• Flying cars and hyperloops?

    Despite the promises made by governments to transform the world of car travel, 2050 probably will not look that different from today at the global level and that goes for many other aspects of travel beyond just cars. One clear obstacle to change is that vehicles have a long useful life. Though commercial fleet owners tend to replace vehicles after five years to avoid rising repair costs, private owners will still buy them and keep them running for far longer. Total distance travelled is a better indicator of a car’s lifespan than its chronological age. Unless it’s destined to become a collector’s trophy, the chances are it will do more than 100,000 miles before being deemed too clapped-out to carry on. Although scrappage bounties do have an effect, in some countries the average age has steadily…

  • Decontaminating food spray uses viruses to eliminate bacteria

    Developed by researchers at McMaster University, the spray makes use of bacteriophages – harmless viruses that eat bacteria – which link together and form microscopic beads. Those beads can then be applied to food and other materials to rid them of harmful pathogens such as E. coli 0157. Each bead is about 20 microns, (one 50th of a millimetre) in diameter and is loaded with millions of phages. “When we spray it on food, we basically gather billions of mini-soldiers to protect our food from bacterial contamination,” said researcher Shadman Khan. “They link together like microscopic Lego pieces. This organised natural structure makes them much more durable and easier to package, store and use.” Before the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s, research into phage disinfectants and…

  • Racing towards a faster tomorrow

    “It’s a mistake to think of the future as some sort of exercise in logic, because it isn’t,” says Devin Liddell, principal futurist at the Seattle-based consultancy Teague. And while the organisation has been around for almost a century, advising the likes of Boeing, Intel and Toyota on what tomorrow looks like, Liddell also thinks that a key driver for future transport will be enhanced virtual experiences, rather than simply physically slogging it from A to B. We tend to think of the future through the lens of Moore’s Law, says Liddell, assuming that technology will only lead us toward faster or higher transport. But, he says, admitting that his conclusion is counter-intuitive, “it’s more likely that there’ll be people who opt for airship travel that actually isn’t Mach 5. It’s the same…

  • Electronic tattoos could help measure stress

    Electronic tattoo (e-tattoo) technology could be the key to tracking a natural body response which makes the palms of someone's hands wet when they are excited or nervous, and helping people that suffer from mental health conditions.  Although this bodily response - called electrodermal activity - has been known for a long time, devices used to track it have traditionally been bulky, unreliable and highly visible, which perpetuates social stigma.  Instead, the team at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have created a graphene-based e-tattoo for electrodermal activity (EDA sensing) that is nearly invisible. The new device  attaches to the palm of the hand and connects to a smartwatch.  "It's so unobstructive that people sometimes forget they had them on, and it…

  • The bigger picture: Lavoie Series 1 e-scooter

    Lavoie, a micro-mobility subsidiary of McLaren Applied, has launched its Series 1 electric scooter featuring technology developed for McLaren’s Formula 1 cars. The new e-scooter features the start-up’s patented one-touch Flowfold system, which helps fold the front and rear wheel hinges and collapses the stem of the scooter with just a single press of a button: this is inspired by the suspension system found on racing vehicles at the pinnacle of motorsport. The feature also helps achieve the greatest possible reduction in size while maintaining a large and stable deck when in use. Image credit: McLaren Applied Complementing the system’s foldability is the fact that Series 1 is made of automotive-standard magnesium, ensuring a total weight of just 16.5kg. The designers…

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  • Nearly half of British manufacturers hit by cyber-attack in the last year

    Make UK found that over a quarter of respondents to its survey reported substantial financial loss as the result of an attack, with losses ranging from £50,000 to £250,000. Businesses' exposure to cyber-security risks is increasing, with nearly 95 per cent saying cyber-security measures are necessary for their company, while two-thirds said the importance of cyber security has increased in the last 12 months. Nevertheless, the survey found that the majority (54 per cent) of respondents decided not to take any further cyber-security action, despite the adoption of new technologies to boost production. Cyber-security risks for any large firm range from simple employee error through to complex targeted attacks.  The top three cyber-security vulnerabilities were identified as maintaining…

  • Winners of the 2022 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards revealed

