• When AI needs to work smarter, not harder

    It has been suggested recently that we are living in a ‘quantocracy’ – a society defined by the idea that everything must be counted and judged based on how many of something we have accumulated. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, more is usually deemed to be better. This school of thought has quickly infiltrated every aspect of our lives, including conversations around data. Today it is broadly assumed and accepted that the more data we have at our disposal, the more useful – and financially beneficial – it is. Ethical concerns aside, such an assumption sounds reasonable. The potent mix of unlimited data, powerful processing power and deep pockets should, in theory, enable us to understand every challenge facing society, and this would make the world an easier place to navigate. In practice…

  • MWC still feeling the effects of Covid

    Prior to the pandemic, many of the world’s biggest smartphone OEMs would announce their new flagship devices either at the conference hall itself or at another nearby venue in Barcelona.  However, Samsung - undoubtedly Android’s biggest player - chose to forgo this tradition in 2022 and instead announced the Galaxy S22 at its own event three weeks earlier. While the Korean firm still had a presence at MWC and unveiled some new laptops, the decision to keep the S22 reveal to itself put a dampener on the proceedings. With Sony also making the decision to pull out in January (in a decision branded as “disappointing” by the organisers), the only major new products announced were from mid-tier OEMs Honor and Realme. With the loss of major announcements, as well as the continuing threat of a…

  • Europe’s joint Mars mission with Russia ‘very unlikely’ due to war in Ukraine

    The space agency said that after a meeting of officials from its 22 member states, it was assessing the consequences of sanctions for its cooperation with Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. “The sanctions and the wider context make a launch in 2022 very unlikely,” for the Europe-Russia ExoMars rover mission, the agency said in a statement. "We deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the war in Ukraine. "We are giving absolute priority to taking proper decisions, not only for the sake of our workforce involved in the programmes, but in full respect of our European values, which have always fundamentally shaped our approach to international cooperation." The launch had already been postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and also because of technical problems.…

  • Qualcomm unveils new chips with next-gen WiFi and Bluetooth support

    The new chips will include Qualcomm's 'FastConnect 7800' platform which will allow them to support the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard, which isn’t even expected to be formalised until 2024 at the earliest. The firm said the chips would be the “world’s first” with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility which will enable new performance benchmarks with peak speeds of 5.8Gbps and sub-2 millisecond latency. It also includes support for 'High Band Simultaneous' technology, which is capable of utilising both 5 and 6GHz spectrum bands concurrently in order to keep latency to an absolute minimum. For consumers, the low latency features may be most keenly utilised by online gamers, where even split-second delays can make the difference in victories. The technology is also useful for firms leveraging Industry 4.0, which…

  • Digital finance doesn’t reduce inequality but perpetuates it, says study

    Previous research has suggested that digital financial services have the potential to improve access to money and reduce income inequalities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many administrations have moved to mobile money or digital payments. For example, the government of Rwanda has increased the use of digital cash transfers, while Senegal has expanded the use of mobile money and lowered fees for these services. But who takes part in these programmes and whether they have the potential to reach the most vulnerable depends on the distribution of digital financial services, according to a recent paper in Oxford Open Economics. The research addresses this topic by studying how physical infrastructure and mobile phone network quality, as well as individual characteristics like education,…

  • Shetland Islands spaceport ready for launch by end of 2022

    The Lamba Ness peninsular in Unst will be home to the £43m spaceport, with builders set to start work in late March, after Shetland Islands Council gave the project planning permission. Three launchpads will be built at the SaxaVord spaceport, allowing for the launch of small satellites into either polar or Sun-synchronous low-Earth orbits. The company is aiming to launch 30 rockets a year and has set the target of seeing its first orbital launch from UK soil after the third quarter of this year. Frank Strang, chief executive, SaxaVord Spaceport, said: “Our team will collectively do everything in its power to ensure we can deliver this historic mission for Shetland, Scotland, and the UK.” After the initial build costs, the company is expected to spend £100m at the port in the next five…

