• The eccentric engineer: Koehler’s genius design of the depressing carriage

    In the early days of September 1782, the largest action of the whole of the American War of Independence was about to start. Despite the battle of Yorktown, which sealed US independence, being nearly a year before, the war was not quite over, and this revolutionary battle would have a number of unique features. Firstly, not a single American was taking part, and secondly, it was happening not in the New World, but around Gibraltar in the Mediterranean. When the Revolutionary War broke out, the Americans had found themselves with some unexpected allies in the form of the ‘Bourbon Alliance’, a combination of French and Spanish powers whose interests had as much to do with containing the British as with freeing American colonists. So, with the fighting in America all but over, the biggest engagement…

  • Can car makers meet decarbonisation challenge ahead of schedule?

    Achieving net-zero emissions is a major challenge for process manufacturers across the board, but more so for those in the global automotive sector. This is largely due to their reliance on carbon-intensive processes and use of raw materials that may be difficult to extract or are only available in distant territories or regions of the world. Against the odds, however, some automotive manufacturers are succeeding in applying smart supply-chain thinking and advanced cost-modelling techniques to decarbonise their products and processes ahead of other industries. Among the key drivers in the push to decarbonise products and processes is growing stakeholder interest in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance, which has led most global car makers and Tier One OEMs to strengthen…

  • Teardown: Nike ISPA Link trainers

    Fashion is often charged alongside technology as one of the main culprits when it comes to burgeoning landfill and stuttering progress on recycling. Within fashion, trainers are seen as a particular problem. How that market’s big brands are looking to address growing criticism may contain interesting pointers for other markets. According to a recent edition of Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’, the average Briton owns seven pairs of trainers, and of the 300 million shoes bought overall in the UK every year, about 90 per cent end up in landfill. Globally, 24 billion shoes are sold annually and trainers make up roughly a quarter. In environmental terms, all this translates into 1.4 per cent of carbon emissions, making footwear the world’s 17th biggest polluter by some estimates, ahead of aviation and…

  • Sponsored: The rise of digital transformation within industrial manufacturing

    Today, we are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution. Categorised by BCG “Industry 4.0 is a transformation that makes it possible to gather and analyse data across machines, enabling faster, more flexible, and more efficient processes to produce higher-quality goods at reduced costs.” This translates into truly automated, lights out environments where businesses can produce things at high-speed and on a massive scale. It is not just production, however, that’s driving transformation within industrial manufacturing, but efficiencies across the supply chain by harnessing technology to integrate different functions into the production process. Distributed IT in manufacturing environments Changes are far-reaching, affecting every aspect of the industrial process, and businesses must…

  • Astronomers detect ‘strange’ radio signal from faraway galaxy

    Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have detected a fast radio burst (FRB) coming from a distant galaxy that appears to be flashing with surprising regularity. These types of signals are usually short-lasting. However, this new signal persists for up to three seconds, about 1,000 times longer than the average FRB. Within this window, the MIT team detected bursts of radio waves that repeat every 0.2 seconds in a clear periodic pattern, similar to a beating heart. The new signal, labelled 'FRB 20191221A', is the longest-lasting FRB, with the clearest periodic pattern detected to date. The origin of the radio signal remains a mystery, although researchers have been able to trace it back to a galaxy located several billion light-years from Earth.  “There are not…

  • ‘The UK’s contribution to the global technology market is huge’: Jon Crowcroft

    Despite reeling under the effects of a stalled post-Covid rebound, post-Brexit uncertainty and the economic shocks of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, “the UK is in a really good place at the moment”, says Jon Crowcroft. This is “because we have this distinctive ability to do fundamental research”. More than that, says Crowcroft, who is professor of computer science at the University of Cambridge and co-founder of artificial intelligence company iKVA, “what we’re really good at in the UK is taking that research and actually going on to make the technology that’s based on the research”. Crowcroft is commenting on a statement from the UK’s Digital Economy Council claiming the UK tech industry is now valued at £1tn: “A milestone only achieved by China and the USA so far.” The headline has…

