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MWC round-up: 3D screens return, foldable phone competition heats up

Honor This year’s major keynote from Honor saw the Chinese firm unveil a raft of new smartphones as it distances itself from former parent company Huawei after the two split in 2020 following a US trade embargo . With smartphone development cycles typically lasting at least 18 months, this year’s devices represent a shift away from Huawei’s design philosophies. The Honor Magic Vs is Honor’s stab at competing with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, which has largely dominated the nascent foldable phone market in the West until now. The device features a screen on the outside – akin to a typical smartphone experience – and a larger, tablet-like screen on the inside once opened. Image credit: Jack Loughran While clearly taking inspiration from the Fold, the…

E+T Magazine in Telecommunications
Qualcomm phones to incorporate satellite-based messaging features

Qualcomm revealed it is working with a group of Android smartphone companies to add satellite-based messaging capabilities to their devices. The California-based company, which is the world's biggest supplier of chips that connect mobile phones to wireless data networks, said it is working with Honor, Lenovo-owned Motorola, Nothing, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi Corp to develop the devices. However, manufacturers didn’t provide details about what devices will first have these features and when the companies would launch them. Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon Satellite tech in partnership with satellite service provider Iridium at the CES consumer technology show in January this year. The solution is expected to allow smartphone users to text from remote locations where other telecommunications…

E+T Magazine in Satellites
Welcome to the Angstrom Age

I used to joke that we’d run out nanometres before we run out of Moore’s Law. Well, it’s happened. Now we’re in the Angstrom Age, apparently. Yet the dimensions that determine logic density remain at least an order of magnitude larger than 1nm and are likely to stay this way for a while, possibly for good. At the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) last week, AMD CEO Lisa Su pointed to how increasing cost and slowing progress in physical scaling is changing not how they design their processors but the architecture of the high-performance computers some of them go into. To some extent the metric has gone back to performance rather than scaling, in much the same fashion as the end of the 1990s when Intel used Moore’s Law as a proxy for speed and not just logic density. …

E+T Magazine in Electronics Design
UK drivers at risk of losing £9bn from electric vehicle savings

The report from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) warns of the risk that slower roll-out of new EVs could reduce the size of the second-hand market, and force low-income drivers to pay more to continue running petrol cars. The ECIU is calling on the government to increase its proposed level for the incoming zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate to avoid this scenario. The ZEV mandate will require UK manufacturers to increase the proportion of new zero-emission cars and vans they sell in the UK. The proportion has currently been set at 22 per cent for 2024, rising each year until 2035, when 100 per cent of sales must be zero emission. However, this plan is set to lead to 2.1 million fewer used small and mid-sized EVs being placed on sale by 2033, compared with a scenario…

E+T Magazine in Power Conversion
Tiny climbing robot inspired by geckos and inchworms

The new untethered soft robot, developed by engineers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, utilises ultraviolet (UV) light and magnetic force to move on any surface, even up walls and across ceilings. It is the first soft robot of its kind that doesn't require connection to an external power supply, enabling remote operation and versatility for potential applications such as assisting surgeons and searching otherwise inaccessible places. “This work is the first time a holistic soft robot has climbed on inverted surfaces, advancing state-of-the-art soft robotics innovation,” said Dr Boxin Zhao, a professor of chemical engineering. “We are optimistic about its potential, with much more development, in several different fields.” Constructed from a smart material, the robot - dubbed the…

E+T Magazine in Biotechnology
Britishvolt acquired by Australian start-up Recharge

Australian start-up Recharge Industries has bought the defunct battery maker Britishvolt out of administration for an undisclosed amount. The British appointed administrators at EY and made the majority of its 300 staff redundant in late January, after failing to raise enough cash for its research and the development of its manufacturing site. The company was founded in 2019 and had ambitions of building a £4bn battery plant in Cambois, outside Blyth in north-east England, where it had hoped to employ up to 3,000 workers. Britishvolt has now been acquired by Recharge Industries, an Australian start-up with little manufacturing experience founded in 2022. The firm is owned and run by a New York-based investment fund called Scale Facilitation. "What we are bringing is validated technology…

