• AI bots account for more than half of all web traffic, with 40% classified as malicious

    AI-driven automation now outpaces human activity on the internet, with 40% found to be malicious, according to a report by Thales. Global tech firm Thales has published its 2026 bad bot report: bad bots in the agentic age, which highlights the extent to which internet traffic is now generated by AI-driven bots. These bots fall into two categories: ‘good bots’ responsible for legitimate or useful automated tasks and ‘bad bots’ responsible for malicious, abusive or deceptive tasks. In 2025, automated bots made up more than 53% of all web traffic. Of that, 40% was generated by bad bots, up from 37% the year before. Human traffic, accounting for 47% of traffic, now represents a shrinking share of overall activity. According to Thales, the figures reflect not only the surge in AI-driven bot…

  • Lithium-ion battery fires occur every five hours across the UK

    UK fire brigades are tackling a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, according to new research. Figures from global business insurer QBE reveal that the UK’s fire brigades were called to 1,760 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2025, equivalent to 4.8 fires a day. This is a 147% rise in the amount of lithium-ion fires over the past three years. By comparison, in 2022, the amount of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries were 713, equivalent to two fires a day. Lithium-ion batteries feature in many rechargeable devices, from smartphones and laptops to power tools, solar panels and electric vehicles, with a typical household containing between 15 to 25 of these devices. They pose a fire risk due to what is known as thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that causes the temperature…

  • Britain’s worst performing rail operators are all privately-owned, official data shows

    The UK’s worst train operators have been revealed, with CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway topping the table for most cancellations in 2026, according to official data. Local Insider used the industry-standard ‘period cancellation score’ based on statistics released by the Office of Rail and Road covering the first three months of this year. It found that 6.8% of all CrossCountry services were either fully or partially cancelled during that time period – the highest proportion of any of the 23 operators analysed. Avanti West Coast follows close behind with a 6.4% cancellation rate, then East Midlands with 4.8% and Govia Thameslink on 4.4%. The other end of the table outlines the best performing operators, with Hull Trains ranking as the most reliable with a cancellation…

  • AI breaks down defensive football tactics to boost scoring potential

    A new study uses AI to simulate ‘what if’ scenarios in football, revealing how coordinated team behaviour can improve the chances of scoring goals. Football is a team sport built around coordinated play to score goals – but improving goal-scoring potential lies not just in how how players pass the ball, but also in how they move and coordinate without it. It is this aspect of the game that a research team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing wanted to analyse. In particular, they were keen to better understand a common defensive tactic called a low block, which is especially challenging to break down. It involves a team defending in a tight, narrow shape very deep in their own half of the pitch, just outside of their penalty area. When the opposition meets this low block, the…

  • Inkjet printing could cut OLED display costs by up to 35%

    Making OLED displays using age-old inkjet printing (IJP) technology could reduce the cost of manufacturing by up to 35%, new research suggests. Unlike more common backlit LCDs, OLED displays produce light from the pixels themselves and can produce images with greater dynamic range due to the elimination of “light bleed”. OLEDs have most commonly been made by heating organic molecules in a vacuum chamber until they evaporate and condense onto a substrate through a fine metal mask (FMM), which ensures that the red, green and blue materials land exactly where they belong. IJP technology has long been touted as a more efficient way of making the displays, but has languished in small-scale projects and laboratory prototypes until recently, hampered by its somewhat inconsistent output compared…

  • Centrica buys Severn gas plant amid data centre boom in South Wales

    Energy firm Centrica has confirmed that it has purchased an 850MW gas plant in South Wales near an area tipped to become a data centre hotspot in the coming years. The 16-year-old Severn Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) was purchased by the firm from Calon Energy Group for approximately £370m and represents a major acquisition in Centrica’s generating portfolio in the UK. South Wales is poised to become a major hotspot for European data centre development, as it has spare grid capacity and the energy infrastructure needed to support the electricity-hungry facilities. The area is currently securing roughly 20% of the entire UK’s upcoming data centre pipeline. Population hotspots such as London are currently grid-locked, with high local energy demands leaving very little slack for extra…