  • Book review: ‘The Metaverse And How It Will Revolutionize Everything’

    The metaverse has very quickly found itself a topic of discussion by the world’s most influential newspapers, companies and governments. Facebook attracted headlines and derision in November 2021 when it rebranded as Meta, an acknowledgement of the centrality of metaverse services in its future. The only problem is that the metaverse does not yet exist, and no one is quite agreed about what it is. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball has been influential in shaping what we expect from the metaverse. He posits in the first part of ‘The Metaverse And How it Will Revolutionize Everything’ (WW Norton, £22, ISBN 9781324092032) that the metaverse is the next phase of the internet. Or, to be more precise: “a massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds that can be…

  • Five countries’ carbon emissions caused $6tn in global losses, study finds

    Scientists have been able to calculate the economic impact of individual countries' carbon emissions on the global economy, in what they say could become a "game-changer" for climate litigation. The research by US-based Dartmouth College estimates that the greenhouse gas emissions from only five countries between 1990 and 2014 resulted in global economic losses of up to $6tn (£5tn), with nations in the global south having been hit hardest. The study's conclusions, published in the journal Climatic Change , provide a basis for nations to make legal claims for economic losses tied to carbon emissions, according to the researchers. “Greenhouse gases emitted in one country cause warming in another, and that warming can depress economic growth,” said Justin Mankin , senior researcher of the…

  • Tepco executives held responsible for Fukushima disaster by Japanese court

    A Japanese court has found four former  executives from the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster.  The senior managers were sued by shareholders of the nuclear power plant that was hit by a tsunami in 2011, a natural disaster that caused the deaths of 18,000 people and wiped entire towns off the map. According to the shareholders, the disaster could have been prevented had Tepco bosses exercised due care and  carried out preventative measures such as placing an emergency power source on higher ground. The 2012 civil lawsuit demanded that five former Tepco executives pay the beleaguered company 22 trillion yen in compensation for ignoring warnings of a possible tsunami.  The case was decided yesterday (Tuesday July 12) by a Tokyo court, which…

  • How to capture biodiversity loss

    I am currently positioned at the edge of Tau Waterhole in South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve. On the other side of the muddy pond, a lone bull elephant is flicking his tail. He stands gazing at the arid landscape beyond. Sadly, I haven’t been posted to South Africa to research this article but am sitting in my London kitchen watching a live stream of the pachyderm on Explore.org. The website broadcasts day and night from various wildlife hotspots worldwide, allowing anyone to drop in and watch nature. The stream at the Tau Waterhole is just one example of how technology is helping us get a better picture of life on Earth. And the need for this monitoring is greater today than ever. Scientists and campaigners have been alerting the world to the destruction of species for decades, yet their…

  • Plan to map UK’s marine carbon storage could bolster net-zero efforts

    There is currently limited information about how much carbon is stored in and sequestered by UK marine habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass beds, kelp forest, biogenic reefs and marine sediments. Scientists will assess the carbon storage and sequestration potential of all UK seas, as well as within Marine Protected Areas. The Blue Carbon Mapping project builds on the blue carbon mapping that has already begun in Scotland, with a final report expected to be produced by the summer of 2023. The project aims to address this “scientific blind spot” by paving the way for better understanding and protection of the UK’s blue carbon habitats. With two-thirds of the UK underwater, the study could help the UK to achieve its net-zero commitments and to protect at least 30 per cent of UK seas for…

  • A tropical paradise both beautiful and smart

    Stunning coastlines and verdant mountain scenery make the Cook Islands a popular tourist destination. This tourism industry has contributed to a decade of economic growth, and in 2021 the government of this nation in the South Pacific introduced the SMART Economy Initiative to create ‘smart’ island networks. Around the world, the Internet of Things (IoT) is used for energy metering, road traffic management, street lighting operation and environmental controls. Not all IoT nodes need the fast data transfer of a 5G network, and in the Cook Islands, the tropical and mountainous terrain means installation is not practical. LoRaWAN (long-range wide area network) technology was selected for the Cook Islands’ Smart Island project. The low-power protocol uses the unlicensed industrial, scientific…

