• 5.3bn mobiles to be junked this year as experts call for higher recycling targets

    The WEEE Forum, which organises today’s International E-Waste Day, has conducted a survey of 8,775 European households across Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, and the UK. It found that the average household contains 74 e-products such as phones, tablets, laptops, electric tools, hair dryers, toasters and other appliances (excluding lamps). But despite the valuable resources held in the electronics, including gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable components, experts expect a majority will disappear into drawers or cupboards or be tossed into waste bins bound for landfills. Pascal Leroy, director general of the WEEE Forum, said: “We focused this year on small e-waste items because it is very easy for them to accumulate unused and unnoticed in households, or…

  • Dear Evil Engineer: Could a cold bomb become the next hot trend in defence?

    Dear Evil Engineer, In May, I dropped out of my first year of business school. I don’t want to waste three of the best years of my life being lectured by fusty old academics who have never run real businesses of their own, especially when I can stream TED Talks and access Elon Musk’s Twitter feed without paying a penny. No, instead I’m going to buy a black polo neck; launch a start-up of my own; disrupt an industry or two; take it public, and retire as a billionaire by 30. I have spent the past few months thinking of ideas for my big product and I think I’ve got it at last. A bomb, except instead of blasting everything to pieces on detonation, it freezes everything in place – much less messy. I have already filed a trade mark application for its name (the ‘Carnot’) and tagline (‘Bombs…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Can England’s new ‘biodiversity net gain’ law reverse declines in nature?

    “We had a vision to create the most sustainable, carbon-efficient building that we could develop, and also to deliver as much net gain in biodiversity as well,” says Emma Payne, project manager at Eden, an office block in Salford which is set to complete next year. If the architect’s renderings are anything to go by, it will make a distinct departure from more traditional glass and steel office blocks. Instead, Eden will be draped head to toe in what will be Europe’s largest living wall. Payne says some 350,000 plants will attach to the building on grids (the plants are currently sprouting in a nursery in Chichester). There will also be numerous bird boxes and insect hotels. Thanks to this profusion of plant life, Muse Developments, the firm behind the design, claims it will increase biodiversity…

  • Electrical wiring fires increase across UK

    The findings have led to calls for a higher level of competency within the electrotechnical sector and raised questions about the government’s move to expand the current regulations. Electrical distribution fires occur within the fixed electrical parts of a home such as wiring and fuse boards. There were 3953 of these in 2021 across the UK, in comparison to the 3000 recorded in 2005 when the government introduced Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales. Electrical distribution fires have increased over the last thirty years Image credit: Electrical distribution fires. E&T The regulations state that anyone carrying out electrical installation work in a home must make sure that the work is designed and installed to protect people from fire and electric…

  • The eccentric engineer: Norbert Rillieux and the Sugar Revolution

    It’s fair to say that people of colour in Louisiana don’t have a great deal of reason to be thankful for the sugar plantations that helped make the state wealthy, and yet it was one of their own who transformed the sugar industry the world over, improving both the product and the lot of the enslaved people forced to produce it. Sugar cane growers in the early 19th century had a problem. The raw cane juice was turned into sugar in a process known as the ‘Jamaican Train’. Initially, juice was boiled in a large kettle until most of the water had evaporated. The resulting syrup was then ladled by hand into a series of ever smaller copper evaporating pans until just the crystalised sugar was left. At least that was the theory, but there were numerous problems. The dangerous job of ladling hot…

  • Hands-on review: Honor smartwatch GS 3

    Honor’s GS 3 is a fine-looking watch with plenty of nice functions, but it nearly didn’t get up and running in this review. The problem was the app. Typical of gadgets these days, there is next to no information in the box, save a quick-start guide with a QR code in it. The QR code points to an app used across multiple Honor devices, but not the Honor GS 3 smartwatch. The watch needs the (Android) phone to set up, so with no app there is effectively no watch. Endless attempts at pairing the device to the phone were in vain. Finally, a search for another app resulted in finding the compatible ‘Honor Health’. A few hours late, but the review had started. Even when the right app had been identified, sign-up wasn’t swift and the amount of information and access required felt unnecessary. Given…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The digital skills gap is an issue for the whole tech community

