to “build the bridge across the Zambezi where the trains as they pass will catch the spray from the Falls”. Sadly, he never even got to visit the Falls and died before construction of the bridge began. Set in a remote section of the African rainforest, the Victoria Falls span nearly a mile (1,708m) across the Zambezi River, which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, before dropping over 100 metres into a deep gorge. The bridge, built just downstream from the falls and supported…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Mars germs versus Earth germs: engineering a mission to Mars

    There is a lot that Nasa’s Perseverance rover has on its to-do list. Flying helicopters is only a small part of it. The rover, fitted with seven cutting-edge instruments for analysing rocks, the atmosphere and weather, is ultimately searching for signs of past and present life on Mars. But it will not do it on its own. The Perseverance mission is only the first step in a much greater project. Using its small drill, Perseverance will excavate promising pieces of Martian soil and store them in small tubes on the planet’s surface for another rover to retrieve at the end of this decade. When the capsule carrying the coveted Mars samples eventually hits the ground somewhere in the US in the early 2030s, it will be the beginning of an operation that has not been seen since the return of the earliest…

  • Fire at French interconnector sends electricity prices soaring

    The IFA Interconnector that meets the UK in Sellindge can carry about 2GW between the two countries but the National Grid said a fire has forced a complete evacuation of the site. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. This is in addition to another planned 1000MW outage until 25 September that has caused electricity prices to soar. The IFA connector was the first cross-Channel link, completed in 1961 with an initial 160MW capacity. This was eventually decommissioned in 1984 and replaced by a second link capable of carrying 2GW in 1986. Another cable linking the two electricity systems, IFA-2, was also completed earlier this year, although yesterday’s incident will not have any…

  • Co-op to expand its automated robot delivery service

    The moves are part of a plan to more than double online sales from £70m to £200m by the end of the year, Co-op said. Partnering with robot delivery company Starship Technologies, groceries can be delivered in as little as 20 minutes alongside a “dramatic reduction” in carbon emissions, Co-op claimed. It originally launched a trial version of the service in 2018 in Milton Keynes before expanding to other towns and cities. The retailer now plans to increase the number of autonomous vehicles operating and delivering Co-op groceries from 200 to 500 by the end of this year, bringing them to five new towns and cities, including Cambridgeshire and extending the service into the North of England. Shoppers using the service will be able to choose from 3,000 grocery items. Co-op saw the number…

  • Classic cars: keeping motoring heritage alive

    Interest in classic cars has probably never been greater and, let’s face it, there are some wonderful motors out there to cherish or aspire to. Such demands are also keeping many workshops in the business of restoring such treasures particularly busy. Nigel Woodward, managing director of Bridgnorth-based Classic Motor Cars (CMC), says: “The classic car market is currently very robust, perhaps having something of a mini-boom, and values are firm. Although, much like the housing sector, it goes in cycles.” The pandemic has given classic car owners a bit more time to get some restoration work done in readiness for getting out and about again. Looking at the market position: a classic car is defined as being at least 30 years old, so many are not very old in real terms. Moreover, with the advent…

  • Keeping track of the ultra-wideband revolution

    ‘Spring Loaded’ was the phrase Apple used to describe its keynote event back in April. The hour-long video presentation captured the attention of everyone in the tech world, primarily thanks to the unveiling of a much anticipated update to the iMac. But it was another product that Apple revealed that the world has been waiting longer for. An ‘AirTag’ is the size of a large coin and is designed to expand Apple’s tentacles from their grip on adherents’ phones, watches and computers and into the physical world. Simply put, they are small, coin-sized trackers that let you track the location of physical objects, such as your keys, your luggage, or your cat. They’re not dissimilar to devices made by companies like Tile, which have been on the market for several years, but what makes them interesting…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Book review: ‘The Quiet Zone’ by Stephen Kurczy

    Deep in the Appalachian Mountains lies the Green Bank Observatory, which is used by astronomers to search the depths of our vast universe. But in order for the observatory’s telescopes to work properly, radio frequencies in the area must be eliminated to prevent interference – the town of Green Bank thus became a ‘quiet’ town where there is a ban on electrical devices, and its residents live a life free from constant digital connectivity. Indeed, this ‘Quiet Zone’ has gained traction from the media and curious-minds alike in recent years, but award-winning journalist Stephen Kurczy is the first to investigate this story in-depth and has shed light on some misconceptions of the town. To research and write ‘ The Quiet Zone ’ (HarperCollins, £20, ISBN 9780062945495), Kurczy himself settles…

  • E&T Innovation Awards: young pioneers in the spotlight

    Dr Ivan Ling is assistant professor at University of Southampton, Malaysia, a member of the IET Young Professionals Committee, and also a past winner of the IET Global Challenge. He comments: “This is an exciting new category for the E&T Innovation Awards for 2021. E&T has identified seven critical tech and engineering challenges we need to tackle today to make tomorrow better. These are sustainability, mobility, switch to alternative energy sources, diversity, equality and inclusion, global family, trust and truth, and inspiration. With this award, we want to celebrate rising talents who are using engineering, science, and technology to accelerate societal development within these critical areas. They will be paving the way for future generations.” Despite being in its inaugural year, the…

  • UK start-up to build 65 mini airports for flying taxi services

    Often described as flying taxis, eVTOLs are typically small electric planes or larger drone-inspired vehicles that are designed to carry a small number of passengers relatively short distances. German firm Volocopter plans to introduce a service in Paris by the time it holds the Olympics in 2024, while aircraft-leasing company Avolon issued a $2bn order in June for 500 eVTOLs – also with a 2024 commercial service launch date in mind. Urban-Air Port said that the burgeoning eVTOL sector currently lacks the infrastructure needed to support the vehicles and could be a major block on market growth. Only 3 per cent of the investment so far this year ($150m) has been targeted towards the physical infrastructure. It aims to establish a global network of urban-air ports with plans to build 200…