  • Heatwaves should be named as early warning system to save lives, Society says

    As the UK endures another heatwave and potentially record-breaking temperatures this week – and with climate change increasing the frequency of such events in the future – The Physiological Society is calling for heatwaves to be named in a similar way to storms. The Physiological Society is the largest group of physiologists in Europe and is focused on understanding how the body works, including how it copes in response to heat and extreme weather. Calls for improved early warning systems for heatwaves are included in a report The Society launched today (Wednesday 13 July) at an event in London regarding the health policy implications of climate change. The report highlights policy priorities for government in response to climate change’s impact on human health, as well as identifying areas…

  • Low-cost device takes 3D images to detect eye diseases

    The device captures 3D images of the retina, the back of the eye and cornea, and can be added at low cost to a slit lamp, a device commonly used by optometrists. Patients with conditions such as glaucoma, which is the third most common cause of visual impairment worldwide and affects an estimated 7.7 million people, are often diagnosed by highly trained specialists, who look at photos and give a subjective opinion on the 3D structure of the back of the eye. Although there are existing instruments for 3D imaging, including optical coherence tomography technology – the machines can cost up to £100,000, often making them too expensive for large-scale population use, especially in low-income countries. However, optometrists all over the world have access to slit lamps. The new technology…

  • The 2022 Summer STEM Challenge

    The famous Tesla electric car company takes its brand name from the wacky but hugely inventive Nikola Tesla. Beginning in Victorian times, Tesla discovered and invented a tonne of stuff like the AC electricity system we use today, radio, radio control and – what we are interested in here – the ability of rotating smooth discs to produce a jet of liquid.   Normally a paddle steamer is propelled by one or two huge wheels with their lower rim in the water. The wheels have blades on them which push the water backwards. But amazingly, you don’t have to put blades on the wheels to make them ‘grip’ the water. You can use a plain smooth disc and rely on the ‘grip’ of viscosity. Image credit: E&T As a wheel spins in water, it will pull along a thin layer of water next to…

  • Book review: ‘British Rail: A New History’ by Christian Wolmar

    In the overall history of the railways, the life of the unified state-owned entity that became known as British Rail (BR) was relatively short – less than 50 years in total. But the wheel turns full circle and the ensuing decades of privatisation, fragmentation, consolidation and economic crises have brought the core business back into the government’s hands, so the publication of Christian Wolmar’s latest book is timely, offering a chance to review the lessons of the past. Wolmar is an established and well-respected journalist and author on railway topics, so ‘British Rail – A New History’ (Michael Joseph, £30, ISBN 9780241456200) is based on sound knowledge with the added advantage of being easy to read. When the newly nationalised industry came into being at the start of 1948 it was…

  • Japan plans artificial gravity buildings for Mars and the Moon

    Researchers from Kyoto University and Kajima Corporation have proposed constructing artificial-gravity buildings to enable human settlements on Mars and the Moon.  The design of the facilities features huge rotating structures that would create the effect of Earth-like gravity through centripetal force. The proposals  follow a study published earlier this month which found astronauts suffered significant bone loss, while in low-gravity environments. A year after returning to Earth, the astronauts in the study had only recovered half of the bone loss, raising concerns about the health risks humans would face when travelling to other planets.  To solve this problem, the researchers have proposed building a living facility on the Moon called Lunar Glass. The cylindrical architecture is 100…

  • Is your business ready for the inevitable impact of quantum computing?