    In July, bosses from hundreds of the biggest tech companies in the US signed an open letter  urging governors and education leaders to introduce computer science to be taught to kids from as young as five years old. The signatories included Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, as well as universities and non-profits in that sector. The letter argued computer science should be considered “a core subject, just like basic biology or algebra” and emphasised how important it is for children to learn digital skills from a young age, as well as build an understanding into how the technology they use every day works and is built. The sentiment of this letter rings true for the UK, too. The British economy is estimated to be losing an astonishing £6.3bn in GDP per year, largely due to a widespread…

  • Met Police to use behavioural data to prevent crimes against women

    The Metropolitan Police is set to use data analytics to help  stop offenders before they commit an additional or worse crime. Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told the international ‘Exceptional Policing’ conference that the new data-led approach to policing will enable the force to "understand the likelihoods" of who will commit a violent crime in the City of London. “The Met is working to build a city-wide data picture of men who we know prey on and commit abhorrent crimes against women and girls across London, which is more sophisticated than ever before," he said.  “Sadly, we know it is many tens of thousands of men. “I want us to go further, to see if we can build a clearer picture of future risk, forecasting and interdicting men who will commit violent crimes again women or girls…

  • Further delays to Real Madrid stadium renovation

    Real Madrid CF is arguably the most famous football club in the world. Los Blancos, as the team is colloquially known, has won more Spanish league titles and European Cups/Champions Leagues than any other football club, and has more fans than any other club, worldwide. However, anyone who has been watching Real on TV recently might have noticed that the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium has been well below its 80,000 capacity, with only 50,000 spaces available for fans during the 2021-22 season. That’s because the Bernabeu renovation project, which began in 2019, is still nowhere near completion. Planned upgrades include a retractable roof and pitch, a new outer shell, and the engineering of more space inside the stadium. The original date for the project’s completion was put back to…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The Gallery: RECON electric VTOL craft takes to the sky

    Ryse Aero Technologies’ testing of flight-control systems saw the RECON complete a seamless take-off, controlled hover, forward flight, pivot turn manoeuvres and a smooth landing. Erik Stephansen, the company’s director of regulatory affairs and pilot for the test, described the RECON as “effortless and very enjoyable” to fly. “I was thrilled at how I could literally hover, take my hands off the controls and the RECON sat there stable and safe,” he says. With the RECON distinguishing itself from similar aircraft by not requiring a pilot’s licence to operate, the inaugural flight marked a significant milestone in the company’s goal of expanding aerial mobility to people living in rural areas and on large private lands. Ryse says the plane is as easy to operate as an ATV (all-terrain vehicle…

  • Aspirations for green flight need to become firm goals

    At last week’s International Civil Aviation Organisation Assembly, ICAO member states adopted a collective global ‘long-term aspirational goal’ of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 . The agreement marks a turning point on the journey to sustainable air transport and now provides an international policy framework for the global aviation community to adhere to. While many countries, including the UK and EU, had set a net-zero 2050 target for aviation emissions, a common international framework has, until now, been a major missing piece of the puzzle. There is now considerably less risk of global regulatory distortions that could slow progress. Furthermore, the goal aligns international aviation with the Paris Agreement and follows a commitment by the industry itself last year. All countries…

  • Nasa technology could be used to charge EVs in under five minutes

    Researchers found that technology developed by Nasa and Purdue University for use on the International Space Station (ISS) could also be used to charge electric vehicles at a much faster rate than that which is currently possible. The novel technique, known as "subcooled flow boiling", could boost the amount of electrical current from EV chargers by roughly 1,400 amps - nearly five times the rate of up to 520 amps currently supplied to EVs, Nasa said. The higher the electrical current, the more heat it generates. With this technology, Nasa could open the door to a faster flow of electricity without the risk of components overheating.  Originally, subcooled flow boiling was developed to ensure that complex systems maintain specific temperatures in space. Space missions are expected to…

