• Government disputes £330bn price tag for net-zero infrastructure

    A report published in March, commissioned by the trade association for energy infrastructure companies, BEAMA – found that without this level of investment “the prospect of electric vehicles not being changed, heat pumps not having sufficient power, or renewable generation not connecting are real possibilities”. As part of the government’s net-zero drive, up to 30 million electric vehicle chargers and 20 million heat pumps or hybrid systems could be required by 2050. This could increase electricity demand by more than 70 per cent, according to the report, which was drawn up by the independent not-for-profit group Catapult Energy Systems. To cater for this increased demand, Catapult Energy Systems said a rapid growth in local and distribution lines and cables is required. Without active…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Sponsored: Low Voltage Circuit Breaker Testing and the role of new software

    Most of today’s circuit breakers designed for simple protection functions in final distribution applications are non-adjustable, so they do not require any unique configuration. However, circuit breakers designed for LV applications above 100 A in main switchboards  typically integrate protection for many fault conditions, like overload, short circuit, and earth fault. Many of these breakers configure to coordinate protection between each other – using selectivity and cascading – to help minimise impacts of electrical faults while preserving supply continuity for the rest of a facility. Circuit breakers offering this level of protection and reliability have adjustable settings that need configuration. During the design phase of a new facility, upgrade, or expansion,…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Could AI protect renewable energy sources on the grid?

    According to experts, solar panels and wind turbines, now projected to produce 44 per cent of America’s electricity by 2050, present cyber-security challenges. Many of these renewables have sensors, controllers, actuators or inverters that are directly or indirectly connected to the internet, and they’re distributed far and wide across the country and the countryside. Many have insecure connectivity to legacy electric grid systems, therefore making them subject to advanced persistent threats. More of these systems will also be online over the next few years. So there’s a need for cyber-security systems that “prevent, detect and mitigate” attacks on renewable sources sending power to the grid, said Gelli Ravikumar, a research assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at…

  • Why businesses must cultivate an innovation-centric culture

    Staying competitive in today’s tech-first climate requires businesses to innovate continuously. But innovation is no longer a linear project that can be mapped out and approached piecemeal. Instead, companies must be ready to act quickly and adapt their strategy as demand changes and external factors come into play. Many businesses are struggling to keep up, with just 6 per cent of executives saying they are satisfied with their organisation’s innovation performance. A lot of companies are still playing it too safe and focusing on the specifics of delivery timelines and dates, lines of codes and tickets, when they should be thinking more broadly about how their product will land in the market. Truly successful innovation is only possible when businesses see product development as part…

  • A third of people in the UK are open to using robots, survey says

    A new national survey commissioned by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network has shed light on the UK population's current attitude towards robotics technology. The research revealed many Brits are still unsure about what exactly constitutes a 'robot', and the potential ways in which the technology could aid our everyday lives. “This year’s survey has uncovered some quite surprising responses about what people consider to be robots and robotic technology, and raises some really interesting questions about our relationship to this technology as it develops,” said EPSRC UK-RAS network chair Professor Robert Richardson. Robots are defined as automated machines that can successfully execute specific tasks with little or no human intervention. When asked to name a…

  • Book review: ‘Artificial Communication’ by Elena Esposito

    When it comes to the algorithms that work with deep learning and big data there’s a strange paradox emerging, says Elena Esposito in ‘Artificial Communication’ (The MIT Press, £22.50, ISBN 9780262046664). The better they become at driving cars, composing music and scanning books, the more our discomfort increases. You only have to type an email or peck at a text to find that the untrustworthy predictive text of yesteryear has given way to a spookily accurate set of suggestions about what your next word might be in your linear narrative. Or even how to complete your sentence. This eerie feeling of machines or software behaving in a way that’s too similar to our own human thought processes has given rise to the expression ‘uncanny valley’. Esposito, who is a professor of sociology working in…

