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General Election 2024: the engineering and technology offerings from the big three parties

With just days to go until the general election, what do the main three political parties offer the electorate in terms of engineering and technology? Conservative Party Infrastructure and transport The UK’s infrastructure has been plagued by underfunding in recent years, leaving roads and transport networks crumbling while waterways fill with pollutants. The Conservatives have pledged a £36bn investment in roads, rail and buses. This includes £8.3bn to fill potholes and resurface roads, which is funded by cancelling the second phase of HS2. The party pledges that its Northern Powerhouse Rail plan will bring more frequent trains, more capacity and faster journeys. Savings from HS2 will also be spent on funding rail electrification to Hull and building a new station in Bradford. …

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Posts from bot-like accounts viewed more than 150 million times ahead of UK election

Bot-like accounts spreading hate and disinformation on social media platform X have had their posts seen more than an estimated 150 million times in the last few weeks ahead of the UK election. In an attempt to see just how prolific bots are at spreading political messages during the UK electoral period, international NGO Global Witness decided to investigate 10 bot-like accounts on X. Bots are accounts run by computers that have been programmed to look like humans. Unlike humans, they don’t work or sleep and so can post all hours of the day and night. Since the UK general election was announced on 22 May 2024, Global Witness found that these 10 accounts have posted more than 60,000 posts, sharing anywhere from 200 to over 500 posts a day. As a result, the watchdog estimates these posts…

E+T Magazine
New internet speed world record set using standard commercially-available optical fibre

An international research team led by the Photonic Network Laboratory of Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has set a new world record for data transmission speed of 402 terabits per second using commercially-available optical fibre. This new record eclipses the team’s previous record, announced in March 2024, of 301 terabits per second using a single standard optical fibre. To put this new record-breaking speed into context, a data-rate of 402 terabits per second would enable a Netflix user to download all currently available films on its streaming service in less than a second. Put another way, compared to Netflix’s current internet connection speed recommendations – 3 Mbit/s or higher – for watching an HD movie, this speed is over 100 million…

E+T Magazine in Computing
Vatican City to take a stand on climate change by going 100% solar

Pope Francis has unveiled plans for a solar plant that will let the Vatican City generate all its electricity from renewable sources. With an area of 121 acres or 0.44km2 and a population of around 825, the Vatican City in Rome is the smallest independent state in the world by both area and population. It has now earned itself another accolade: one of only a few countries in the world to be powered by 100% renewable energy. According to data from the International Energy Agency, Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and Congo generate more than 99.7% of their electricity from renewables.In his recent apostolic letter, Fratello Sole (Brother Sun), Pope Francis has initiated the construction of a “agrivoltaic system” within the extraterritorial area of Santa Maria di Galeria…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
China opens 50km-long Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link bridge-tunnel system

China has finally opened the 50km-long Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link to traffic. This bridge-tunnel system spans two sides of the Pearl River Delta near Hong Kong. Construction on the project began in 2017 to connect the city of Zhongshan to Shenzhen. It consists of a 6.7km tunnel starting on the Shenzhen side leading to 19 bridges, totalling 43km in length. The tunnel is the world’s longest and widest underwater steel-shell concrete tunnel and is equipped with numerous devices to ensure its safe and stable operation. This includes 14 robots, dual-wavelength flame detectors and Beidou satellite navigation signal simulators. Traffic can be rerouted in the event of a car accident with built-in loudspeakers, while an extensive array of cameras will convey any incidents to a remote-control centre…

E+T Magazine
Boeing buys aircraft manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems in $4.7bn deal

Embattled defence firm Boeing has announced it will acquire aircraft manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems in a deal worth $4.7bn (£3.7bn). Spirit, based in Kansas, has long been contracted to build important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737 and 787, as well as the flight deck section of the fuselage of nearly all Boeing airliners. Spirit also produces parts for Boeing’s main rival Airbus, including fuselage sections and front wing spars for the A350 and the wings for the A220. Spirit was previously owned by Boeing until 2005, when the division was sold off to the Onex Corporation. Boeing said its decision to bring the firm back under its wing after nearly 20 years was part of efforts to align its safety and quality management. The firm has faced a difficult few…