  • Register allows digging with confidence

    If you fire up Google Maps on your computer or phone, in seconds you can go from a view of the entire Earth, to an ultra-zoomed in, street-level view of almost every major city. Individual buildings, paths and even traffic lights are sometimes visible, giving you full mastery of the built environment. However, as detailed as the map is above, the earth below the ground is shrouded in mystery. Water pipes, electricity conduits, gas mains and telecoms cables form a tangled web of utilities and other services beneath our feet. And when the road needs to be dug up, it can be a nightmare. According to one industry estimate, there are around 60,000 accidental utility strikes in the UK every year, caused when, for example, the broadband company bursts open a water pipe while digging. These far…

  • Inside Sandvik’s test mine in Finland

    Mining companies rely on continuous innovation to be able to to deliver the productivity increases that drive economics in this highly cyclical sector. Electrification, automation, digitisation and data analytics are all key current trends. E&T was given a rare opportunity to visit global engineering group Sandvik’s experimental test mine in Tampere, Finland, to view the latest in technical developments and concept vehicle testing in hard rock underground mining. “If you can drill here you can drill anywhere,” says Jani Vilenius, director of technology development and engineering services at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, referring to the granite rock at the mine. “It’s one of the ten hardest rocks in the world, making it an ideal test environment.” Image credit…

  • Businesses rely on carbon offsets to avoid cutting their own emissions, study finds

    The global market for voluntary carbon offsets – which are the removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere – has grown rapidly in recent years. But in a new report, the CCC said that offsets often deliver fewer benefits than claimed, and they may discourage out other environmental objectives in the rush to capture carbon. It looked at the evidence on the impact of voluntary carbon markets and offsetting and suggested that stronger governance to ensure high-integrity carbon credits was needed alongside clearer guidance for businesses to encourage them to cut their own emissions before turning to offsets. “Businesses want to do the right thing and it’s heartening to see so many firms aiming for early Net Zero dates…

  • Book review: ‘Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks’ by Peter Leigh

    Most of modern history can be defined by gadgets. From the Walkmans of the ‘80s and the Game Boys of the ‘90s to the iPhones of the 2010s, there is no decade in the 20th and 21st centuries that has not been accompanied by a shiny new personal technology product that was sure to change the world.   For a moment, some of them did. Others, less so; but all of them together can conjure up quite a picture – or a book full of them.  In ‘Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks: A Potted History of Personal Tech’ (Octopus Publishing Group, £16.99, ISBN 9781781578582), Peter Leigh – also known for his Youtube alter-ego, Nostalgia Nerd – takes an irreverent, self-reflective and informative approach to the history of personal tech. Beginning in 1938, with the first automatic teapot (which also…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • An industry in the making: diverting wind turbine blades from landfill

    Two years ago, Bloomberg published a picture of large wind turbine blade fragments being buried in earth in Wyoming, USA. ‘Wind turbine blades can’t be recycled, so they’re piling up in landfills’ the accompanying headline read. The story and image of piled-up, dusty white blades, much smaller than today’s which can reach up to 107m, was not a good look for an industry born from the need to combat climate change. This paradox was not lost on the sector; for some time, manufacturers had been working to find solutions to a problem it knew was set to escalate. Around 25,000 tonnes of blades will reach the end of their operational life every year by 2025, this number could increase to 52,000 tonnes by 2030, according to industry trade body WindEurope. The organisation, backed by its members…

  • ‘Olfactometer’ brings smells to VR worlds for wine sniffing game

    Made by a team of Stockholm and Malmö University researchers, the device makes it possible to smell in VR environments and a “wine tasting game” has been developed to test it out. The game sees the user smell wine in a virtual wine cellar and get points if they correctly guess the different aromas in each wine. In the game, the participant moves in a virtual wine cellar, picking up virtual wine glasses containing different types of wine, guessing the aromas. The small scent machine is attached to the VR system’s controller, and when the player lifts the glass, it releases a scent. “We hope that the new technical possibilities will lead to scents having a more important role in game development,” said Jonas Olofsson, professor of psychology and leader of the research project. The olfactometer…

  • Exoskeleton boot ‘allows people to walk 9 per cent faster with less effort’