    Quantum computing continues to dominate the emerging technology news agenda. A series of big moves have been made in the field in the UK recently, including the Ministry of Defence’s purchase of the first government-owned quantum computer and the prediction by Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, speaking at the 'Quantum Computing Summit' in London recently, that national investment in quantum technologies is set to surpass £1bn by 2024. Quantum computers (QCs) harness the peculiar behaviour of atomic and subatomic particles to execute certain types of algorithms faster and more efficiently than the most powerful conventional supercomputers available today. Although a fault-tolerant and commercially viable QC is yet to be built, it’s clear the momentum…

  • First James Webb Space Telescope image shows ‘deepest’ view of the universe

    US President Joe Biden has unveiled the first picture taken by Nasa's James Webb telescope (JWST), the most detailed glimpse of the universe ever seen.  Known as 'Webb’s First Deep Field', the picture showcases a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. It is the first of several pictures scheduled to be released over the next few days.  When unveiling the picture, Biden called the moment “historic” and said it provided “a new window into the history of our universe”. The image was taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and is a composite made from images at different wavelengths, some of them invisible to the human eye. The image is the farthest humanity has ever seen, in terms of both time and distance, with part of Webb's First Deep Field showing…

  • UK bins 100bn pieces of plastic annually amid calls to ban waste exports

    With the UK estimated to produce the second-largest amount of plastic waste per capita, Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic have launched 'The Big Plastic Count', an investigation to get to grips with the scale of plastic use in the UK. The survey took place for one week in May 2022, with participants recording how much plastic packaging, and of what type, they threw in the bin or put in the recycling. Some 248,957 people from 97,948 households across the UK took part in the count including 9,427 school students and 36 MPs. The results were then submitted for analysis.  On average, each household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in one week, amounting to an estimated 3,432 pieces a year. If the totals for count week are assumed to be typical, this indicates that UK households are…

  • The new space economy is ready for lift-off

    Few things expedite innovation faster than competing billionaires with elastic budgets and a steely determination to make history. This has certainly proved true for the modern-age space race.  Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2020 was the first private company to send humans into orbit. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin journeyed to zero gravity not long after. Their endeavours have pushed down costs and ushered in a new era of space activity. The cosmos is now more accessible than ever.   Since 1957 around 10,000 objects have been launched into space; 30 per cent of these were in the last six years alone. This coincided with a spike in annual investment from below a billion dollars a year to $7.6bn (£5.8bn) in 2020, according to BryceTech, a space-focused engineering…

  • Frequent gamers 'have enhanced brain activity and decision making skills'

    A project used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to study the brains of 47 college-age participants, of whom 28 were categorised as regular video game players and 19 as non-players. “Video games are played by the overwhelming majority of our youth more than three hours every week, but the beneficial effects on decision-making abilities and the brain are not exactly known,” said lead researcher Mukesh Dhamala. “Our work provides some answers on that. Video game playing can effectively be used for training — for example, decision-making efficiency training and therapeutic interventions — once the relevant brain networks are identified.” The subjects lay inside an FMRI machine with a mirror that allowed them to see a cue immediately followed by a display of moving dots. Participants…

  • Is plant-based fuel the recipe for success for athletes?

    Of course, the energy athletes need depends on their body, performance goals and training regime, which means that energy intake differs between sports. However, more athletes are extolling the virtues of plant-based eating, and researchers want to know whether they perform better because of their vegan diets, but this is hard to prove. A number of studies suggest that plant-based diets can help people lose weight and become leaner while improving stamina, but most of their findings have been in average people – not professional athletes. Andrew Shepherd, performance nutrition lead at Loughborough University, says: “At this stage there isn’t a strong evidence base for a vegan diet being healthier than an omnivorous diet.” However, as more athletes successfully swap meat for plants, the…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK homes receive traceable renewable energy through P2P exchange

    Households across the UK have been the first to sign up as part of a new peer-to-peer (P2P) energy exchange programme to receive traceable renewable energy from local sources.  The programme - a collaboration between Rebel Energy and UrbanChain - aims to provide 100 per cent green energy to British homes and drive the country's energy transition amid a cost-of-living crisis.  More than 3,000 homes have already joined this new form of energy provision and will be able to trace the source of their energy to the UK site where it was produced, via a "unique" AI and blockchain platform, the company has revealed. Rebel Energy will supply energy while UrbanChain runs the P2P exchange.  “The only way to move the energy transition forward is to decentralise the generation of energy," said Dan…

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