• Teardown: Apple Watch Ultra

    At £849 in the UK, the Apple Watch Ultra is a beast of a flagship product that packs in a lot of impressive engineering. Cupertino’s new timepiece has a titanium case, submerged dive computer functionality to a depth of 100m (with the software due to launch as this article went to press), dual-frequency GPS for precise location, and dedicated bands for whether you are a hiker, a runner or a diver. An action button makes it easy to, say, mark laps or other repeated sequences. Metrics in the activity programme are much more specific and greater in number. Battery life is 36 hours, enough for most ‘adventures’. And Watch Ultra has been manufactured to meet the MIL-STD 810H standard, meaning it should work in more extreme and hazardous conditions. If other smartwatches sit on your wrist as…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • San Francisco bans the use of ‘killer police robots’

    San Francisco supervisors have voted unanimously to reverse a previous decision to authorise police to use robots equipped with lethal weapons. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) said it had no plans to arm the robots with guns but wanted the ability to equip robots with  explosive charges "to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects". The policy instantly faced fierce criticism from civil liberties groups, with some saying arming robots was a step too close to something one would see in a dystopian science-fiction movie. Dr Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, told the BBC the move was a "slippery slope" that could distance humans from killing.  Three of the city's supervisors were opposed to the motion from the start and…

  • Musk’s Neuralink investigated over the death of 1,500 animals

    The US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General is reportedly looking into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink Corporation, according to Reuters . The company has been accused of causing needless suffering and deaths amid pressure from its CEO: billionaire and Twitter owner Elon Musk. Neuralink is a neurotechnology company that aims to create cranial computers to treat diseases and merge new advanced software abilities with the human brain. 

In addition to potentially treating brain diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s, the implanted device would also act as a sort of “digital layer” that merges human grey matter with advanced technological tools. To date, around 1,500 animals - including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys - have died as a result of Neuralink…

  • UK set to reverse de-facto ban on onshore wind farms

    In 2016, Prime Minister David Cameron cut support for onshore wind farms after pressure from Conservative MPs who worried about the impact of wind turbines damage on rural communities. In her brief tenure as Prime Minister in September this year, Liz Truss promised to bring onshore wind, as well as fracking, back to the UK. But Rishi Sunak swiftly reversed these decisions as soon as he came into office. Facing a rebellion from Tory backbenchers, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has now confirmed a consultation looking at how new onshore wind facilities could begin construction again as long as there is sufficient support from the local community. Planning matters are devolved, so a change in the rules would apply only in England. With energy costs rising to all…

  • Government urged to tackle £1.5bn engineering skills shortage via education

    The IET’s new 'Engineering Kids’ Futures' (EKF) report leads with a series of recommendations to the UK government to embed engineering and technology within primary and secondary learning. The report also carries signatories from the likes of Major Tim Peake, Carol Vorderman MBE, will.i.am, and representatives from Rolls Royce, Vodafone and the MOD. It is estimated there is a shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the STEM sector: an average of 10 unfilled roles per business in the UK, which is costing the economy a shocking £1.5bn per annum, according to STEM Learning data. Furthermore, 49 per cent of engineering businesses are experiencing difficulties in the skills available to them when trying to recruit, as revealed by the IET Skills Survey in 2021. Report recommendations include: …

  • US to double UK-bound gas exports to ease transition away from Russian supplies

    The move is aimed at reducing the global dependence on Russian energy exports by stabilising energy markets. In addition to energy efficiency, bolstering nuclear and renewables will also be part of the new agreement as well as expediting the development of clean hydrogen globally. The initiative will be steered by a new UK-US Joint Action Group, led by senior officials from the UK government and the White House. “Together the UK and US will ensure the global price of energy and the security of our national supply can never again be manipulated by the whims of a failing regime,” said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “We have the natural resources, industry and innovative thinking we need to create a better, freer system and accelerate the clean energy transition. This partnership will bring…

  • The measure of: the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera

    Standing at 1.65m tall, the LSST Camera was unveiled at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California in October and will help astronomers study billions of galaxies. Seven years in the making, the camera weighs up to three tonnes and features a 3,200-megapixel sensor, powerful enough to spot a golf ball 15 miles away, according to its developers. At the end of 2024, its developers will install the camera at the Vera C Rubin Observatory at the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile. In its home in the Andes mountains, it will catalogue about 20 billion galaxies over the next 10 years as part of a project called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Image credit: Cover Images The dozens of terabytes of data that the LSST Camera will collect every night will…

  • Hands-on review: Joby Beamo Ring Light for MagSafe

    The ecosphere of MagSafe products extends to practically everything now. If a way can be found to stick something on the back of your phone, you can bet that someone has come up with it, be it wallet, camera controller , tripod or kickstand-bottle opener . With Beamo, camera/smartphone accessory company Joby has created a portable LED ring light to softly illuminate whatever is in front of your phone. Facing backwards as it does – i.e. towards your face – and with a built-in mirror so you can make sure your look is always on point before you even start, this is clearly a tool primarily aimed at the vlogging influencer and the best-selfie addict, that rich vein of portrait photography in the modern age. However, saying that, the light can also be flipped around to project its rays outwards…

  • Future transport photo gallery: Land

    Swedish transport company Einride has recently been given the green light to operate its Einride range of autonomous electric pods on US public roads. Image credit: Cover Images The circular interior design of the Agora E electric vehicle from Andrea Ponti Studio aims to encourage social interaction between up to ten passengers. Image credit: Cover Images Designed by Moscow-based Roman Dolzhenko and Dmitry Voronezhtsev, the Atlantis autonomous truck is imagined with long-distance highway transportation in mind. ...