E+T Magazine in Aerospace
Vessels in Arctic waters now banned from using and carrying ‘dirty’ HFO

The Arctic Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) ban has now officially come into effect, but campaigners argue that loopholes in the regulation mean this dirty fuel will pollute the environment for many years to come. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the London-headquartered specialised agency of the UN responsible for regulating maritime transport, has enforced the Arctic HFO ban from 1 July 2024. This regulation bans the use and carriage of HFO as fuel by Arctic shipping. HFO is widely used in shipping around the world, especially tankers. According to the IMO, it accounts for 80% of marine fuel used worldwide. HFO is a thick, tar-like fossil fuel that is relatively cheap to produce. It has devastating consequences if spilled, especially in icy waters as it breaks down very slowly and…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
A grave problem in dealing with the dead

With finite space and an ever-growing population, what are we to do with the dead? New end-of-life technologies such as water cremation and human composting could be the answer. Two wheelbarrows of compost or some sterile, soapy-smelling liquid – it’s somewhat unsettling to focus on the results of the new ways to dispose of bodies, of which there are around 9,000 new ones each week in England and Wales. These new techniques are akin, objectors might say, to ‘flushing Granny down the drain’ – or spreading her over the earth. These are the end products of two ‘off the shelf’ technologies that have not yet been widely adopted: human composting and alkaline hydrolysis, the latter also known as resomation, aquamation, green cremation and water cremation. These may be greener ways to deal with…

E+T Magazine in Computing
Next government must ‘prioritise the net zero transition further and faster than ever before’

The Mission Zero Coalition has published its latest report outlining what the incoming government must do to ensure the UK stays on track to achieve net zero. On 27 June 2019, the UK became the first G7 country to make the commitment of signing net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 into law. On the fifth anniversary of this legislative commitment, the Mission Zero Coalition has launched its latest report At a crossroads: pathways to a net zero future. The Mission Zero Coalition was launched in March 2023 to build momentum from the Mission zero report written by former Conservative MP Chris Skidmore, who, as energy minister at the time, took the UK’s net zero legislation through parliament. He resigned from parliament earlier this year over the government’s Offshore Petroleum Licensing…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Astronauts evacuate the ISS as defunct Russian satellite breaks up nearby

A defunct Russian satellite broke up into nearly 200 pieces in low orbit, forcing astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) to seek shelter in their spacecraft. The debris cloud caused by the break-up also adds to the escalating space junk issue. The European Space Agency (ESA) warned earlier this month that the risk of “catastrophic damage to space assets” was increasing. This was almost the case yesterday when the six US astronauts onboard the ISS were told to return to their spacecraft as a Russian satellite, Resurs-P1, had broken up. LeoLabs, a US space-tracking firm, estimated the time of the breakup at between 9.05am and 8.51pm Eastern time on 26 June. By 27 June, LeoLabs had tracked at least 180 pieces of debris, with that number potentially increasing. Resurs…

E+T Magazine in Space
Comment: UK election manifestos – wind of change or headwind?

Vijay Madlani, CEO of Katrick Technologies, a Glasgow-based green energy start-up, scrutinises the different party manifestos ahead of the general election and argues that, while they contain promising climate policies, there is still room for improvement. The UK has a historical responsibility to lead the charge against climate change. Thanks to the rapid scale-up of offshore and onshore wind farms combined with emerging ground-level wind energy technology, the UK could easily become a world leader in renewable installations. With these resources at hand, achieving net zero within the next decade is still within reach and should be the priority of the UK’s next government. Against this backdrop, it is disappointing that none of the UK political parties are pledging to decarbonise before…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
UK cycling infrastructure lagging behind Europe, study reveals

The UK’s cycling infrastructure is lagging behind its European counterparts, according to an analysis by PeopleForBikes. It has included the UK in its city ratings for the first time, assessing 89 cities in 2024. UK cities received an average score of 60 out of a possible 100, slightly lower than the rest of Europe with cities scoring an average of 64. PeopleForBikes was first established in 2017. Its city ratings tool scores and measures the quality and connectivity of each city’s cycle network, including its protected cycle lanes and bike paths, along with its low speed limits and safe crossings for people on bikes. The UK’s top-rated cities were also found to have low speed limits (20mph) on roads connecting neighbourhoods and offer their residents multiple safe routes to everyday…

