• 3D-printed sensors a step towards ‘intelligent’ furniture and custom controls

    The objects were created using a new method for 3D-printing mechanisms that detect how force is being applied to an object. The structures are made from a single piece of material, meaning they can be rapidly prototyped. The researchers integrated electrodes into structures made from metamaterials – structures engineered to interact with light in a certain manner – which are divided into a grid of repeating cells. They also created software which allows users to customise these devices. “Metamaterials can support different mechanical functionalities, but if we create a metamaterial door handle can we also know that the door handle is being rotated and, if so, by how many degrees?” said co-lead author Dr Jun Gong, who has since left MIT to work at Apple. “If you have special sensing requirements…

  • Hands-on review: Nexar Beam

    The Beam sits in the middle of Nexar’s range of dashcams – mini cameras designed to film through your windscreen as you drive. Above it is a pricier model boasting a second camera that points backwards into the cabin for Carpool Karaoke-style interior footage. Below it is a cheaper model without built-in GPS. Like Goldilocks’s porridge, the Nexar Beam is just right. The camera is compact, not much bigger than a matchbox, so it’s designed to hide behind your car’s rear-view mirror, out of sight. It records 1080p full high-definition footage that’s GPS tagged, recording the location for the benefit of police and insurers. The field of view is 135° (measured diagonally). Unusually for an affordable dashcam, it comes with “free unlimited cloud storage”. Like smart cameras and doorbells, it…

  • Letters to the editor: volume 16, issue 9

    The Shame of Wasteful Design How ironic as the IET celebrates 150 years of engineering expertise that I sit surrounded by expensive electronic devices where changing the battery – or anything else – is something not even a repair specialist would attempt. The device is likely to be destroyed in the process. Note the comments on repairability in the Teardown article on a fitness watch  in a recent issue of E&T, for example. I am afraid to say, dear engineers, that you are falling down on the job here. Take motor vehicle lighting. For many years we had the simple pleasure of changing defective light bulbs. But read your car handbook now and it will tell you: “If your car is fitted with LED lighting you will need to consult your dealer as the unit will need to be replaced.” Manufacturers should…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from Washington: Theranos 4 – First do no harm

    After a Covid-19-forced hiatus, the fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes began hearing from witnesses in earnest on Tuesday (14 September). Among them was Erika Cheung, a former lab associate, who was one of the main whistleblowers about the unacceptable unreliability and scope of the company’s Edison blood-testing system. Her testimony and comments elsewhere speak beyond the case to another of its broadly important aspects: trust in new healthcare technology. In a 2020 TEDxBerkeley talk , Cheung described why she joined the company in 2013 and quit just seven months later as a result of three ‘red flags’: an ongoing series of inaccurate Edison results across a number of controlled samples; the reporting of results from other approved testing hardware as results from Edison to…

  • Sea slug smarts recreated in material with potential as AI hardware

    An artificial general intelligence to rival human intelligence remains in the realms of science fiction. However, scientists have made progress in mimicking the intricacies of biology by recreating the most basic intelligence features of a sea slug. A study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, recounts how these intelligence features can be mimicked in a material in a step towards building better hardware for AI applications. “Through studying sea slugs, neuroscientists discovered the hallmarks of intelligence that are fundamental to any organism’s survival,” said Professor Shriram Ramanathan, a materials engineering expert at Purdue University. “We want to take advantage of that mature intelligence in animals to accelerate the development of AI.” Two significant…

  • National Grid erects the first less intrusive T-pylon

    They are the first new design for a pylon in Britain in nearly 100 years and plans are under way to install 116 new T-pylons in Somerset along a 57km route. The T-pylons have a single pole and T-shaped cross arms which hold the wires in a diamond ‘earring’ shape. At just 35 metres high, they are a third shorter than National Grid’s traditional lattice pylons, and have a smaller footprint using less land. The new pylons form part of National Grid’s Hinkley Connection project, a £900m investment to connect low carbon electricity from Hinkley Point C Nuclear power station. They will run between Bridgwater and Portbury, other than through the Mendip Hills AONB where the new connection goes underground. The project also includes the removal of 249 electricity pylons between Bridgwater and…