    Every year, the IET celebrates the achievements of women working in modern engineering, with a view to changing the perception that engineering is predominantly a career for men by banishing outdated engineering stereotypes of hard hats and dirty overalls. At the moment, only 16 per cent of engineers are women, according to Engineering UK.  As well as highlighting the talent of women engineers, the awards seek to find role models who can help address the UK science and engineering skills crisis by promoting engineering careers to more girls and women. Let's meet the winners! IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year: Ama Frimpong Ama Frimpong (33) is head of product development at 52 North Health. Ama manages the company’s engineering teams in the development of NeutroCheck. This tool…

  • Letters to the editor: volume 17, issue 12

    Distinguish between power and energy In our vital attempts to reach net zero in electricity production there is an ongoing conceptual battle between power and energy. Talking solely in energy terms conceals many important issues with intermittent renewables. Politicians, through ignorance, use the terms interchangeably although they have clear and distinct meanings even in everyday language: the power of a weightlifter, the energy of a long-distance runner, the power of an elderly dictator, the energy of young children. The technical meaning is no different and I would expect engineers to highlight that they are very different quantities. E&T’s report that the Hornsea 2 windfarm off the Yorkshire coast is now fully operational (November 2022) says that a single rotation of each turbine blade…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Arctic fibre-optic cable secures first investment

    The first subsea cable to be laid on the Arctic seabed has secured its first investor, according to Far North Fiber, the joint venture between Cinia, US-based Far North Digital (FND) and Japan's Arteria Networks that is behind the project.  The Far North Fiber consortium said it plans a 14,000km open network with a 12-fibre-pair cable system and terminal stations in Japan, Ireland and Norway or Finland, as well as a regeneration station in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, for local add/drop. The cable, which will run from the Nordic countries to Japan via Greenland, Canada and Alaska, is expected to cut delays in data transmission between Frankfurt and Tokyo by around 30 per cent.  "The Far North Fiber project is an epoch-making project to build the last remaining submarine cable route connecting…

  • Nature-inspired tech to move transport towards to net-zero

    Since the first life began on Earth approximately 3.8 billion years ago, nature has created ecosystems capable of supporting billions of lifeforms over geological timescales to effectively populate every part of the planet. But our species – a comparative newcomer – is pushing these systems to breaking point after a few very short centuries of industrial development. To save our planet, we need to ditch fossil fuels and make a swift move to net zero – whereby the amount of greenhouse gas produced is matched by the amount removed from the atmosphere – and learn from nature instead of destroying it. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says transport has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector, accounting for 15 per cent of total net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, according…

  • What happens to traditional cars when EVs rule the road?

    I am sat in the passenger seat of a Land Rover Defender 90 as it pulls off the roundabout onto central London’s Lambeth Bridge. Rather than the gutsy roar you might expect from the engine of this 1980s classic, the manoeuvre is accompanied by the low-key hum of a battery. This is because I’m being driven in a car that’s been converted into an electric vehicle (EV) by London Electric Cars (see ‘Converting ICE cars to EV’). As we cruise over the Thames, Matthew Quitter, the firm’s founder, points out the improved performance this conversion provides: “We wouldn’t have been able to pull away from that roundabout anywhere near as fast [before an EV battery was fitted].” Switching out the petrol engine and replacing it with a Nissan Leaf battery involves some complex engineering, with quite a…

  • Energy efficiency moves up the global agenda amid high prices

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that many major policies, spending commitments and public campaigns have been launched to improve energy efficiency, albeit not enough to meet climate change targets at the moment. Global investments in energy efficiency – such as building renovations, public transport and electric car infrastructure – reached $560bn in 2022, an increase of 16 per cent on 2021, according to the IEA’s latest market report, Energy Efficiency 2022. Preliminary data indicates that in 2022 the global economy used energy 2 per cent more efficiently than it did in 2021, a rate of improvement almost four times that of the past two years, and almost double the rate of the past five years. If the current rate of progress can be built upon further in the coming years,…

  • Interview: ‘Sustainability is a guiding principle for today’s buyers’ - Camilla Kaplin, Outokumpu