  • The eccentric engineer: dreaming up the sewing machine

    Elias Howe had dreams of a career in the textile industry and became an apprentice in a textile factory in 1835. However, his ambitions did not pan out quite as he had hoped. Just two years into his apprenticeship, the financial panic of 1837 bankrupted his factory, and he was forced to move to Cambridge Massachusetts, where he worked in a carding factory before finding an apprenticeship with a master engineer who specialised in the construction and repair of scientific instruments. The combination of working in precision engineering and a background in cloth production seems to have inspired Howe’s great idea. He would invent a machine for sewing. There was a problem with this, of course. The sewing machine had already been invented – lots of times. The first patented machine appeared in…

  • View from India: New job avenues in the offing

    The PM’s announcement seems like a breather for the employment sector but it could also be an opportunity for those seeking employment to up-skill and re-skill their digital working knowledge. Remote working could also be part of the upcoming agenda. Newer openings in the departments and ministries may even open up indirect avenues. For instance, collaborations with the private sector or startups for outsourcing work are likely to happen. Allied services may be required to support the ecosystem. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics and automation may be leveraged for precision and accuracy in operations. Better employment options could translate into economic growth; the multiplier effect could be a move towards the PM’s vision of a US$5tn economy…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Almost 400 automated vehicle crashes reported in the USA in the last year

    The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revealed that carmakers reported nearly 400 crashes involving automated vehicles in the last 11 months. Tesla alone reported 273 crashes.  The regulator asked manufacturers to report crashes involving these cars from July 2021 through to 15 May this year, with the goal of examining the status of the technology in detail for the first time. After publishing the findings, the authority cautioned against using the numbers to compare automakers, saying it didn't weigh them by the number of vehicles from each manufacturer that uses the systems, or how many miles those vehicles travelled. "As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are…

  • Spanish airline reserves Airlander 10 blimps for 2026 passenger service

    The 44m wide and 26m high airship was originally developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft. The US later scrapped the programme due to defence funding cuts, prompting Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) to redesign and redevelop the craft for civilian purposes. However, in 2016, during what was supposed to be the beginning of 200 hours of test flights, the prototype aircraft crashed setting back its commercial deployment. The Airlander 10 fleet is now set for initial operations across Spain from 2026, with production of the aircraft expected to start this year in South Yorkshire. Air Nostrum said the project would create “thousands of skilled jobs in green aerospace technologies” as well as supporting the UK government’s levelling up agenda in the region. The reservation…

  • ‘People still think of sensors as devices that will steal their data’

    By 2025 there will probably be a trillion sensors on the planet. It’s not an exact figure, but for Chris Slater it hardly matters: they’re going to outnumber humans by orders of magnitude. What matters more to the author of ‘Sensing Machines’ is that the public – who are becoming more reliant on the interconnected world of sensing devices – don’t really understand them. “People still think of sensors as devices that will steal their data. But they’re just transducers that take a signal out of the world and change it into another form of energy so that a computer can read it.” What people are thinking of, he says, is the machines connected to the sensors; they’re thinking about the corporations that harvest data to create wealth. For Salter, sensors are the bridge that provides the interface…

  • Book review: ‘Elon Musk: Risking it All’ by Michael Vlismas

    It’s a safe bet that there will be barely a single reader of E&T who has not heard the name of arguably the most famous person in the world of technology today. But let’s imagine for a minute that there is; asking the question that journalist Michael Vlismas has set out to answer - who is Elon Musk? The short response is readily available on virtually any newsfeed you care to consult, for the co-founder and CEO of Tesla – depending on how you measure it, probably the richest human on Earth – can’t be accused of staying out of the limelight. The longer answer comes in the form of ‘Elon Musk: Risking it All’ (Icon Books (£14.99, ISBN 9781776191857), which depicts the entrepreneur as a boundary-pushing tech-cult billionaire. He’s also a trigger-happy tweeter with a ‘will he/won’t he?’ starring…