  • View from India: Reimagine businesses, become resilient

    Building resilience is essential for the manufacturing industry to prepare itself for contingencies. “Resilience is more important than what we think, it may be understood as something that enables companies to have a competitive advantage, build scale and chalk out newer opportunities. Resilience could mean that companies have to adapt to change and become agile to reimagine businesses,” said Martin Reeves, Managing Director and Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group, USA, at the CII Manufacturing Conclave 2022. When businesses are reimagined, they could factor in risk mitigation measures in the supply chain. Like the proverbial belief that it’s not wise to put all eggs into one basket, goods procurement need to be diversified rather than relying on a single source. Along with this, procedures…

  • Honor unveils Magic4 Pro phone and thermometer earbuds at MWC

    In 2019, Huawei was added to the US entity list by President Donald Trump which effectively blacklisted American firms such as Google from working with it. This hamstrung both Huawei and Honor’s smartphone business in the West as they could not run the Google Play Store or other key Google services, such as Maps and Gmail. This inevitably led to some rickety smartphone launches, such as the Honor 20 in May 2019 which made no mention of what operating system it would be running. Image credit: Jack Loughran Last year, Honor separated from Huawei, allowing it to once again work with Google and other US firms. This year’s MWC in Barcelona is the firm’s first major in-person event since going it alone and it is taking the opportunity to showcase devices that are yet again…

  • ‘An atlas of human suffering’ - UN report issues stark warning on climate change

    Already some of the impacts of global warming are irreversible, as nature and humans are pushed to the limits of their ability to adapt to rising temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said. In the second part of its report, released today, comprising a global assessment of climate science, the UN body looked at the impacts of, and vulnerabilities to, climate change and adaptation to global warming. The first part of the report, labelled a “ code red for humanity ” when it was published in August 2021 ahead of COP26, examined the physical basis of climate change. The third part will set out solutions to the crisis when it is published later this year. The study is the sixth such assessment the UN body has conducted, with the most recent one being back in 2013…

  • The Mar Menor: Action at last to save a dying sea

    The largest permanent saltwater lagoon in Europe is very sick, says 71-year-old campaigner Isabel Rubio, and what is so sad is that the devastation has been caused by human greed. For the people living and working near the Mar Menor, “it is as if we have suddenly found ourselves living next to a garbage dump,” she says, fighting back tears. The devastation of the lagoon is one of the greatest ecological collapses in Europe, in what was once one of the most beautiful areas of Spain. Rubio has lost hope that the protected body of water that juts out into the Mediterranean in the south-east of Spain will be restored in her lifetime, but says she will fight “to her last breath” in the hope that one day it may be healed. As a child, Rubio would spend her summers swimming in the crystal-clear…

  • View from Brussels: Killing the EU’s sacred cows

    Not so long ago, the EU was unsure whether or not to bail out one of its own member states – Greece – during the very worst of the financial crisis. In the end, help came with severe austerity measures attached and bred anti-EU sentiment across the country. It quite rightfully prompted many Brussels-watchers to conclude that the EU is crippled by its own institutional architecture and too turgid to get anything meaningful done. Countless other decisions made in the following years only confirmed that analysis. Lately, that conclusion is failing to hold water. Yesterday, EU leaders said that they would spend €500 million of the bloc’s security budget on weapons and supplies for Ukraine. This is the very first time that Brussels will fund arms support for a non-member that is currently…

  • Unions call for regulation to protect workers from surveillance technology

    According to research conducted by the TUC, most workers say they have experienced surveillance in the past year and overwhelmingly support stronger regulation. The computer scandal that saw some sub-postmasters wrongly jailed must be a turning point on uncritical use of worker-monitoring tech, the union organisation said. “The Post Office scandal must be a turning point,” said TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady. “Nobody should have their livelihood taken away by technology.” The TUC also warned technologies could lead to widespread discrimination, work intensification, and unfair treatment if left unchecked. “Employers are delegating serious decisions to algorithms, such as recruitment, promotions, and sometimes even sackings,” O’Grady said. The TUC said surveillance can include…