  • Brain implant delivers artificial sight to people with complete blindness

    A new wireless brain implant designed to provide artificial vision has been successfully implanted in a third participant. Developed over many years by a team led by the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis (ICVP) system aims to create artificial vision for people who are completely blind. Most conventional approaches to restoring sight target the retina or optic nerve; however, many people affected by total blindness have damage to these areas, so this approach does not work for them. The ICVP system bypasses the eyes and optic nerve completely, instead targeting the visual cortex – the area of the brain responsible for processing sight. The intracortical implant features 34 wireless stimulators and 544 electrodes that deliver electrical signals directly…

  • Autonomous sailing drones to patrol vast waterways along US-Canada border

    The US Coast Guard has announced plans to deploy autonomous Saildrone vessels across the Great Lakes to boost maritime surveillance and security across borders. The Great Lakes, one of the largest freshwater systems in the world, straddles the border between the US and Canada. Covering around 244,000 km2, the waterway acts as a major hub for shipping and trade between the two countries. The vessels will be used to gather critical weather data for emergency response planning, track illicit activity and assist with maritime border security operations. US firm Saildrone develops uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) capable of performing long-range, long-endurance missions in the open ocean to obtain real-time data. Under this new contract with the US Coast Guard, its Explorer vessels will be…

  • Wind turbines beside railway tracks capture power from passing trains

    Three wind turbines have been installed alongside the East Coast Main Line to capture energy from passing trains. As the front of a train hits stationary air, it creates a high-pressure zone leading to significant turbulence that can be used to spin wind turbines. Train operator LNER installed the turbines at Hitachi Rail’s Craigentinny depot. Standing at around six feet tall and manufactured using upcycled materials, the turbines require no grid connection and are designed to be easily deployed on unused land alongside railway tracks. The clean energy generated will be harnessed, measured and used to power a range of devices as a precursor to potentially a broader roll-out across the UK rail network. LNER said that a single turbine can generate enough energy to power a third of a small…

  • Amazon begins its first UK drone deliveries from Darlington fulfilment centre

    Amazon has become the UK’s first retailer to make deliveries via drone following a series of customer trials. The firm first sought permission to launch drones from its Darlington fulfilment centre in early 2025 after using them for deliveries at various locations across the US for several years. Its service in Arizona does not give customers access to everything the site sells, and is limited to around “50,000 everyday essentials”. The available products included household and beauty items, as well as office and tech supplies. Customers who lived near the warehouse could purchase any eligible item weighing 2.2kg or less for delivery in under an hour. The same weight restrictions will apply for the UK launch, and are limited to customers living within a 12km radius of Amazon’s fulfilment…

  • UK-US consortium unveils plan for UK’s first commercial fusion power plant

    A UK-US industry consortium has been launched to develop Britain’s first private-sector-led fusion power plant. The UK Infinity Fusion Consortium consists of US-based fusion energy firm Type One Energy, UK-based fusion firm Tokamak Energy and global infrastructure and engineering firm AECOM. These three firms are already collaborating on Type One Energy’s 400 MWe Infinity Two stellarator-type fusion pilot plant in the US, which is targeted for commercial operation in 2034. The aim of the UK-based project – UK Infinity Two – is to use Type One Energy’s stellarator fusion machines, which, unlike tokamaks, use powerful superconducting magnets to efficiently control the superheated plasma, producing vast amounts of energy cleanly and safely. Tokamak Energy will supply the high-temperature…

  • Norway trials electric ferry that glides above water and will slash emissions

    An electric ferry that uses hydrofoil technology to glide on top of the water offers a low emission alternative to diesel ferries, according to researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Norway’s lengthy Trondheim Fjord is surrounded by many small towns and villages, and two ferry services and two express boat services operate daily to transport passengers across the fjord. A new electric boat dubbed ‘Frosta’ is being trialled to replace current diesel-powered services. Using ‘wing-like’ hydrofoil technology that lifts the boat’s hull out of the water, the vessel can reduce 80% of the water resistance on the hull, making it very energy-efficient. The boat’s electrically-powered engine, capable of cruising speeds of around 25 knots, only emits about 112g…