E+T Magazine in Power Conversion
View from India: Enhanced safety and speed for future train journeys

A confluence of factors has opened out opportunities for players in the railway segment. The National Metro Rail Policy (2017) indicated that cities with a population of over two million could opt for the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). The government announced 5,000km of Metro rail network by 2047 in 100 cities. The market overview of urban transit points to a thrust on Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), a semi high-speed rail that plans to lower the dependence on road-based travel. RRTS, under construction by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), will connect Delhi with its distant suburbs. The purpose is to improve regional connectivity within the National Capital Region (NCR). Besides this, two new RRTS corridors are in the pipeline in Telangana. Metro is…

E+T Magazine in Railways
Energy bills will continue to rise despite lower price cap, estimates suggest

Cornwall Insight has estimated that the new cap will be set at £3,294 equivalent per year for the average household. However, due to the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), consumers will not be directly impacted by the price cap, as the government will limit a typical household’s energy bill to £3,000 equivalent per year. This is a rise from the current rate of £2,500, meaning that consumers will be forced to pay more despite the fact that wholesale prices are down. If the forecast is correct and the level of the EPG is lower than the April price cap, the government will pay suppliers the difference. The greater the disparity between the cost of the two schemes, the higher the governmental expense. The rise in the EPG is estimated to save the government approximately £2.6bn across the entire…

E+T Magazine
Infrastructure overhaul to bring gigabit internet to all EU countries by 2030

It said that given the rapid uptake of advanced digital technologies, there is an “urgent need” for more bandwidth at faster speeds. The Gigabit Infrastructure Act aims to overcome the typically slow and costly deployment of the underlying physical infrastructure that is needed to sustain advanced networks. The European Commission said it will reduce “red tape” and the costs and administrative burden associated with the deployment of the networks. It will simplify and digitalise permitting procedures and coordinate civil works between network operators so that the underlying physical infrastructure, such as ducts and masts, can be built as quickly as possible. Such works represent up to 70 per cent of the costs of network deployment. The new rules will also see all new or majorly renovated…

E+T Magazine
Flying Scotsman steams into Edinburgh to mark centenary

The world-famous steam locomotive entered service on February 24 1923 as it set off on its first journey from the sheds at Doncaster Works. One hundred years later to the day, following a fresh lick of paint, she arrived at Edinburgh Waverley station where celebrations took place to mark the centenary. Image credit: PA Wire/PA Images | Andrew Milligan Poet Laureate Simon Armitage read out a poem called 'The Making Of The Flying Scotsman' to mark the event. Armitage rode on the locomotive as part of the process of writing the poem, in which he describes how the world-famous steam engine “coughed into life” and features “vast steel circumferences” and “rippling bodywork pouring with sweat”. He said he was struck by “this incredible coming together of both mechanics…

E+T Magazine in History of Engineering
Bill to make flexible working easier for employees clears the Commons

Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi put forward proposals in a Private Member’s Bill which she said would help secure more flexible working “where it meets the needs of both individuals and businesses”. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill seeks to amend existing legislation to allow employees to make two requests for flexible working in a 12-month period; to no longer have to explain the impact on their employer, and to require consultation before an application is refused. Both the Conservatives and Labour committed to make flexible working the default state in their 2019 election manifestos. Qureshi, the MP for Bolton South East, is a shadow equalities minister but was speaking from the backbenches. She told the Commons: “By removing these invisible restrictions, flexible working…

E+T Magazine in Business Planning
UK electric vehicle production soars by 50 per cent

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric vehicle volumes were up 49.9 per cent to 28,329 units. The increase tallies with the ongoing shift towards EVs, with electric car registrations continuing to rise in absolute numbers year on year. UK car production as a whole was slightly lower in the first month of 2023, with output down -0.3 per cent to 68,575 units. The loss, equivalent to just 215 fewer cars, was driven chiefly by structural changes, reflecting a move from car to van making at one major plant, but with supply chain shortages still afflicting some manufacturers. In 2021, the UK car industry saw the worst output for the month of July since 1956 as the sector struggled with ongoing staff shortages associated…

E+T Magazine in Automotive Engineering
Hands-on review: Viofo A139 Pro 2CH dual dash cam