  • Lengthen the life, strengthen the relationship

    The UK Government’s recent ‘right to repair’ law may be a step in the right direction for consumers and for the environment, but should the legislation have been wider reaching in order to further incentivise the transition to circularity and servitisation? To require manufacturers to become providers not only of products, but of outcomes, experiences and ongoing services too? The regulations, which cover domestic white goods, televisions and some non-consumer products including electric motors and commercial refrigerators, mandate that manufacturers must provide spare parts in order to extend the lifespan of products for up to ten years. Parts deemed ‘simple and safe’ to replace are to be supplied direct to consumers, with spares for more specialist repairs made available to qualified technicians…

  • Predictive system could prevent repeat of Gatwick Airport’s 2018 drone incident

    University of Cambridge researchers used a combination of statistical techniques and radar data to predict the flight path of a drone, and whether it intends to enter a restricted airspace, for instance around a civilian airport. Their solution could help prevent a repeat of the Gatwick incident as it can spot any drones before they enter restricted airspace and pre-determine whether they are likely to pose a threat to other aircraft. In December 2018, two drones flew into the airport’s airspace forcing the closure of its main runway and causing 48 hours of chaos for thousands of passengers. Anti-drone tech was later installed at the airport in a bid to prevent another incident. The researchers said their system’s predictive capability can enable automated decision-making and significantly…

  • Can tech improve care for people with dementia?

    As an elderly woman listens to a Geordie folk tune she hasn’t heard since she was a girl, her face lights up. After seven decades, the song has evoked her childhood. When she was 18, Dorothy Stein moved from Newcastle, UK, to Canada, and now lives in a US care home. Though dementia has robbed her of her memories, the 89-year-old remembers the words to ‘Blaydon Races’ and sings and claps along; her delighted laughter is magical. “She was connecting deeply to her past,” says her carer, who’d found the song after contacting a Newcastle community group on Facebook for help. She was overwhelmed by the response – and played the tune for Dorothy as suggested. From across the Atlantic, memories flooded back. Back home in the UK, a Twitter video last summer of former music teacher Paul Harvey…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Hydrogen submarine could collect microplastics as it cruises

    The autonomous vessel, nicknamed Esmeralda01, is designed to be “net positive” by running on hybrid green hydrogen and battery power and collecting microplastics as it cruises between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Esmeralda01 is equipped with a three-phase microplastics filtration system. Its developer, Oceanways, is preparing the submarine for its first sea trial. The Department for Transport (DfT) is supporting its development as part of a £23m round of green maritime R&D funding . It said a fleet of the submarines could secure 27 tonnes of CO 2 emissions in its first year of operation with an overall mission to reduce 300 million tonnes of CO 2 as the fleet grows. Dhruv Boruah, founder and CEO of Oceanways, said: “Time is running out and it is imperative we don’t settle for 1 per cent…

  • OneWeb launches 34 more satellites as it edges closer to commercial service

    The successful launch, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, brings OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation to 322 satellites. This amounts to nearly half of its planned fleet of 648 low earth orbit satellites that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity on the ground. Liftoff occurred yesterday around 7pm BST and after leaving the Earth’s atmosphere the satellites were separated from the rocket and dispensed in nine batches approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes into the flight. OneWeb confirmed it had made contact with all 34 satellites following their deployment. In July last year, the UK Government purchased a stake in OneWeb , which had fallen into bankruptcy before its proposed internet service was able to get off the ground. It was bought as a means to expand…

  • AI-driven robotics key to recycling’s challenges

    China’s Operation National Sword policy initiative curbed the country’s imports of most types of solid waste for disposal, and imposed stringent limits on the materials that it will accept for recycling. The policy’s ramifications have hugely impacted the many foreign economies that for decades relied on China’s materials recovery facilities (MRFs) to deal with the bulk of their recyclable waste materials, from plastics and packaging to glass, metals, and wood. Before National Sword came into force in 2018, 70 per cent of plastics collected in the US and 95 per cent of plastics collected in the European Union (EU) were consigned to a slow boat to China, according to the Yale School of the Environment. A study by the University of Georgia estimated that by 2030, the policy could have ‘displaced…

  • Apple's autumn announcement brings bumper crop of newness

    At its annual event, Apple announced updates to almost all of its iOS lineup of products (except the iPads Pro and Air), along with the latest iteration of its Watch wearable and new additions to its Fitness+ health and wellbeing service. All of the new products are available for pre-order and shipping either immediately or within the next few weeks. As widely rumoured and expected, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13, in four different guises: Pro, Pro Max, regular 13 and Mini. Apple claims the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be "more pro than ever before" and will have "the most advanced pro camera system ever on iPhone", with new Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto cameras. Image credit: . The new technology is designed to enable new photo capabilities, such…

  • An eco-friendly method for dyeing jeans

    Dyeing denim jeans is one of the top sources of pollution within the fashion industry. That is why researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) developed a new indigo dyeing technology that’s kinder to our planet. According to the researchers, the technique reduces water usage and eliminates the toxic chemicals that make the dyeing process so environmentally damaging. The technology also streamlines the process and secures more colour than traditional methods. “The textile industry is a classic example of an environmental polluter, and one of the major causes of pollution in the industry is colouration,” said Sergiy Minko, a professor of fibre and polymer science at UGA and a corresponding author of the study. Originally, natural indigo was used to dye textiles. Introduced to the…

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