    What the term ‘green steel’ means depends on who you talk to, says Camilla Kaplin. This is because the phrase can be taken to mean any product that is, “more sustainable than it used to be”. For the senior manager of Environment at Finnish steel manufacturer Outokumpu – the largest steel producer in Europe, second in the Americas – this approach to defining sustainability credentials for the metal is too vague. She prefers to talk in terms of the ISO14040 environmental management standard to “clarify the situation”, specifically with reference to assessing CO2 emissions associated with products and raw materials. “We have companies saying that from an environmental or climate perspective, their steel today is ‘better’ than what they had before. But because I work with these issues, I know…

  • Nanodiamonds could turn methanol into an industrial raw material

    R ather than being released into the atmosphere and exacerbating the problem of climate change, CO 2  can also be used as a raw material for substances required in industrial processes, such as formic acid or methanol. To do so, scientists have developed a process that relies on  using nanodiamonds as a catalyst and irradiating them with short-wave UV-C light in a liquid environment. The diamonds used in this research are not the jewellery-grade kind. Instead, the team used what is known as a "detonation diamond", which is produced on an industrial scale and is therefore relatively inexpensive as a catalyst. As diamonds are largely made of carbon, the material can be considered a "green" catalyst, the team said.  "Up to now, the experiments have been carried out in a batch reactor;…

  • Kids' gadget gifts: myFirst Camera, Robotizer GinoBot, Cricut Joy and more

    myFirst Camera Insta Wi An instant camera aimed at age 7+ but good for older ones, even teens, as a party cam. Unusually it uses thermal printing, monochrome on till rolls, so the consumables cost pennies. Wi-Fi and app means you can print photos from your phone too, while parents can use the sticker rolls to make last-minute labels for lunch boxes. £129 store.myfirst.tech Read Caramel’s full hands-on review. Kap Toys Among Us 30cm Feature Sticky Note Plush Does your small person play games? ‘Among Us’ is a game of deduction and deception that’s popular with small people. This large, cuddly replica of a crewmate comes with a fabric sticky note. They can write messages on the removable note ‘paper’ with the pen supplied and erase...

  • Gadgets: SURI sustainable electric toothbrush, Rocketbook Planner and more

    SURI Sustainable Electric Toothbrush A slender, sonic toothbrush with a plant-based head and repairable aluminium body, designed to be recycled at the end of its life. Spend a little more and you also get a travel charging case with a UV light that keeps the brush germ-free. Subscribe for new heads (old ones are recycled) and get a forever guarantee. From £90 trysuri.com Read Caramel’s full hands-on review. JLab Go Air Tones JLab’s bestselling, affordable Bluetooth earbuds now in a gorgeous range of seven skin tones, perfect for anyone who likes their headphones to be discreet. Specs are good for budget earbuds too: 8+ hours of battery life, 32+ hours including case, and the case has a built-in USB cable. £25 uk.jlab.com Rocketbook...

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    E+T Magazine

  • Dear Evil Engineer: Could I arm my snipers with ice bullets?

    Dear Evil Engineer, I manage a fast-growing agency which provides innovative sniping solutions to clients across a range of sectors. I like to work closely with mercenary snipers to ensure that they have access to the best tools and training available. Recently, I have been considering alternatives to conventional lead bullets. I’m fascinated by the idea of ice bullets which melt after use, leaving no trace behind them. Is such a thing possible? Yours, A stealthy villain Dear villain, Thank you for writing in. Despite an intriguing concept, I’m sorry to say that bullets made of ice may be some of the least effective tools imaginable. That is not to say that ice projectiles are entirely hopeless. Permit me to explain. A bullet made of ice is highly unlikely to reach a sniper’s target…

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    E+T Magazine

  • The eccentric engineer: solving the Christmas wrapping conundrum

    Wrapping presents has a long history and is, so the social anthropologists tell us, a way of “disguising the commodity and adding a layer of authenticity and personal feeling missing from marketplace transactions”. Personally, I use it as a way of camouflaging a disappointing gift for long enough to give me a chance of getting away before the unhappy recipient realises what they’ve got. And we do love wrapping presents. Each Christmas, we in the UK use enough wrapping paper to cover the whole of the island of Guernsey, which would make a lovely gift. But present wrapping also brings round one of the greatest conundrums in modern engineering. How do you wrap that oddly shaped present? Hardest of all to wrap are spherical things, thanks to their Gaussian curvature. Flat planes of paper clearly…