  • Battery first, people second: The accessibility cost of EV design

    The switch to electric vehicles comes with many challenges: one yet to be properly met is accessibility. So is there a design solution for wheelchair users? Imagine buying a new car and being told that you must travel in the luggage area. Not because the technology doesn’t exist to have you up-front, but because the vehicle has been engineered in a way that makes your comfort and inclusion inconvenient. No view of the road ahead, no conversation with the driver. Just straps, restraints and a position at the back, physically and socially removed from everyone else. Most people would find this unacceptable. Yet for many wheelchair users, this is precisely what the electric vehicle (EV) transition is delivering. For decades, wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) with petrol or diesel engines…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Finite resources could cause a data centre crunch in 2026

    Plans are under way to hyperscale the data centre resource to embrace the demands of AI. But do we have enough resources – power, products and people – to supply this new fleet? The world’s five biggest hyperscalers plan to shell out almost $700bn this year on AI-related capital expenditure. Alongside forecasts from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft, Meta and Oracle, there are standalone plans, including the four-year $500bn Project Stargate, specialist investors such as CoreWeave and Lambda, and – mercurial to a fault – Elon Musk and SpaceX/xAI. But will they all be able to spend the money? David Cahn, a partner at leading technology investor Sequoia Capital, US, believes that 2026 could fall short of expectations. “My prediction for 2026 is that it will be a tale of two AIs…

  • Drone ‘numberplate system’ unveiled in £46.5m safety push

    A numberplate system for drones that is designed to make the skies safer has been announced by the government as part of a £46.5m funding package. Drones have the potential to cause major disruption in areas with sensitive airspace such as military facilities and airports. In December 2018, two drones flew into Gatwick 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. A new system called Hybrid Remote ID is set to be deployed. This will see drones sending out their ID and location during flight so nearby devices can pick it up, sharing flight details through an online system that authorised people can access to see historic flight data…

  • Editor's comment: Is AI after your engineering job?

    AI is the technology of our age and that is reflected in every issue of E+T. This is about the tech, like our ‘roboscience’ article in this issue. However, there is an underlying mistrust of a technology that is ultimately seen as a replacement for jobs. Our first feature (dramatically called ‘Job killer?’ on p16) looks broadly at how AI may have a considerable – arguably detrimental – effect on a variety of jobs (including editors’!). Interestingly, while it will certainly have an effect on engineering, technology and science, it doesn’t seem that there is the same trepidation about the impact of AI as exists in other sectors, as discussed in the second article (‘The virtual workforce’, p32). I think there are two key reasons: one is we can see that AI actually has the potential to do a…

  • Job Killer? The Future of Work in the Age of AI

    Is AI about to decimate employment or simply alter the way we work? From scary scenarios to familiar patterns, we sift the data to uncover the true impact of automation on jobs. When UK freelance illustrator Jenny Turner noticed a sudden drop in online sales, she logged into her Etsy shopfront to find out what was up. Scrolling through an item listing, she spotted that the ‘recommended products’ section at the bottom contained an influx of competing goods, many of them AI-generated. “They were all quite a bit cheaper than mine,” says Turner. “Mine were priced around £50 to £100, versus £10 to £20 for the AI alternatives.” That discovery, in 2023, was a precursor of things to come, and today Turner’s workload has diminished to the point of being “non-existent”, a situation she says is…

  • UK airlines given leeway to cancel undersold flights amid jet fuel price surge

    Airlines have been given more flexibility to cancel or consolidate undersold flights as concerns mount over the rising price of jet fuel brought about by the US war with Iran. The government is planning to introduce temporary measures to make scheduling more flexible for flight operators in order to minimise disruption to Britons planning to go on holiday in the summer. As well as moving passengers on to similar services much earlier, airlines will be able to cancel flights that have not sold a significant proportion of tickets in order to reduce wasted fuel from flying near-empty planes. Under normal rules, airlines must use at least 80% of their allocated slots during a season to keep them for the following year. If they fall below this threshold, those slots can be reassigned to another…