E+T Magazine in Road transport systems
Evolution of the MXO oscilloscope family

The new MXO 5 oscilloscope adds more channels and higher bandwidths to the MXO series. The MXO 5 is the first 8-channel oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz and simplifies power sequence measurements, compliance testing for automotive ethernet and EMI pre-compliance testing. The MXO series was launched in September 2022 with the MXO 4, a 4-channel instrument with up to 1.5 GHz of bandwidth, the new MXO 5 has up to 2 GHz of bandwidth. Fastest oscilloscope in the world The new MXO 5 is the first 8-channel oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz and the world’s first 8-channel-oscilloscope that can detect 4.5 million acquisitions and 18 million waveforms per second across multiple channels. Engineers can now accurately capture intricate signal details and infrequent events. Powerful EMI testing…

E+T Magazine
UN’s autonomous vehicle regulations advancing at a high speed

Fully autonomous cars are still years away, but the UN is working on internationally-agreed rules that will see “globally harmonised regulation on automated driving systems ready for mid-2026”. The UN World Forum for the Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations is a working party of the Inland Transport Committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which shapes the legal framework for inland transport. The forum has six permanent working parties each with their own specialism, one of which is the Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) working party. UNECE held a press conference yesterday with speakers from GRVA, who presented international developments around regulating autonomous vehicles. Dmitry Mariyasin, deputy executive secretary of the UNECE, opened the…

E+T Magazine in Ethical Aspects
SpaceX wins $843m Nasa contract to deorbit ISS

SpaceX has been granted an $843m contract by Nasa to help deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) once it reaches the end of its operational life. Nasa currently plans to decommission the ISS in 2031 and instead support the creation of private Earth-orbiting space stations used by multiple customers. The ISS’s power, communication and life support systems are all designed to be repairable in orbit by astronauts or robotic operations. But while maintenance and upgrades happen all the time, the degradation of the station’s structure will eventually limit its time in orbit. SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the US Deorbit Vehicle to bring the ISS back down to Earth. As a large space structure, the deorbiting procedure needs to be carried out carefully to avoid the possibility…

E+T Magazine in Space
300-mile automated cargo conveyor belt to link Tokyo and Osaka

The Japanese government has launched plans for a Autoflow-Road conveyor belt system between Tokyo and Osaka that could carry the same amount of freight as 25,000 truck drivers every day. With Japan’s population falling at a rapid rate, there will be numerous impacts on the country in the coming years – not least of all the number of delivery drivers needed to move goods around. According to a recent study by Nomura Research Institute, the amount of delivery drivers in Japan is set to plummet from 660,000 in 2020 to just 480,000 by 2030. With online shopping continuing to escalate, however, there is a real possibility that the transport industry will be unable to meet freight demands. Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is proposing a project that will not only…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Exam markers unable to detect AI answers in university papers

Experienced exam markers were unable to detect papers generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in 94% of cases and gave them higher grades than those written by real students, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Reading used ChatGPT to generate exam answers that were submitted for several undergraduate psychology modules. They used ChatGPT-4 – the most advanced version of the popular AI platform – and submitted the answers using fake student identities. The team believes their blind study was the largest and most robust of its kind to date in trying to challenge human educators to detect AI-generated content. They said their findings should provide a “wake-up call” for educators across the world. A recent Unesco survey of 450 schools and universities found that less…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
Rhino horns injected with trackable radioactive material to deter smugglers

The Rhisotope Project, a South African-based conservation initiative, is harnessing nuclear technology in the form of radioisotopes that are inserted into live rhino horns. This makes the horns easily detectable by existing nuclear security infrastructure at border posts across the world. Poaching of rhino horns is rife in southern Africa. According to the Rhino conservation charity Save the Rhino, in the last decade 9,415 African rhinos have been lost to poaching. Rhinos are poached for their horns, which are smuggled into Asia where they are highly prized for traditional and medicinal purposes. “Every 20 hours in South Africa a rhino dies for its horn. These poached horns are then trafficked across the world and used for traditional medicines, or as status symbols,” explained Professor…

