• Concrete innovation: new ways of using a tried and tested material

    Image credit: cover images The OPod Tube Housing system, brainchild of architect James Law, is a potential solution to chronic overcrowding. The tiny tube houses, designed for one or two people, are made from repurposed concrete water pipes that weigh 20 tonnes, measure 2.5 metres in diameter, and provide a little over nine square metres of living space. Amenities include a living room with a bench that converts into a bed, a bathroom, a shower and storage space. Image credit: cover images The dark façade of this super-sleek volunteer fire station in the tiny Italian town of Margreid was made using a composite of concrete and...

  • Why social mission matters

    Be under no illusion. If you think that here is another book about modern corporate sustainability practices creaking under the weight of its own worthiness, then it’s time to think again. This is because author of ‘Business on a Mission’, Andy Last, is categorically clear on why today’s organisations need to have a social mission: “It will help you to improve the performance of your business.” Make more money? “Yes.” Last says it doesn’t matter what area of commerce you are in – though he’s happy to link his ideas to the engineering and technology space. If you want your corporation to succeed in a changing post-pandemic digital landscape, you need to be able to demonstrate that your business is fit for purpose in the modern world. “There are two megatrends that are changing the way we do…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Online Safety Bill to be laid before Parliament in internet safety drive

    The legislation aims to establish a framework for online regulation which upholds freedom of expression whilst also making the internet safe from child predators, extremists and other bad actors - a tricky balance for governments and social media companies to strike. The long-delayed Bill was finally published in draft form last May and proposes significant fines for companies which fail to deal with online abuse as well as possible criminal prosecution for executives. It will require social media platforms, search engines and other apps and websites allowing people to post their own content to protect children, tackle illegal activity and uphold their stated terms and conditions. Ofcom will be tasked with enforcing the new rules and imposing fines on firms when required to do so, either…

  • UK to provide €2.1bn to fund high-speed electric railway line in Turkey

    UK Export Finance, which supports overseas projects, said nine-figure contracts will be awarded to UK rail suppliers as a condition of UK support. It is the UK’s biggest ever sustainable, civil infrastructure deal and it will help Turkey finance major climate-friendly projects and meet its COP26 commitments. It is the first UK-supported rail transaction in Turkey for over 160 years, and forms part of Turkey’s plan to transform high-speed rail in the country. The new 503km electric-powered railway line will connect Ankara, Turkey’s capital, to the port-side city of Izmir. When complete, the new line will provide a faster, lower-carbon alternative to current air and road routes between the two cities. UK companies are expected to supply British-made railway lines, point machines, fasteners…

  • View from Brussels: EU reacts to crisis with record speed

    Ukraine’s government has wanted to integrate its power systems – both literal and figurative – with the EU’s for a number of years now. It is in fact part of the rationale behind Vladimir Putin’s unlawful and brutal invasion of Russia’s southwestern neighbour. But the meshing together of the continental electricity grid with Ukraine’s was seen as a long-term project. Regulators on both sides had a lot of work to do beforehand with testing and upgrading infrastructure that has been in place since the Soviet era. The EU in particular did not want to rush the process in case Ukraine's huge grid caused problems from the rest of the system. War changes everything though, and this week Europe’s association of network transmission operators (ENTSO-E) announced that the work was already complete…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Postcode history goes on show

    Visitors can try their hands at coding post, and an original 1950s ELSIE electronic sorting unit derived from wartime code-breaking technology will be on display, along with previously unseen 19th-century maps of London. Public use of postcodes for machine sorting was first trialled in Norwich in 1959. When the scheme was rolled out nationwide, the three-letter NOR code was replaced by two letters and a number. Image credit: Royal Mail Group, Courtesy Of The Postal Museum Visitors to the Postal Museum can take a ride on Mail Rail, the narrow-gauge underground railway that once kept the mail coursing through London for 22 hours every day. Image credit...

  • New tool could lead to more efficient ways to capture carbon

    Such carbon-capture technology, developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, may help limit global warming this century to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures and fend off the catastrophic effects of global climate change. The method predicts how strong the bond will be between carbon dioxide and the molecule that traps it, known as a binder. Experts can easily apply this electrochemical diagnosis to any molecule that is chemically inclined to bind with carbon dioxide, allowing researchers to identify suitable molecular candidates with which to capture carbon dioxide from the air. “The Holy Grail, if you will, is to inch toward being able to use binders that can grab carbon dioxide from the air [around us], not just concentrated sources,” said Oana Luca, assistant…

  • Teardown: Right to repair

    The right-to-repair movement finally began to get some traction last year. The UK introduced its law last summer, although it does not yet include consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets and computers. France, however, did include handsets in its legislation, which came into law at the beginning of 2021. These need to carry a repairability score in stores and online, and manufacturers must commit to supplying replacement parts in a timely way. Elsewhere, right-to-repair regulation is advancing at both state and federal level in the US and Germany. In spring last year, the EU introduced regulations that require manufacturers to support repairs for a minimum of 10 years, although the thorny issue of who carries them out has been effectively devolved to how member states interpret…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • How to grow concrete and other building materials