  • Time to get SMART in the office

    While employees will continue to spend more time working from home once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, the need to visit an office at least occasionally won’t go away completely. The office of the future is likely to look considerably different from those we are used to, however. Organisations will rearrange their working spaces to meet stricter regulation around biosecurity to protect against future outbreaks while accommodating smaller numbers of employees at any one time. A survey conducted by the CBI and PwC last summer found that 74 per cent of financial services firms were reviewing their current office space requirements for example, primarily driven by a desire to redefine or reconfigure use of existing facilities. Very few were actively considering closing down their offices…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Manufacturing Futures 2021

    The Fashion District Innovation Challenge Prizes are designed to find solutions to current industry issues, develop new innovations and support SMEs. Sponsored by the IET, the theme for 2021 focuses on ‘Manufacturing Futures’, where the Challenge set out to uncover and support businesses with ideas that aim to revolutionise the fashion supply chain. This year’s shortlist was selected by a panel of industry experts. Ten start-ups made the cut, showing “true innovation and the potential to change the future of manufacturing”. Since May, the ten shortlisted entries have received business and investment advice from industry and manufacturing experts. Each pitched their innovations to judges from Pangaia, H&M Co Labs, Make UK, IBM, FIA and the IET, which was followed by an industry and investor…

  • Xiaomi unveils Smart Glasses with built in microLED display

    The Xiaomi Smart Glasses use “microLED optical waveguide technology” to beam an image onto one of the glasses lenses, which users can then use to check their messages and notifications; make calls; navigate; capture photos, and translate text. Xiaomi said it opted to use microLEDs because allowed for a petite imaging system that could fit seamlessly into the frame. MicroLEDs are an emerging display technology that combine the benefits of both LCDs and OLED displays, although they are not yet in mass production. The technology uses individually lit pixels that allows for brighter displays and deeper blacks. They also have a higher pixel density and longer lifespan while having a simpler structure which allows for a more compact display. Under a microscope, the display is roughly…

  • Toilet-trained cows go to ‘MooLoo’ to lower waste emissions

    On farms where cows relieve themselves as they graze, the accumulation and spread of cowpats and other waste can contaminate local soil and waterways. The alternative – confining cows in barns – does not only mean unhappier cows but also results in their urine and faeces combining to produce ammonia, an indirect greenhouse gas. Although the ammonia produced in cow waste does not directly contribute to climate change, when it leaches into the soil, microbes convert it into nitrous oxide - the most significant greenhouse gas after methane and carbon dioxide. Agriculture is the largest source of ammonia emissions, with livestock farming making up over half of that contribution. However, in uplifting bovine news this week, researchers have reported in Current Biology that cows can be toilet…

  • Pay attention, 007!

    A missile launcher cunningly disguised as a leg cast and demonstrated by Q to a bemused Pierce Brosnan in ‘GoldenEye’ was one of several bright ideas that didn’t make it into the field. Image credit: . The lethal properties of a bagpipe flamethrower and machine gun were seen briefly in ‘The World is Not Enough’. Image credit: . Desmond Llewelyn played Q in numerous Bond films and is the actor most closely associated with the character. Image credit: . “Experimental...

  • Gas boiler subsidies ‘baffling’ given net-zero target

    Documents from the Business Department show how the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which uses funds raised from surcharges on energy bills to pay for efficiency measures such as insulation in fuel-poor households, could also see 20,000 homes receive new central heating systems with gas boilers. Homes account for around 14 per cent of the UK’s climate pollution. The vast majority of homes get their heating and hot water from fossil fuel-based boilers which contribute to carbon emissions. Cutting emissions from heating is a key part of the UK’s efforts to decarbonise in line its Paris Agreement commitments. Experts also warn that gas boilers expose families to air pollution. With gas prices on the rise, they could also lock households into a much more expensive option than heat pumps over…