  • Smart city benefits will rely on public confidence

    A ‘smart city’ is a connected, reflexive and adaptable jurisdiction that can prepare for and respond to citizens’ needs rapidly and precisely. It doesn’t even have to be a city as such; we might also call it ‘joined-up local government’. With so many opportunities to improve city and local government services, smart cities will continue to grow and be embraced across the United Kingdom. The trend towards truly smart cities has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted how connectivity and collaboration between organisations of all kinds are of vital importance to people’s welfare. As city operations continue to increase in complexity, it is imperative for the various organisations that make up a jurisdiction – including councils, health and emergency services – to improve…

  • Siemens unveils easy-to-deploy, sustainable EV-charging concept

    The industry-first sustainable charging solution enables quick installation at scale and easy expansion and maintenance to help meet the growing demand for EV-charging infrastructure, the company claims. The new VersiCharge XL concept (UL standard) was created to electrify new or existing parking lots and building structures quickly and efficiently by using a modular, scalable design made in partnership with Nexii Building Solutions using their proprietary, sustainable building material with low-carbon footprint. The solution, which resembles a modern-day fuelling station, was developed in late 2021 and installed in only three days at Siemens’ research and development hub for Electrical Products and eMobility solutions in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, USA. The product was rapidly developed…

  • Samsung snaps up most-shipped smartphone slot for 2021

    Apple, which has fewer handset models than its competitors, had consistently ranked first and second in previous quarters. Since Samsung's Galaxy A12 was first released in the fourth quarter of 2020, quarterly shipments from 2021 have consistently exceeded 10 million units, according to Omdia, despite occasional production shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic in India and Vietnam. On an annual basis, the Galaxy A12 recorded a total of 51.8 million units in 2021. This is Samsung's first model to have exceeded 50 million in a year with a single model and ranked first in terms of shipments among more than 1,000 smartphone models shipped worldwide. As competition with Chinese companies intensifies, Samsung has been strengthening its mid- and low-end lineup, integrating the low-end J series…

  • Why EV chargepoint operators need a best practice approach to cyber security

    The UK government’s unveiling at the COP26 climate change event in Glasgow last November of a new electric-vehicle (EV) chargepoint design developed by PA and the Royal College of Art brought EVs into sharp focus. A rapid scale-up in adoption of EVs will result in an explosion of new entrants to the chargepoint market to meet demand. But there’s a risk that the rush to meet net-zero timelines could leave cyber security as an afterthought. The infrastructure will likely be targeted by cyber attackers who will look to disrupt services for financial gain or simply impact national transport systems. PA established a set of cyber-security best practices to ensure that the design it developed with the Royal College of Art meets secure-by-design principles. These best practices draw on standards…

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    E+T Magazine

  • AI could worsen healthcare inequalities for UK minorities, study finds

    In a new paper, they provide several key recommendations including improving diversity in the AI industry and academia, and developing legislation and regulation to reduce bias in data and the systems that harness them. While data-driven technologies like AI can be utilised as powerful tools to diagnose and treat diseases such as skin cancer, they could inadvertently worsen the health inequalities experienced by minority ethnic groups if current challenges such as “biased algorithms, poor data collection and a lack of diversity in research and development are not urgently addressed”, the paper said. The findings were based on reviews of academic literature and policy evidence to identify the issues and opportunities for AI and data-driven technologies to improve the health and care of minority…

  • Major UK salad supplier on trial in Spain for environmental crimes

    Magistrates are prosecuting G’s España, a subsidiary of UK firm G’s Group, along with 36 other agricultural companies for the alleged use of illegal desalination plants, which they argue has contributed to the ecological collapse of the Mar Menor, the largest permanent saltwater lagoon in Europe. G’s España supplies salad to supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Lidl and Co-op. The company has 6,000 hectares of farmland in Murcia, Spain, where it grows fresh vegetables such as lettuce, radish and celery to keep UK supermarket shelves stocked in the winter. It imports more than 400 lorry-loads' worth of produce every week. In 2021, the company made sales amounting to more than £500m. Of almost 40 companies being investigated for “crimes against the environment…