We looked at this dash cam's predecessor, the Viofo A139 3CH , back in 2021 (where does the time etc). For that review, we had the 3CH triple-camera setup (front, interior, rear). This time, we've been testing the Pro 2CH IR system (front, interior). If you're slightly confused about these somewhat cryptic product names, join the club. Picking the perfect Viofo for your needs is more perplexing than it perhaps needs to be. The Viofo A139 Pro Series has four different configurations, with more or fewer cameras, depending on the name: Viofo A139 Pro 2CH (front, rear); Viofo A139 Pro 2CH IR (front, interior); Viofo A139 Pro 3CH (front, interior, rear) and - yes! - the Viofo A139 Pro 1CH (front). At least all the front-facing cameras are true 4K UHD HDR, so whichever system you plump for, you…

E+T Magazine in Road transport systems
‘E-skin’ gives soft robots greater awareness of their surroundings

A team from the University of Edinburgh said the skin can give robots a level of physical self-awareness similar to that of people and animals. Soft robots – which are made of pliable materials rather than metal or hard plastic – with e-skin could have a range of applications, including surgical tools, prosthetics and devices to explore hazardous environments. Unlike traditional rigid robots, soft robots are highly flexible which poses a major challenge to developing sensing systems that are essential for robots to carry out precise tasks and interact safely with people and the environment. Image credit: Yunjie Yang The researchers said that without e-skin, it is hard for soft robots to understand their own motion and shape, and how these qualities interact with…

E+T Magazine in Functional Safety
UK government to relax regulations in bid to speed up infrastructure projects

In particular, the new measures are designed to streamline the planning process for large-scale infrastructure projects. According to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, it will help speed up building to support economic growth, improve connectivity across the country, bolster energy security and help the UK reach net zero goals. A new fast-track process will be piloted, with powers for the Secretary of State to set shorter timelines for certain projects. The changes also include increasing community engagement and making environmental protections more effective. In 2020, academics released a study into why major infrastructure projects such as HS2 and Crossrail often fail or have budgets that spiral out of control. They found that their scale, high levels of…

E+T Magazine in Ethical Aspects
Soaring profits for Drax calls government subsidies into question

Drax receives the majority of the government’s billions in subsidies towards bioenergy, receiving a total of £893m in 2021. Without these subsidies, the company is likely to have suffered significant losses. Now, research commissioned by the Cut Carbon Not Forests coalition, looking into the UK government’s approach to biomass, has found that the majority (62 per cent) of British people oppose the UK government giving bioenergy industry players such as Drax £1bn every year. Additionally, 59 per cent of survey respondents, on learning that Drax is the UK’s single-biggest source of CO 2 , said they do not think the government should be subsidising the burning of wood if it wants to tackle climate change. The survey of 2,005 general respondents in the UK, conducted by Censuswide at the end…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Exposed: Industry silence over deadly network fault putting lives at risk

Electrical experts, including a former employee of one the UK’s major power networks, have told E&T that the risk of deadly gas explosions and fires due to an increasingly common fault on the electricity network have been purposely played down for fear of causing “a nationwide panic”. They argue that the distribution network operators (DNOs) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must acknowledge the risks of neutral current diversion (NCD) so that a programme of testing can be implemented - and lifesaving upgrades made to the grid. An NCD can occur on the network when the combined protective earthing and neutral (PEN) conductor fails. The current is then diverted by making a circuit via exposed metalwork on buildings including gas, water and oil pipes. This can lead to a significant…

E+T Magazine
Industry must acknowledge dangerous network fault, warn experts

Electrical experts, including a former employee of one the UK’s major power networks, have told E&T that there is a real risk of deadly gas explosions and fires in the UK due to an increasingly common fault on the electricity network. They argue that the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must acknowledge the risks of neutral current diversion (NCD) so that a programme of testing can be implemented - and lifesaving upgrades made to the grid. An NCD can occur on the network when the combined protective earthing and neutral (PEN) conductor fails. The current is then diverted by making a circuit via exposed metalwork on buildings including gas, water and oil pipes. This can lead to a significant build-up of heat, leading to fires and gas explosions…