    Concrete is the most widely used man-made material, and second only to water as the most-consumed resource on Earth. Incredibly, 7.3 billion cubic metres of concrete is poured every year, accounting for 8 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. While greener concrete may help curb some of the environmental damage done by our favourite building material, we will probably need even more of it. After all, our growing global population, which is expected to top 9.7 billion by 2050, will need new homes and we will need efficient ways to maintain current houses and infrastructure too. Self-healing concrete is one part of the solution to this global challenge. Engineers have developed forms of it that contain capsules which release a healing agent to fix cracks when they are split open. Using this…

  • Tiny sensors designed to float in the wind like dandelion seeds

    Wireless sensors can monitor how temperature, humidity or other environmental conditions vary across large swaths of land, such as farms or forests. These tools could be used for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and monitoring climate change. One problem, however, is that it is currently time-consuming and expensive to physically place hundreds of sensors across a large area. The Washington team developed a sensor-carrying device that can be blown by the wind as it tumbles toward the ground. This system is about 30 times as heavy as a 1mg dandelion seed but can still travel up to 100 metres in a moderate breeze from where it is released by a drone. Once on the ground, the device, which can hold at least four sensors, uses solar panels to power its onboard electronics…

  • Stackable ‘Holobricks’ used to create giant 3D displays

    The holobrick proof-of-concept can tile holograms together to form a large seamless 3D image. A 2D full HD display needs an information data rate of about three gigabits per second, but a 3D display of the same resolution would require a rate of three terabits per second, which is not yet available. “Delivering an adequate 3D experience using the current technology is a huge challenge,” said Professor Daping Chu from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research. “Over the past ten years, we’ve been working with our industrial partners to develop holographic displays which allow the simultaneous realisation of large size and large field-of-view, which needs to be matched with a hologram with a large optical information content.” Reconstructed holographic…

  • DNA-based bio-batteries make powerful progress in lab tests

    Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists are working on the bio batteries in a collaborative project with Touchlight Genetics, the Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) from the US Department of Defense, and the University of Utah. Dstl’s synthetic biology lead Petra Oyston explained: “The current battery technology that our soldiers are using is containing a lot of energy in chemical format, and if that battery gets shot for example it’s going to explode and burst into flames. “Our bio-battery is made out of DNA, enzymes, lactate and water. If you shot it it would just go splat, so there’s a significant safety benefit.” The concept behind the batteries is to degrade a naturally occurring product such as lactate, using enzymes bound to a DNA structural scaffold. The…

  • Shenzhen shut down as China’s Covid cases double

    China's National Health Commission said 3,507 new locally spread cases had been identified in the latest 24-hour period, up from 1,337 a day earlier. A fast-spreading variant known as 'Stealth Omicron' – the B.A.2 lineage of the Omicron variant – is testing China’s zero-tolerance strategy, which has previously kept the virus at bay after a deadly initial outbreak in early 2020. Most of the new cases were in north-east China’s Jilin province, where 2,601 were reported. Smaller outbreaks have occurred around the country, including in the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. At the weekend, China’s government responded to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down the southern business centre and manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted…

  • Moon Gallery aboard ISS welcomes artworks from Singapore

    Researchers successfully launched the two artefacts into space recently as part of a test flight by the Moon Gallery and will come back to Earth after 10 months. Currently comprising 64 artworks made by artists all around the world, the Moon Gallery will eventually comprise 100 artworks. Astronauts also plan to place this collection on the Moon by 2025. The new artworks are two metal cubes featuring unique artworks, each measuring 0.98cm all around, designed by Singaporean artist and architect Lakshmi Mohanbabu, who sought to create new artworks using technology and to revolve around concepts of unity, diversity and complexity in humankind. Both cubes were borne out of a partnership between Lakshmi and scientists from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), supported…

  • Method for recycling wind turbine blades almost ‘waste-free’

    According to the researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, the extracted materials can then be reused and the process is virtually waste-free. Wind turbine blades made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminate composites can serve for up to 25 years, but after that they typically end up in landfills. The material is recognised as hard-to-break-down and has become a real challenge for the renewable energy industry. It is estimated that wind turbine blades account for 10 per cent of Europe’s fibre-reinforced composite material waste. Concerns have been raised that with the increase in renewable facilities, wind turbine blade waste will increase to around two million tonnes globally by 2050. With many countries banning composite materials from their landfills…

  • Merger between Norton and Avast paused over competition concerns

    The US-based NortonLifeLock had been planning to purchase UK firm Avast for £6bn but the CMA is now considering an “in-depth investigation” into the merger before the transaction is allowed to continue. Both firms offer cyber safety software to consumers under a variety of different brands. Products include antivirus software (also known as endpoint security software), privacy software (such as VPNs) and identity protection software. As the companies are close competitors, with few other significant rivals, the CMA said it was concerned that if completed, the proposed deal could lead to a reduction in competition in the UK market. This could lead to UK consumers getting a worse deal when looking for cyber safety software in the future, it added. David Stewart, CMA executive director…