  • UK plans £1bn insulation scheme for low-income homes

    The UK government is reportedly working on a project to help low-income households insulate their homes, in order to protect them from the cost of living crisis. The plans would require the government to remove £1bn in funding from other initiatives in order to expand the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which helps fuel-poor customers insulate their homes. The expansion is expected to allow middle-income households to access the programme. According to The Times, the funds necessary for the project might be taken out of the Public Sector Decarbonisation scheme, which aims to increase the energy efficiency of schools, hospitals and other public buildings. “The fastest and simplest way to tackle the cost-of-living crisis is to invest in insulation which has the potential to save £150…

  • Breakthrough material opens door to remote-activated pills for healthcare

    Developed by researchers from Chalmers University in Sweden, the material is a polymer surface that changes state from capturing to releasing biomolecules when an electric pulse is introduced. The material also functions in biological fluids with a buffering capacity, in other words fluids with the ability to counteract changes in the pH value. This property paves the way for the creation of a new technique for implants and electronic 'pills' that release the medicine into the body via electronic activation. “You can imagine a doctor, or a computer program, measuring the need for a new dose of medicine in a patient, and a remote-controlled signal activating the release of the drug from the implant located in the very tissue or organ where it’s needed,” said Gustav Ferrand-Drake del Castillo…

  • When it comes to tackling climate risk, knowledge is power

    The World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Risks Report places ‘climate action failure’ as the most severe threat to the world over the next ten years. In addition to the escalating public health and ecosystem impacts, climate change presents significant financial risk to the global economy. Across the board, governments, businesses and financial markets need clear, comprehensive, high-quality information on the effects of climate change to provide decision support for implementing mitigation and resilience strategies. Expectations from stakeholders and investors to disclose climate-related financial risks means organisations not only need to assess their impact on the climate, but also the impact of the climate on their assets, under various future climate scenarios. Failure to effectively assess…

  • Microsoft retires Internet Explorer browser after 27 years

    Almost 27 after the first version of Internet Explorer greeted users’ screens, Microsoft has disabled the web browser. Released in 1995, Internet Explorer was once the dominant internet browser, achieving a 95 per cent share of the market in 2004. However, since then, its usage has shrivelled, having been overtaken by other browsers such as Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari and Mozilla Firefox, which adapted better to the mobile world. Microsoft first announced its intention to retire the browser in August 2021, when it first revealed that Internet Explorer 11 was no longer supported in Windows 10 and Microsoft 365. In a submission sent to an Australian competition regulator, Microsoft said its decision to retire Internet Explorer was largely due to the fact web developers were less likely…

  • Sponsored: Consider the anti-glare angles for outdoor displays

    The characteristics of TFT displays mean they have become a common feature in our everyday lives. The displays are low in energy consumption and slim, making them convenient and versatile for a wide variety of applications. In the course of a single day, it is usual to come into contact with several as we use our mobile phone, our desktop computer, buy lunch using a supermarket’s automatic checkout and when watching TV at the end of the day. The technology is also popular because it delivers a sharp image with good contrast and clarity of image. However, all of the TFT displays examples mentioned above are indoors. There are many examples where a slim, high resolution display is required to be in an outdoor setting, for example transport information and ticket kiosks. Large TFT displays are…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from Brussels: JUPITER ascending

    Brussels continues to try and up its tech game so that it can compete with Asia and the United States, whether that be through big investments in quantum computing research or sweet tax perks aimed at luring big microchip producers to Europe. This week, the EU’s high-performance computing division announced that sites have been chosen for the next generation of supercomputers. The jewel in the crown will be an exascale-level device known as JUPITER, which will be built at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in north-west Germany. Once up and running in 2023, JUPITER will be capable of performing more than 1 quintillion arithmetic calculations every second, which will place it third in the global ranking, ahead of LUMI, a pre-exascale unit in Finland that is currently Europe’s most powerful…