  • Bizarre Tech: Trippy Paint, Cellfie and Pisces art lamp

    Trippy Paint Doodle obscenities at night and by the morning, begone! Sadly, there’s no sign of this on the internet any more. Perhaps the laser pointer was aimed at too many children’s eyes and therefore deemed a hazard? Because leaving your kid alone with a potentially blinding laser at bedtime is kinda, ya know, not the best parenting. For example: “Ah, Timmy can write on the walls all he wants at night using Trippy Paint . You can’t tell what he’s writing? Oh. I forgot to say, he can’t see what he’s doing any more as he’s blind from the laser. Oops.” So, you paint your kid’s walls with Trippy Paint, then when the lights go out, your child can wield the dangerous laser like a lightsaber and doodle whatever they want. The team behind Trippy Paint said: “With our revolutionary formula…

  • After All: No man is an island, but a rock with a lighthouse is!

    Among the responses to my June 2021 column ‘Bring the salt but leave behind wine and superglue!’ in which, among other things, I ventured to create a virtual ‘Campervan Owners Society’, there was an email from Terry Harris which I only received in mid-August. Having mentioned his recent holidays in a caravan he towed across Tasmania, Mr Harris remarked: “OK! I own up, I have never owned, or rented, a campervan! So, there it is, out in the open! Sorry... It would be good to hear of other experiences in a tent, caravan, or even, if you must, a motorhome!” Here I want to remind all readers that in the same column it was stated very clearly that the ‘Society’ was open to “every existing or potential campervan, caravan or camperhome-owing (or dreaming of owning) reader” as long as they “kept sharing…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The bigger picture: Wearable air purifier

    The Air-Ring is worn around the neck and surrounds the user’s face with purified air, delivered by what the makers describe as a powerful, silent air turbine. Intake air is HEPA-filtered and UV-sterilised to remove particles and deactivate pathogens and viruses. Image credit: Cover Images Air-Ring operates for up to 8 hours on a single battery charge and is designed to be worn comfortably all day. No price has been given, but a crowdfunding campaign is scheduled to go live soon.

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Gadgets: Nexar Beam dashcam, Urbanista headphones, Raleigh Stride bike and more

    Nexar Beam Unusually for an affordable GPS dashcam, this boasts free unlimited cloud storage. It records HD footage, GPS tagged for insurance and police. AI and motion-sensing detect collisions, filming them even when parked. And it’s small enough to hide behind the rear-view mirror. £99.95 getnexar.com Read Caramel’s hands-on review. Insta360 Go 2 A tiny, wearable action cam weighing just 27g. It shoots 1440p high-definition HDR video and comes with a clever charging case that doubles as a tripod and trebles as a remote control. It’s wearable and even comes with a magnetic pendant to attach it to clothes. £294.99 insta360.com Urbanista Los Angeles ...

  • Space concrete created with ‘literally blood-curdling’ technique

    If humanity is to establish permanent colonies on other astronomical bodies, it must find some way of constructing buildings from local materials; transporting a single brick to Mars has been estimated to cost around $2m. Using local materials is known as in-situ resource utilisation. Proposals for in-situ resource utilisation tend to focus on sparse water deposits and regolith (loose rock, soil and dirt) available on the Martian or lunar surface. However, there is an important overlooked resource available to any crewed mission: the crew themselves. In a study ('Blood, sweat, and tears: extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites with in vivo binders') published in Materials Today Bio , scientists demonstrated that a common protein in human blood plasma - human serum albumin - could act as…

  • 5G-connected drones used to assess emergency situations from the air

    The project, which is being conducted in partnership with Swiss drone company Fotokite, should provide emergency services and public safety teams with better tools to improve their situational awareness. The Fotokite Sigma system receives 5G network connectivity from its base station on the ground which it can use to transfer real-time data to first responders at the location and local hospital teams via a smart tablet. Its developers said it takes just two minutes to set up and has very low latency which allows for uninterrupted aerial monitoring. In some emergency situations, time is critical enough that this could help to save lives, Fotokite added. The drone is also capable of operating reliably in harsh weather conditions during the day or night. Rob Searle, head of 5G at Virgin…