  • Hands-on review: myFirst Camera Insta Wi

    This instant camera is aimed at anyone aged 7+ and includes enough bells and whistles that it could keep youngsters occupied and their fingers off your phone. Meanwhile, older ones - even teens - will put it to good use thanks to the built-in thermal printer for instant pictures. Thermal printing? Basically, it prints on till rolls. That means black-and-white prints on thin paper, but this also means very cheap consumables. There’s no ink and till rolls are as cheap as chips. When you compare it with the cost of Polaroid paper or even FujiFilm instax paper, it’s brilliant. Image credit: myFirst The camera is chunky and endearingly kawaii. The design when it’s sat in its cradle is like a cute mammal with two ears (the lugs for attaching the neck lanyard at the top…

  • US committee urges FCC to block Cuba undersea cable project

    The US government committee has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny an application to connect Cuba to the United States through a new undersea cable landing station to handle internet, voice and data traffic. The project would create the only direct, commercial undersea cable connection between the two nations, and it would be o wned and controlled by Cuba’s state-owned telecommunications monopoly, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba SA (ETECSA).  The proposal is part of the existing ARCOS-1 submarine cable system, which connects the United States with 14 countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America and aimed to expand to a landing station in Cojimar, Cuba. However, the expansion would require regulatory approval from the FCC.  Team Telecom advised…

  • View from Washington: Twitter – a ‘Knives Out’ mystery

    ‘Reign of terror’. ‘Space Karen’. And my personal but cryptic favourite – though NSFW if you search for it – ‘Succession s01e02’. Many reactions to Elon Musk’s chaotic early days at Twitter have been very much knives out. Given what is being learned from departing employees and the new owner’s latest tweets, that’s no surprise. What Musk’s critics often miss is that this is exactly what he wants, even if it isn’t what he needs. Public criticism of staff and wholesale sackings, crowdsourced strategy alternating with diktat, and snarking off huge slices of the customer base look – and probably will prove – destructive. Nevertheless, Musk has cultivated an image as a trash-talking, buccaneering CEO who wants to change the world. Added to that is an approach to branding and running companies…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Discarded batteries causing hundreds of fires at waste centres

    Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are responsible for around 48 per cent of all waste fires occurring in the UK each year, costing waste operators, fire services and the environment approximately £158m annually, according to research published by Eunomia. Hidden "zombie batteries" can be found in a wide range of household devices, from phones and laptops, to power tools, children's toys, e-bikes and scooters, and even vape devices.  When thrown away with the general rubbish, or mixed with other recycling, these batteries can easily become damaged and ignite, setting fire to dry, flammable waste and recycling around them. Although the Eunomia research estimated that just over 200 fires at UK recycling and waste management facilities are caused by batteries each year, the Environmental Services…

  • Smart motorway potential ‘wasted’ by drivers concerned over safety

    The survey was commissioned by the RAC, which said it “completely undermines” the reason that smart motorways were introduced in the first place – to increase capacity on congested roads. The research was conducted with 1,904 drivers who have driven on ‘all lane running’ smart motorways. It found that a fifth (21 per cent) claimed to have frequently steered clear of the left-hand, inside lane, while 28 per cent admitted to doing so occasionally. A majority of drivers (68 per cent) also said they regularly see motorists using other lanes when the inside lane is free. Asked why they deliberately avoid driving in lane one, an overwhelming three-quarters (77 per cent) of drivers say they are worried they might encounter a stationary, broken-down vehicle as there is no hard shoulder while…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Starlink to provide broadband in the UK’s remotest areas despite slowdowns

    The Starlink service works by beaming down supposedly broadband-speed internet signal using a constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth. A trial using the service launched today to test the speed of the service in more than a dozen ‘very hard to reach’ locations. These are amongst the one per cent of the hardest sites in the UK to upgrade via expensive physical cables in more extreme locations such as mountainous areas or small islands. A 12th-century abbey in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, a scout camping site in Snowdonia, a Lake District mountain rescue base and other remote premises will have equipment installed that allows them receive the service, potentially giving them broadband up to ten times faster than is currently available to them. Following the trials,…

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    E+T Magazine

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