  • Thermoelectric ink paves way to battery-free IoT devices

    Thermoelectricity is the direct conversion of heat to electricity. It’s possible to capture the heat that a device generates and convert to power that can be used by the same device, or another device.  Researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm report that they have developed a promising blend of thermoelectric coating for devices that generate heat.  When one end of a thermoelectric material is heated up, charge carriers (electrons and holes) move away from the hot end towards the cold end, resulting in an electric current.   Researcher Muhammet Toprak said his team focused on the design and development of hybrid thermoelectric materials for room-temperature operations, which integrates solid-state semiconductors with flexible materials such as polymers, to formulate…

  • Malaysia considers Korean-built maglev for city transport

    In an official statement posted on Facebook, Dr Wee Ka Siong said he had been given a presentation on the plan during a recent courtesy visit from senior representatives of several major South Korean businesses, including Hyundai Corporation and train-maker Hyundai Rotem, electrical equipment manufacturer EP Korea and Maglev MKC. Dr Wee was accompanied by the CEO of Malaysia’s principal railway operator, KTMB, and the transport ministry’s rail director. He said the briefing on plans for a maglev system for the Putrajaya area was given by EP Korea’s railway senior MD Yoo Jai Tark. South Korea has practical experience of the technology, as Incheon International Airport is served by a 6km maglev line that opened to the public in 2016, using ‘Ecobee’ trains built by Hyundai Rotem. Development…

  • Technology versus the waste mafia

    “Our goal for waste crime is very simple: stop it. That’s an audacious ambition, about which we are totally unapologetic,” said a determined Sir James Bevan in a stirring speech to the waste industry earlier this year. Bevan, who is chief executive of the Environment Agency (EA), noted that waste crime costs the economy around £1bn each year and attracts organised criminals, who invest their ill-gotten proceeds into cycles of violence. This is because rewards are high – often greater than robbery, drug dealing or contract killing – and the chances of being caught “have always been relatively low, and the penalties if you are caught traditionally light”, he said. The EA is talking tough. Yet the concern is that six years ago Bevan made a similar speech, in which he famously likened waste…

  • Vodafone switches on ‘self-powering’ mobile mast in Welsh countryside

    The mast - located in Pembrokeshire, Wales - also incorporates a wind turbine, solar panels and on-site battery storage so that it can operate in remote areas without a good electricity supply. It will provide 4G coverage to the community of Eglwyswrw and is one of the initiatives that Vodafone is taking to meet its target of net zero UK operations by 2027. The specially designed mast will improve connectivity in ‘not-spots’ in the UK’s most remote and inaccessible locations and could help the industry achieve its stated goal of 95 per cent coverage of the UK landmass by 2025. Vodafone also said that every area of its business in the UK – including its network, data centres, retail stores and offices – is now 100 per cent powered by electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar…

  • Scientists study use volcanic ash to develop cement and concrete

    A research team based at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has found that  volcanic ashes are sufficiently reactive to be applied in the manufacture of several types of cement. The samples were taken from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the island of La Palma, which erupted in September 2021 for 85 days, after lying dormant for over 50 years.  The ashes produced by each volcano are distinctively different, according to researchers, and the relative youth of the samples from La Palma could make the ashes have characteristics that could be leveraged by the construction sector to support its decarbonisation efforts.  "To date, we have carried out physical, chemical, mineralogical and mechanical tests, and the results show that these volcanic ashes meet the regulatory requirements…

  • Shape-shifting drone both flies and dives to study aquatic environments

    The ‘dual robot’ drone – developed at Imperial College London and tested at Empa and the aquatic research institute Eawag in Switzerland – has successfully measured water in lakes for signs of microorganisms and algal blooms, which can pose hazards to human health. The drone could be used in future to monitor climate clues such as temperature changes in Arctic seas. The researchers developed the drone to boost the ability to quickly deploy monitoring drones to aquatic environments. The unique design, called 'Multi-Environment Dual robot for Underwater Sample Acquisition' (Medusa), could also help monitor and maintain offshore infrastructure such as underwater energy pipelines and floating wind turbines. Professor Mirko Kovac, principal investigator on the project and director of the Aerial…

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