  • Death by robot: automation increasing mortality rate for US adults

    The study found evidence of a causal link between automation and increasing mortality, driven largely by increased 'deaths of despair' such as suicides and drug overdoses. This is particularly true for males and females aged 45 to 54, according to the study. Researchers also found evidence of increased mortality across multiple age and sex groups from causes as varied as cancer and heart disease. Public policy, including strong social-safety-net programs, higher minimum wages and limiting the supply of prescription opioids could help blunt automation’s effects on a community’s health, the researchers concluded. “For decades, manufacturers in the United States have turned to automation to remain competitive in a global marketplace, but this technological innovation has reduced the number…

  • Sponsored: Tap into powerful continuous learning, for one and all

    The all-digital, all-electric world we live in poses new challenges for how we work. New technologies require engineers to redevelop their skills while changing regulations require constant monitoring and applied understanding. At the same time, customers are asking for the latest solutions. And, with critical requirements for sustainability and netzero efficiency alongside the need for robust cybersecurity, successful power professionals are constantly seeking ways to further their knowledge and upgrade their skills. With digitalisation, electrification and energy efficiency a priority across myriad industries, the need for highly skilled electric and power talent is essential. Skills will ensure economic growth while meeting the sustainability ambitions to secure our future. Take the…

  • China ramps up coal-based steel and power plants despite net-zero goals

    When mapping new coal power and steelmaking projects from 2021, CREA discovered that China is investing in more new projects than the rest of the world combined. Construction was started on 33GW of new coal power plants in 2021, the most since 2016 and almost three times as much as the rest of the world put together. The body said that once completed and operational, these projects will emit as much CO 2 annually as Florida, the third-highest emitter among US states. After accounting for plant retirements, which slowed down from 2020, China’s coal power capacity continued to increase while the rest of the world’s continued to fall. The coal power and steel sectors are China’s two largest emitters of CO 2 , and there is no sign of investment in coal-based capacity being scaled back yet…

  • Navigation tools may be directing drivers to shortest but more dangerous routes

    Comparing the safest and shortest routes between five metropolitan areas in Texas – Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Houston and Bryan-College Station – including more than 29,000 road segments, the research team from Texas A&M found that taking a route with an 8 per cent reduction in travel time could increase the risk of being in a crash by 23 per cent. Researchers Dominique Lord and Soheil Sohrabi designed a study to examine the safety of navigational tools. They collected and combined road and traffic characteristics, including geometry design, number of lanes, lane width, lighting, average daily traffic, weather conditions, and historical crash data, to analyse and develop statistical models for predicting the risk of being involved in crashes. The study revealed inconsistencies in…

  • North Sea oil exploration should be scrapped in favour of net zero, climate experts say

    The body, which advises the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets, has urged business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to take this into consideration when considering the creation of a potential “checkpoint” system for new oil and gas licences. The system would ensure that any further exploration would be compatible with the UK’s climate objectives. “We encourage the government to set stringent tests to the licensing of exploration. Equivalent tests should also apply to later development stages, such as consenting of production,” the CCC said. Last year, a trade body representing the UK’s oil and gas sector called on the government to invest more in new oil and gas in order to reduce the amount it is forced to import from other countries. But the UN’s Environment Programme later warned…

  • Fogged glasses problem wiped out with ‘self-cleaning’ plastic coating

    Created by scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, the durable coating is made from a thin double-layered silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide film. Anti-fogging sprays and wipes are popular products among spectacle or eyeglass wearers, especially since mask-wearing became a widespread practice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Anti-fogging coatings are also used in solar panels, windshields and displays or lenses that are used in humid environments. However, current solutions in the market, such as anti-fogging sprays and wipes, are only temporary as they cannot withstand washing and must be reapplied regularly. In addition, they are prone to surface contamination by dirt or bacteria, which means replacement or maintenance is necessary. Co-principal investigator…

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