  • EU to introduce new laws banning products linked with deforestation

    It said that as one of the major consumers of these commodities, the rules could help to prevent “a significant share” of global deforestation and forest degradation which are associated with increasing greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. When the new rules enter into force, all relevant companies will have to conduct strict due diligence to sell in EU markets. Palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber as well as derived products (such as beef, furniture, or chocolate) will all be included under the due diligence rules. The products were chosen following an impact assessment identifying them as the main driver of deforestation due to agricultural expansion.  Once in place, operators and traders will have to prove that the products are both deforestation-free…

  • Hands-on review: Proscenic 850T robot vacuum cleaner

    As with most new and disruptive technology, the price of entry always starts out high, but eventually falls to the mass-market level. Since the Roomba first revolutionised the robotic home appliance market, the idea of having a robot vacuum cleaner roaming one's house has gradually become less of an expensive and curious luxury. The concept is more accessible than ever now, with me-too vac-a-likeys popping up with clockwork regularity – and the prices tumbling accordingly. The Proscenic 850T self-charging robot vacuum cleaner (and mop!) is one example from an increasingly crowded field. We've had this model on test for a couple of months and it has converted us to the easy-living charms of automated home assistance vac-bots – of which there are now many. A little browse on Amazon (other…

  • Telehaptic device transmits tactile sensations in real time

    Through tactile collection sensors and tactile reproduction actuators, the device allows people to feel textures virtually without touching objects in reality. The telehaptic device works by being attached to the fingertip like a sticker and leverages the unique vibration pattern of touch and texture. By having this close contact with the skin, it is able to provide a more vivid tactile experience and bridge the immersion hindrance of other similar devices.  The technology, developed by ETRI engineers, is expected to add a sense of immersion to the metaverse. "Through the light and flexible on-skin tactile reproduction device that can be attached to the skin, we have taken a step forward in preparing a foundation environment for developing highly immersive virtual/augmented reality content…

  • Government to remove mandatory housebuilding targets

    In a letter to MPs on Monday, communities secretary Michael Gove said the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill would be amended to abolish mandatory housebuilding targets. In a letter to lawmakers, the housing minister, Gove, said new legislation aimed at boosting housing and infrastructure would make clear that the promise to build 300,000 homes every year by the mid-2020s was only a “starting point” and would be “advisory”. “We have an urgent need in this country to build more homes so that everyone – whether they aspire to home ownership or not – can have a high-quality, affordable place to live. But our planning system is not working as it should," Gove said in a statement.  “If we are to deliver the new homes this country needs, new development must have the support of local communities…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Artificial noises to be added to e-scooters to improve safety

    The sounds have been developed by researchers at the University of Salford in partnership with the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB). Three potential sounds have been identified so far which are designed to increase awareness of the vehicles in a bid to cut potential accidents. The proposed sounds can be heard here , here and here .  Figures from NHS Ambulance Trusts across England, Wales and Northern Ireland showed that that e-scooter accidents rocketed by around 82 per cent from 2020 to 2021. This followed the introduction of e-scooter rental services in London on a trial basis from the middle of 2020. These trials have been extended repeatedly and are now expected to run until at least Autumn 2023. Wearing a virtual-reality headset, research participants will be…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Hands-on gadget review: Google Pixel Watch

    Product appeal can be won and lost within seconds and, even before the packaging reluctantly gave up its contents (one of those incredibly tight fitting slide in boxes), E&T was impressed the looks of the debutant Google Pixel Watch. It’s a bold move from Google when the fashion seems to be trending towards large-faced thin watches, to produce something that unkindly could be described as small and fat. Rather more kindly, E&T felt it had immediate visual and tactile appeal. Its looks and feel were more reminiscent of a pebble of jet, smoothed over millennia in the bed of a babbling mountain stream. It's not taken millennia exactly, but for fans of Google Pixel phones who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the watch, the launch this autumn might have felt protracted. Original plans…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Apple launches self-repair service in the UK

    The service was originally launched in the US earlier this year and works with the iPhone 12 and 13 range as well as Mac laptops with Apple silicon. Apple said self repair would also be coming to customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, a few weeks after the European Commission and Member State representatives agreed on new ecodesign requirements for phones and tablets. The requirements – which are designed to improve durability and the ease of repair – will apply to smartphones and tablets in a bid to reduce their environmental impact. Manufacturers will be obliged to give access to repair and maintenance information and spare parts to professional repairers and end-users for at least seven years after retiring a product from the market. The Self Service…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Wave data gets us ready for hurricanes