E+T Magazine
Volkswagen and Rivian sign $5bn deal to share EV architecture and software

Volkswagen and Rivian have announced a tech joint venture that will see the two companies accelerate the development of electric vehicle (EV) architecture and software for use in both companies’ future EVs. There is currently stiff competition in the EV market. Large auto manufacturers that are attempting to shift from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to EVs are not only facing competition from established EV rivals such as Tesla, but also from low-priced Chinese EVs that are rapidly entering European and US markets. Amid all this competition, large auto manufacturer Volkswagen and EV start-up Rivian have announced they have entered a joint venture to create next-generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future EVs. According to Reuters, after the announcement…

E+T Magazine in Automotive Engineering
Plane pollution is putting 52 million Europeans at risk of serious health conditions

High concentrations of tiny particles released when aviation jet fuel is burnt pose a serious health risk to 52 million people living around Europe’s busiest airports. When jet fuel burns, particularly during take-off and landing, it releases ultrafine particles (UFPs), which are approximately 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. These particles are able to penetrate deeply into the human body and have been found in the blood, brain and placenta. Yet there is no regulation on safe levels of UFPs in the air and how exposure to them can affect human health. A new study by Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels-based NGO, found that a total of 280,000 cases of high blood pressure, 330,000 cases of diabetes, and 18,000 cases of dementia could be linked to UFP emissions among the 52…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
China’s Chang’e-6 mission returns to Earth with first ever samples from far side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module has returned to Earth, successfully completing its historic mission of collecting the first ever samples from the far side of the Moon – making it the first country to do so. The Chang’e-6 probe’s re-entry capsule parachuted into a landing zone in a rural region of Inner Mongolia, touching down just after 2pm local time on 25 June 2024. Soon after the capsule landed, Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), announced the successful completion of the Chang’e-6 lunar mission. According to CNN, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the mission’s completion was a “landmark achievement” in China’s quest to become a space and scientific powerhouse. The US, China and the former Soviet Union have gathered samples from the near side of…

E+T Magazine in Space
US commits $850m to cut methane pollution from the oil and gas sector

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say that applications are open for $850m in federal funding for projects that will help monitor, measure, quantify and reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas sectors. Leaks of methane cause plumes of potent greenhouse gas to escape into the atmosphere and, as the International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted in a report published last year, slashing it is imperative to limit global warming. While methane has 80 times the warming power of CO2 in the first 20 years after reaching the atmosphere, unlike CO2 it does not remain in our atmosphere for as long. This means that reducing methane emissions will have a significant impact in lowering global temperatures. In the latest update of the IEA’s Global Methane…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Camera system can detect alcohol intoxication on the faces of drivers

A camera-based system that can identify drunk drivers just by analysing their faces has been developed by researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU). A series of videos were taken of people in a driving simulation who were in various levels of alcohol intoxication – sober, low intoxication and severely intoxicated. The team developed a machine learning system that uses discernible cues from standard RGB (red, green and blue) videos of the drivers’ faces to gauge the degree of alcohol-related impairment. These included facial features, gaze direction and head position. “Our system detects varying levels of alcohol intoxication impairment, with an overall accuracy of 75% for the three-level classification,” ECU PhD student Ensiyeh Keshtkaran said. “This not only benefits vehicles equipped…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
Microsoft quietly shelves underwater data centre project

Microsoft has quietly shelved its underwater data centre project, dubbed Project Natick, according to an interview with the company’s head of cloud operations. The Project Natick trial was launched in 2013 to explore the possible benefits of data centres located underwater such as lower latency for its users and dramatically reduced cooling costs. Cooling in particular makes up a significant proportion of the energy used in a data centre – almost as much as the power used by the IT equipment. Due to the higher density of water and its ability to transport heat more effectively than air, deep-sea data centres are much more efficient than those on land. In the decade since the trial began, Microsoft deployed a prototype in 2015 and then a test system off the coast of Scotland in 2018. The…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation

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