• Airbus starts testing hydrogen plane propulsion for low-carbon aviation

    The programme’s objective is to ground and flight test a direct combustion engine fuelled by hydrogen, in preparation for entry-into-service of a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. The demonstration will use an A380 flying testbed equipped with liquid hydrogen tanks prepared at Airbus facilities in France and Germany. Airbus will also define the hydrogen propulsion system requirements, oversee flight testing, and provide the A380 platform to test the hydrogen combustion engine in cruise phase. Hydrogen planes have so far proven difficult to bring to market due to the complexities of the engine needed as well as storing such volatile fuel on an aircraft within a tanker that is not too heavy to prevent the plane from becoming airborne. Using hydrogen for aviation is also only climate friendly…

  • Energy sector methane emissions significantly underreported, study finds

    The report calls for enhanced monitoring efforts and stronger policy action to drive down emissions of the greenhouse gas which is roughly 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, albeit with a shorter lifespan for its effects. Methane is responsible for around 30 per cent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, and quick and sustained emission reductions are key to limiting near-term warming and improving air quality. The energy sector accounts for around 40 per cent of methane emissions from human activity and these emissions grew by just under 5 per cent last year. However, this did not bring them back to their 2019 levels and slightly lagged the rise in overall energy use, indicating that some efforts to limit emissions may already be paying off. “At today…

  • Engineering more socio-economically diverse than other sectors, report finds

    The study from the Sutton Trust and the Bridge Group found that just over one in five (21 per cent) professionals in engineering are from a low socio-economic background, which is higher than doctors (6 per cent), journalists (12 per cent) and professionals in law (13 per cent) – although still lower than the workforce as a whole (29 per cent). One potential reason for this is that engineering jobs “are far more geographically spread” than other professions, and in particular are less centred in London and the South East. Previous research by both the Sutton Trust and the Bridge Group has highlighted unequal access to many leading professions, with young people from poorer homes often facing barriers to get a foot in many industries. The report suggests that other sectors should look…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Renewable energy storage projects handed funding boost

    Energy storage will be crucial as the UK transitions towards cheap, clean, domestically produced renewable energy. Maximising the potential of renewables will help lower costs in the shift to a greener energy system. The intermittent nature of renewables such as solar and wind power means that energy can be produced when it is not needed, such as during extended periods of high wind. However, as new technologies are developed, this energy can be stored for longer, helping manage electricity generation variations and increasing resilience, while also maximising value for money. Twenty-four projects based across the UK have been awarded the first round of funding through the ‘Longer Duration Energy Storage competition’, which is worth £68m in total. These projects will benefit from a share…

  • How renewables caused Scottish grid’s ‘double heart attack’

    In December 2017, a National Grid report ‘Performance of Phase-Locked Loop Based Converters’ [PDF] highlighted concerns about the ability of the billions of pounds of investment in HVDC interlinks being installed across the UK to transfer power in all circumstances. Since then, I have been questioning whether power companies – including those in Scotland – have solved the known instability risks. National Grid identified that these could emerge as a result of progressively increasing the use of renewables while simultaneously closing synchronous generation. Hunterston B nuclear power station’s last reactor, No 4, ran for the final time in January this year, further weakening the Scottish grid. The National Grid report concludes that “system strength will decrease in our transmission network…

  • After All: ‘Ukrainian Venice’, whose lifestyle must not be disturbed

    “How I want I might discover myself in Vilkovo There are canals, there are gondolas, gondoliers. To search out myself, to neglect, to snicker off sorrows...” Bulat Okudzhava When the world is staring down the barrel of a gun, even the most habitual and placid things start looking sinister. My native country – Ukraine – has been brutally invaded. It is not common knowledge, however, that the invasion did not begin last February when Russian tanks rolled into Donbas. It started eight years earlier with Putin – staged ‘local’ conflict in Eastern Ukraine, followed by the annexation of the Crimea and the massive escalation of recent weeks that has rightly generated fears of an all-out war; the first major war in Europe since 1945 and, possibly, a Third World War too. Far from a military…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from Washington: Web3 – where social engineering meets digital engineering

    Web3. How do we see it in engineering? Much of the community around it leans towards libertarian ideals. For them, the promise of a ‘decentralised’ internet that wrests control from ‘Big Tech’ has an obvious appeal. But it is hard to get beyond the ideas that many in the business see it as the next big chance to make a pile of money (both crypto and real), and that there is a great deal of FOMO – ‘fear of missing out’. Some big investors are on board, including Andreessen Horowitz, the VC fund part-founded by browser pioneer Marc Andreessen. The crypto sector is the most active, attracting an estimated $30bn from various sources last year. There remains fast-growing traffic in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), primarily used to buy all or part of a digital asset like art. Early-stage Web3 businesses…