E+T Magazine
British Steel job losses prompt government support for energy-intensive firms

The Chinese-owned steelmaker said it will close the facility as part of its drive to overcome global economic challenges and build a “green and sustainable future”. Coking ovens bake coal at high temperatures to produce coke, which is used to fuel blast furnaces for steel production. The Scunthorpe closure is likely to mean coke will be imported instead. Energy-intensive industries in the UK have faced tough conditions over the last year due to dramatic fuel price increases in the wake of the war in Ukraine. British Steel said its bills for energy and carbon increased by £190m last year, adding that “decisive action” was required because of the “unprecedented rise” in operating costs, surging inflation and the need to improve environmental performance. Today, the Department for Energy…

E+T Magazine in Manufacturing
Computer glitches left criminals without necessary electronic tags, report reveals

Whitehall’s spending watchdog said the technical problems with the Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) programme were discovered in September 2022 and meant that 35 convicted offenders and defendants had not been fitted with tags, among other errors. Officials found the multi-million pound digital case management system for courts – known as 'Common Platform' – had failed to send more than 3,000 “important notifications” to other bodies between June 2021 and August 2022, accounting for about 1 per cent of the total. This happened as the “system could not cope with the volume of notifications”, a National Audit Office (NAO) report, published today (Thursday 23 February), has revealed. Investigations found 367 of the faults could have “affected justice outcomes” and that “criminal justice…

E+T Magazine
Schools found to be unprepared for impact of ChatGPT on education

Research conducted by BCS, the chartered institute for IT, found that 62 per cent of professionals believe that chatbots like ChatGPT will make it harder to mark students’ work fairly. ChatGPT is a large-language model (LLM) which can answer questions in a seemingly natural way and is trained on a massive data set. It has been shown to be able to create passing-grade answers at university level - including passing law exams at one university - but it is fallible. A recent public demo by Google’s own AI service, Bard, produced a wrong answer . The majority (56 per cent) of the 124 computing teachers in the BCS study did not think their school had a plan to manage incoming use of ChatGPT by pupils, while 33 per cent said early discussions had taken place and a further 11 per cent said a plan…

E+T Magazine in STEM Education and Skills
Tackling toxic emissions from tyres requires government policy, say experts

Even though electric vehicles solve the problem of localised fuel emissions, tyre wear creates airborne particulate matter that can have negative health impacts on humans. As tyres degrade, they release a range of particles, from visible pieces of tyre rubber to nanoparticles. Large particles can also be carried from the road by rain into rivers, where they may leach toxic chemicals such as zinc and lead into the environment, whilst smaller particles become airborne and are breathed in where they are small enough to reach into the deep lung. There is emerging evidence that tyre-wear particles and other particulate matter may contribute to a range of negative health impacts including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive and cancer outcomes. Researchers from Imperial College London…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
Electronic bandage speeds up healing by 30 per cent

In an animal study, the bandage healed diabetic ulcers 30 per cent faster than in mice without the bandage. It also actively monitors the healing process and then harmlessly dissolves into the body after it is no longer needed – even including the electronic components. The new device could provide a powerful tool for patients with diabetes, whose ulcers can lead to various complications, including amputated limbs or even death. Image credit: Northwestern University “When a person develops a wound, the goal is always to close that wound as quickly as possible,” said Northwestern’s Guillermo A Ameer, who co-led the study. “Otherwise, an open wound is susceptible to infection. And, for people with diabetes, infections are even harder to treat and more dangerous…

E+T Magazine in Functional Safety
Book review: ‘I, Human’, by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Inserted between the author’s dedication and the table of contents, there’s an extra page in Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic’s ‘I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique’ (Harvard Business Review, £19.99, ISBN 9781647820558). Floating in a mass of space are eleven words: “This book examines the impact of artificial intelligence on human behaviour.” This may seem simple – an attempt perhaps to make sure reviewers have firmly implanted in their minds his overarching theme before they start launching into their value judgements. But in fact, they could well be the most important words within the covers of ‘yet another book on AI’. This is because ‘I, Human’ isn’t really about technology at all. It’s about the effect AI will have on us as individual members of a species…

E+T Magazine

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