    The robotic footwear comes with a motor that works with calf muscles to give the wearer an extra push with every step, according to the researchers from Stanford University, US, who are behind the invention. The team said its work, now published in the journal Nature , could help people with mobility impairments “move throughout the world as they like”. Patrick Slade, who worked on the exoskeleton as a PhD student at the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory and is the first author on the study, told the PA news agency: “There are a number of clinical populations we hope to help including older adults, people with muscle weakness from a variety of conditions like stroke, and specific injury recoveries for things like Achilles tendon strain. “We are starting to perform studies to explore…

  • Programmed particles prove provenance of printed parts

    One of the key concerns facing the increasing adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) by OEMs and their suppliers alike is traceability. And with industries such as aerospace and the medical sector operating under strict regulations, reporting and quality control requirements, it’s imperative that industry tackles this issue across the AM ecosystem and supply chain, so it’s viewed as a viable option for manufacturing processes.  But how can the industry address this? While some experts believe improving the connection between hardware (3D printers) and software through automation is key in ensuring end-to-end traceability, New York-based start-up PrintParts has developed an alternative solution: embedding ‘digital barcodes’ into 3D-printed parts.  Indeed, its SmartParts solution uses data…

  • The measure of: Ocean Builders’ SeaPod

    Billed as the world’s first eco-restorative floating home, the SeaPod addresses the lack of space in desirable seaside destinations, incorporating advanced green technology to be both sustainable and comfortable. The range includes three models designed by Dutch architect Koen Olthuis: the SeaPod, the EcoPod and a GreenPod engineered for use on land. Image credit: Ocean Builders The pods are elevated offshore structures mounted on floating steel tripods. They are equipped with all kinds of luxurious features and come with panoramic windows and a patio for unobstructed scenic views. Each pod owner will have a wearable smart ring to control functions such as door locks, lighting, temperature and music. Drones will drop food, medicine and everyday items to the pods…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Seinfeld’ star John O’Hurley’s new tech venture

    “All we are is who we are,” says John O’Hurley, “and unfortunately we have to give that away ten, fifteen times a day.” This makes us more vulnerable than ever to identity theft, which, according to O’Hurley, “is a culture-changing thing. We’re inundated with it. Companies can’t trust who’s on the other end of the line, and we have the same problem on social media. It’s a large issue for our society.” If you want to know how big the problem is, says O’Hurley, look no further than the recent Twitter spat in which prospective buyer Elon Musk claimed that “90 per cent of my comments are bots”. Following Musk’s widely circulated tweet that he aims to “authenticate all real humans”, O’Hurley joined forces with technology veteran Becky Wanta to launch US-based biometric authentication company Q5id…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Virgin Orbit prepares to launch UK’s first rocket into space

    Virgin Orbit's jumbo, known as Cosmic Girl, landed at Newquay Airport in Cornwall just before 18:30 BST yesterday (Tuesday October 11). The jumbo jet is a former Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 passenger plane which has been converted to carry a rocket, called LauncherOne, to an altitude of approximately 35,000ft (10km) and then drop it.  The aeroplane will be used for the first-ever satellite launch from the UK; specifically, Spaceport Cornwall, which is based at the airport, early next month. Once released into the atmosphere, the LauncherOne rocket will accelerate to 8,000mph before deploying seven satellites into orbit. "It feels amazing to be here now. It feels amazing to be home, amazing to bring Cosmic Girl in here. And we're weeks away now from the first launch from the UK. So, it…

  • Four key lessons the mobile industry can learn from Africa

    Africa has been behind the technology adoption curve, but it’s a continent bursting with innovation the global mobile industry should be paying attention to. The advent of cheap mobile devices has allowed Africans to transition straight into a mobile-first economy. Mobile infrastructure is far easier to set up than the traditional infrastructure of wired landlines and fibre-optic broadband. With a basic smartphone and a 3G signal, these resources then become the technological infrastructure. And Africans have been taking advantage of its benefits. Here are a few lessons the rest of us should take on board. Don’t be bound by traditional thinking In Kenya, ATMs are relatively rare: they require wired networking, restocking and security. But with mobile wallets and internet banking, someone…

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