  • Vodafone takes full control of Three venture after scrutiny over Chinese ownership

    Vodafone is taking full control over VodafoneThree, the joint firm formed last year with the Three network, after Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison agreed to sell its 49% share. VodafoneThree was formed in June 2025 after a lengthy two-year investigation process by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The combined business hosts more than 27 million users, making it Britain’s biggest network and reducing the number of competing companies in the sector from four to three. The CMA only approved the merger after a series of legally-binding commitments were made. These included spending £11bn on upgrading their combined network, and committing to pre-agreed prices and contract terms to ensure that mobile virtual network operators such as Sky Mobile, Lyca and Lebara could continue…

  • Subtle changes in aircraft flight angle could pave the way for smoother journeys

    Insights into how turbulence forms could pave the way for more stable and efficient high-speed aircraft, according to research. As the cone-shaped nose of an aircraft or missile moves through the air, vortices form behind it. These swirling structures can become large and unstable, often behaving unpredictably. This can cause the aircraft to pull to one side or rotate unexpectedly. In high-stakes environments, particularly military operations, even a slight deviation off-course can mean missing a target or losing control entirely. To better understand the transition from stable to asymmetric vortices, researchers at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Florida, US, examined how different angles of flight affect these vortices. They combined experimental testing with advanced computational…

  • Can technology save the world’s coral reefs?

    The ecological marvels that are coral reefs are under threat from the excesses of climate change. Can technology save them? Coral reefs – massive underwater structures built by colonies of tiny creatures called coral polyps – were described as a “jewelled belt around the middle of the planet” by renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle in the 1990s. Many years earlier, Charles Darwin had linked coral reefs to the tree of life, such was their environmental significance. Now, sadly, due to recent increases in sea temperature, coral reefs face an uncertain future. In fact, some experts consider their demise inevitable, should current rates of global heating continue. Coral reefs first appeared on the planet 485 million years ago, although experts believe that most of today’s reefs formed between…

  • Neuralink builds surgical robot to implant its brain chip in humans

    Neuralink has developed a surgical robot to automate the implantation of its brain-computer interface (BCI). The California-based neurotechnology company was founded by Elon Musk in 2016. Over the past decade its team of neuroscientists and engineers has been developing a coin-sized BCI device. Surgically implanted beneath the skull, the device translates neural signals into actions. Human trials of its PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) study started last year when a woman underwent surgery at the University of Miami Health Centre to be fitted with the chip. While this surgery was performed by human surgeons, Neuralink has also been developing a specialised surgical robot to automate the surgery needed to place the device in the brain. According to the company…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Gemini AI is coming to millions of cars via software update

    Google is bringing its Gemini AI assistant to cars, which will allow drivers to have more natural, conversational interactions with their vehicles. The roll-out will come to new vehicles and those that already have Google Assistant built-in – the firm’s older, less advanced platform that was first introduced in 2018. Assistant is primarily designed for navigation and journey planning, environmental controls such as air conditioning, and playing media. Gemini will be still capable of operating those functions, but is also designed for more complex conversations that are currently available on mobile devices. “When cars with Google built-in first hit the road in 2020, we made a commitment that your car will get better over time,” the search giant said. “That means that Gemini is coming…

  • More than two million EVs now on UK roads in landmark moment

    The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered on UK roads has surpassed two million for the first time. Latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that 2,012,000 zero emission vehicles were licensed for use in the UK as of the end of December 2025, an increase of 31.2% on the year before. This represents 4.8% of all licensed vehicles, with 1,874,000 being road using. There were 473,000 zero emission cars registered for the first time in 2025, an increase of 24% from 2024. Zero emission cars also accounted for 23% of all new car registrations, compared to 19% in 2024. These uplifts are driven by manufacturer discounting and government incentives, including the Electric Car Grant (ECG), which was launched in July 2025 to help drivers with the upfront costs of purchasing…

Community Rules & Guidelines