  • Energy subsidies offered to cover floating offshore wind and tidal power

    The funding is part of the Contracts for Difference scheme, which guarantees energy producers a minimum price for every MWh of electricity they produce. During the fourth iteration of the scheme - details of which were announced this week - the government will try to secure twice the renewable capacity of the previous round, in theory generating more electricity than the previous three rounds (starting in 2014) combined. In the latest funding round, £200m will go towards supporting offshore wind. The UK has just over 10GW of offshore wind capacity – bearing around 35 per cent of its global capacity – and the government hopes for this to reach 40GW by 2030. Last month, the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the Telegraph on Sunday that, “My understanding is that the point at which we no…

  • GMB Union calls for new nuclear power plants to help reach net zero

    The motion, which was announced at the annual TUC Congress in London, calls for the construction of a new “generation of nuclear plants, benefiting communities from Sizewell to West Cumbria and the development of Small Modular Reactors.” Particular mention was made of the Sizewell C project in Sussex, which could support an estimated 25,000 jobs once in progress. GMB said that government and opposition politicians should now get on with agreeing a funding model to deliver Sizewell C and unblock stalled projects at Bradwell, Oldbury, Moorside and Wylfa Newydd. French energy giant EDF submitted an application to build Sizewell C , which will be able to generate around 3.2GW of electricity, in May 2020. The government later entered discussions regarding the construction of the new £20bn…

  • UK shipping industry urges sector to target net-zero carbon by 2050

    The IMO is requiring companies to halve their emissions compared with 2008 by 2050. However, the UK Chamber of Shipping wants the IMO to get in line with the Paris Agreement and commit to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. This target has been widely adopted, although some governments and hard-to-abate sectors (such as aviation) have declined to commit to it thus far. “We want to be at the forefront of the green agenda and now it is time to call for radical action,” said Bob Sanguinetti, Chamber CEO. “The aim of cutting shipping emissions by 50 per cent just doesn’t go far enough. We need to show the world we mean business and it is imperative that the IMO commits to a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. “The shipping industry is one of the cleanest ways of moving goods around the…

  • Hands-free jetpack with autopilot system unveiled

    The Maverick Jetpack uses a Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) system and is designed to be operated hands-free, allowing people to make safer flights and conduct precision landings on structures that are difficult to access, such as wind turbines, military hardware or construction projects. The vehicle can also be reconfigured as a heavy-lift drone that can be operated remotely and is capable of carrying ten times the payload of other similarly sized systems, its creators claim. Helicopters are currently used to carry out much of the work for which its creators believe the Jetpack would be well-suited. The much smaller size of the Jetpack and its potential to use sustainable fuel could slash costs, Maverick said. The Jetpack has been designed to be lightweight through the use of manufacturing…

  • Book review: ‘Extraction to Extinction’ by David Howe

    Look around you, says David Howe, and just about everything that you can see that’s a product of human agency (unless you can eat it) will almost inevitably at some point have been brought to you by a geologist. From the scratch-resistant screen on your smartphone to the ceramic cup your coffee’s in, from the bricks and steel used to construct the building you’re sitting in to the fuel that powers your car, it all started off as a rock or mineral vein, a layer of ancient seabed or the remains of a dormant volcano. Living in the Anthropocene era of geological time – in other words the two hundred thousand years or so that humans have had an impact on the planet – comes with a long bill of costs for the environment. One of the items on the invoice is the sheer amount of digging we do, scouring…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • US Army funds robot that packs a punch like a mantis shrimp

    The research sheds light on the biology of the mantis shrimp, which is famed for its superhuman vision, incredible strength and psychedelic colouring. Mantis shrimps are armed with club-like appendages which accelerate faster than a bullet from a rifle, breaking through shell and cartilage. “The idea of a loaded spring released by a latch is a staple in mechanical design, but the research team cleverly observed that engineers have yet to achieve the same performance out of a 'Latch-Mediated Spring Actuator' that we find in nature,” said Dr Dean Culver, of the Army Research Laboratory. “By closely mimicking the geometry of a mantis shrimp's physiology, the team was able to exceed accelerations produced by limbs in other robotic devices by more than tenfold.” How mantis shrimps produce…

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