  • Tens of thousands of home EV chargers could be dangerous

    The report, which was not made public but has been seen by E&T, was compiled last summer by the Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies (Cenex) for the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). It shows that of the 371 audits carried out on electric vehicle chargepoints (EVCP) installed as part of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), 66 were found to have dangerous or potentially dangerous issues in one or more categories. This represents 17.8 per cent of the installations audited. Of all the new chargepoint installations carried out, only 32 per cent were recorded as satisfactory. The findings prompted transport minister Rachel Maclean to write to all installers registered on the scheme to warn them that if necessary “we will remove companies and individuals…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The smart solutions to ageing UK healthcare infrastructure

    In October 2020, the UK's National Health Service released its ambitious strategy [PDF] to become the world’s first 'net zero' national health service. Even amid the myriad pressures of coronavirus, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens made clear that the climate emergency is one of the most significant health issues to be tackled. In his words: “With poor environmental health contributing to major diseases, including cardiac problems, asthma and cancer, our efforts must be accelerated.” As the largest employer in Britain, responsible for around 4 per cent of the nation's carbon emissions, it is clear that the will for a net-zero NHS is there. At the same time, with an ageing population and constant concerns over the costs of delivering high-quality care, the NHS is facing a perfect storm of…

  • When building preservation gets ugly (or beautiful)

    Brutalist buildings aren’t meant to be brutal. In fact, their name arguably comes from modernist architects’ love of béton brut or raw concrete, which to Le Corbusier and co was the epitome of modern elegance. Brutalist buildings are perhaps best characterised by their minimalist, angular constructions that showcase their structural elements and building materials, such as concrete, brick, steel, timber, and glass, but the definition is even disputed by architects. What is certain is that these bold buildings were intended to fulfil a need for affordable housing following the Second World War and help regenerate bombed cities. However, some people came to associate Brutalist buildings with totalitarianism. The architectural style dominates in parts of the USSR and, unlike the Berlin Wall…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Intel picks Germany for Silicon Junction

    Intel has picked Magdeburg, a city in the north of Germany, as the destination for a mega fab that will employ 3000 specialists with an initial investment of €17bn. The site will represent what Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger called the Silicon Junction for its ambitions on the continent. In announcing the decision, which is the result of a project to find a suitable European site for around a year and which comes a matter of weeks after the European Union unveiled its €43bn Chips Act, Gelsinger said a new fab needed to be built around an existing ecosystem. The German fab will not be far from an existing chipmaking hub Dresden as well as the leading supplier of lithography equipment ASML in The Netherlands.   In a video made for the announcement, Gelsinger said details of the financial support…

  • Airlines and airports scrap Covid restrictions as infections rise

    The UK is one of the first major economies to remove all its remaining travel restrictions even though Covid infections are on the rise once again. The last week has seen a 25 per cent increase in cases to over 170,000, with hospitalisations also rising over 10 per cent. From this Friday, all travel restrictions will be lifted, including the passenger locator form for arrivals into UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated. The change removes the need for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and a 'day two' post-arrival test. The government said the changes are being implemented due to the success of the vaccine rollout, with 86 per cent of the population now having received a second dose and 67 per cent with a booster or third dose. Face…

  • How to create an effective digital transformation roadmap

    An effective DX strategy is vital for those working across today’s energy value chain. This guide explains the steps businesses must take to create value, secure long-term ROI and deliver lasting change as the industry moves to a more distributed model. Key Learning Points: Understand what’s needed to create an effective DX strategy Recognise common mistakes that others have made when embarking on a DX programme Have the ability to design a roadmap that creates value, improves performance and futureproofs an organisation Download free whitepaper

  • UK to make ‘big bets’ on nuclear power in move away from Russian oil

    Last week, the government committed to phase out Russian oil by the end of the year in response to Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine. Writing in the Telegraph , Johnson said that his government wanted to “exploit the potential” of renewable energy technologies including tidal power, hydro and geothermal energy but that consistent baseload electricity generation could be met with nuclear when renewables aren’t generating. The strategy would include small modular reactors as well as more traditional, larger power stations. “It was the UK that first split the atom. It was the UK that had the world’s first civilian nuclear power plant. It is time we recovered our lead,” Johnson wrote. Just last month, the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation approved the design for a new nuclear power…

  • Hoverfly brains inspire method for detecting distant drones

    Autonomous systems experts from the University of South Australia (UniSA), Flinders University and defence company Midspar Systems say that trials using bio-inspired signal-processing techniques show up to a 50 per cent better detection rate than existing methods. The findings could help combat the growing global threat posed by IED-carrying drones, including in Ukraine. Anthony Finn, UniSA professor of autonomous systems, said that insect vision systems have been mapped for some time now to improve camera-based detections, but this is the first time that bio-vision has been applied to acoustic data. “Bio-vision processing has been shown to greatly increase the detection range of drones in both visual and infrared data. However, we have now shown we can pick up clear and crisp acoustic…

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