    News reports on this year’s Hurricane Ian make for grim reading. Headlines tell of residents returning to flattened homes, rising death tolls and colossal damage to infrastructure. With its impact centred mostly on Florida in the North Atlantic hurricane basin, the $50bn bill for the damage is so great that, according to CNN, it is likely to “put a dent” in US GDP growth. At least 137 people have died as a result of the weather incident that (by some media estimates) was made 10 per cent worse due to the effects of climate change. Despite Hurricane Ian’s impact and exposure on the news cycle, it ranks just 23 rd on the list of all-time worst hurricanes to hit the US. For all the carnage wreaked, it was in a lesser league to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which accounted for more than 1,800 lives…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Britain prepares to bring in crypto regulation

    The new regulations would include limits on foreign companies selling into the UK, provisions for how to deal with the collapse of companies and restrictions on the advertising of products, according to the Financial Times.  The proposed regulation would come shortly after the implosion of FTX, which served to raise awareness of the risks that come with crypto transactions and the need for regulatory oversight.  In April, Rishi Sunak in his then role as Chancellor of the Exchequer spoke of making the UK a post-Brexit “crypto hub,” announcing a plan for government oversight of stablecoins and said it would consult on regulating a wider set of cryptoasset activities. Sunak added that “effective regulation” would encourage “the businesses of tomorrow to invest, innovate and scale up on UK…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Future transport photo gallery: Air

    Powered by ultra-light batteries and solar panels, Lazarini Design Studio’s 150m-long Air-Yacht will float in the skies with the support of two huge blimps. Image credit: Cover Images Japanese technology firm AERWINS has recently demonstrated how its XTURISMO hybrid petrol-electric hoverbike can be ridden like a normal bike, but in the air. Image credit: Cover Images Spanish designer Oscar Viñals claims that breakthroughs in technology like cold fusion power would enable his Hyper Sting concept plane to cross the Atlantic in just 80 minutes. ...

  • EU telecoms and emergency service providers warn against risk of power cuts

    Europe's top telecoms operators and emergency service providers are urging Brussels to take action to shield mobile and fixed grids from power cuts, Reuters has reported.  The joint letter sent on Monday is the first formal step by the European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO) and the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) to pressure the European Union executive body to step in. ETNO represents former phone monopolies such as Germany's Deutsche Telekom, Spain's Telefonica and Telecom Italia, while EENA speaks for more than 1,500 emergency services representatives from over 80 countries. "Should telecommunications networks be subject to planned outages, citizens would risk not having access to communications services for the duration of the outage, including emergency…

  • Construction begins on world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array

    After 30 years of planning and negotiations, the foundations of the SKA are now being laid across sprawling sites in Australia and Africa, with its headquarters to be established in the UK. The gigantic observatory is set to be completed in 2028, when it will begin collecting the radio signals emitted by celestial objects to shed light on some of the most enigmatic problems in astronomy, such as the nature of dark matter and how galaxies form. Astronomers and local communities have travelled to the remote sites in South Africa’s Northern Cape and Western Australia to celebrate the milestone with officials from the SKA Observatory (SKAO), the intergovernmental organisation in charge of the telescopes. “We’re basically setting the foundation of this instrument for the next 50 years,” said…

  • Public slow chargers cost EV drivers the most to top up

    Slow charging is usually found in on-street locations such as lampposts, whereas fast chargers can be found in car parks where people intend to stay for several hours. Fast chargers also represent the most common type of chargepoint in the public network, outnumbering rapid and ultra-rapid devices by more than three to one. In the AA’s monthly AA EV Recharge Report, it found that domestic charging is the cheapest possible option for EV owners, even with the high prices currently faced by consumers on the government's capped levels. Domestic charging was found to be half the price of ultra-rapid options. The report takes the average prices of more than 6,000 publicly available charging units across the UK and analyses the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing across all chargepoint speeds available…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Time to get serious’ with net-zero homes, UK heating industry tells government

    Mike Foster, CEO of the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), has called for full-village trials of heat pumps to be set up to explore the possible heating options available for each home; the likely associated costs of reinforcing the electricity network, and how consumers view the change. In his call, Foster said it is “time to get serious on net zero homes” and explore all the options available in more detail. The gas networks are currently examining the option of hydrogen villages, exploring how homes can be converted from mains gas to hydrogen. Another option being considered by the government department that Shapps runs is to convert homes from mains gas to heat pumps. Examining how a whole village is converted would study the housing infrastructure; the possible heating options…

  • The future of micromobility: it’s not about the hardware

    With armies of gaudy, primary-coloured e-bikes and e-scooters, the micromobility industry is conquering our towns and cities. The first docked bike-sharing program was launched in Hangzhou, China, in 2008, and similar programs are operating in every region of the world today. Although the industry took a hit during Covid-19 (with giants like Lime and Bird laying off significant numbers of staff) it has since rebounded. McKinsey predicts it could be worth $300-500bn by the end of the decade. With the world arguably having passed ‘peak car’, micromobility – and especially powered micromobility – has the potential to become the dominant mode of transport in urban environments. There are many possible benefits: not only reduction of traffic congestion and air pollution, but also of greenhouse…

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