  • Sony unveils its next-gen virtual reality headset – the PlayStation VR2

    The headset has been designed in a similar “orb shape” to the VR2 Sense controllers which were revealed by Sony last month. The circular design represents the 360-degree view that players will have access to in VR, Sony said. The Japanese gamesmaker conducted extensive testing to ensure a comfortable feel for a variety of head sizes including balancing its weight profile to feel as unobtrusive to the user as possible and making it lighter than the previous generation. Image credit: sony playstation Other features include an adjustable scope that places the scope area closer or further away from the face, a lens adjustment dial, so users have options to match the lens distance between their eyes to optimise their view, and a built-in motor to give physical feedback…

  • WWF calls for UN treaty to tackle plastic pollution

    The poll, which was conducted by Ipsos and saw over 20,000 adults interviewed across 28 countries, also found that three quarters of people would support a ban on single-use plastics entirely. Some 85 per cent of respondents want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging. A system to partially incentivise this is already in place in the UK in the form of Packaging Recovery Notes, but that does extend globally. Latin American countries lead the poll, with 93 per cent of the region’s respondents calling for a global plastics treaty, followed by respondents in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. “We know people are extremely concerned about the growing plastic pollution crisis and in 2021, an estimated 140 million people globally…

  • Self-healing material paves way for durable robot hands

    The low-cost jelly-like materials can sense strain, temperature and humidity and can also partially repair themselves at room temperature. “Incorporating soft sensors into robotics allows us to get a lot more information from them, like how strain on our muscles allows our brains to get information about the state of our bodies,” said lead researcher David Hardman from the University of Cambridge. The team developed the new material with robotic hands and arms in mind. These materials can detect when they are damaged, take the necessary steps to temporarily heal themselves and then resume work – all without the need for human interaction. “We’ve been working with self-healing materials for several years, but now we’re looking into faster and cheaper ways to make self-healing robots,”…

  • View from India: Start-up companies thrive through value creation

    As an industry SaaS, an acronym for software as a service, offers tremendous opportunities. Many companies have made a mark in this segment, still a lot more can be done. “There is ample scope for the Indian SaaS companies to showcase their expertise globally, as India attributes to only 2 per cent of the global SaaS industry,” notes Rajan Anandan, managing director of Sequoia Capital. “There could be a great explosion of product companies, vertical SaaS, sales tech enterprises, increasing development roles and early traction of crypto. The exponential growth which is expected from this diversity can attract seed funding,” he told the 30th Edition of the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2022. Girish Mathrubootham understood the potential of SaaS and forayed into the space with Shan…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK engineering community urged to ‘Think ethics before action’

    The new report - ' Engineering Ethics: maintaining society’s trust in the engineering profession ' - has been published with the aim of ensuring that ethical culture and practice become embedded in the engineering profession in the same way as health and safety considerations. The report has been produced by the joint Engineering Ethics Reference Group, established in 2019 by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council, and includes a roadmap of short, medium and long-term actions to embed ethical best practice. At the heart of the report is the need to retain public confidence in the ethical behaviour of engineers. While reported public trust in engineers remains high (a 2021 poll ranked engineers as the sixth most-trusted profession, behind nurses and doctors), the ever…

  • Recycled plastic bottle research outlines significant environmental benefits

    Scientists at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University have won funding from Innovate UK to develop additives and processing methods that could significantly increase the amount of recycled material that can be used. It is hoped the work – being carried out along with Glasgow-based business Enviropet and scientists from the University of Strathclyde – will help companies meet UK and European requirements for all new PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to contain a minimum of 30 per cent recycled material from 2030. While more than 580 billion PET bottles are produced each year, most of these contain little or no recycled materials. Drinks companies claim this is because variations in the recycled plastic can affect the colour and clarity of the finished product and can also lead to bottle…

  • Changing floor shape could cut concrete usage by 75 per cent

    An interdisciplinary team of structural engineers, mathematicians and manufacturing experts from the Universities of Bath, Cambridge and Dundee has unveiled a full-scale demonstration of a thin-shell floor, which uses 60 per cent less carbon in its construction than an equivalent flat slab that could carry the same load. The new vaulted style of floor, developed in the UK, uses 75 per cent less concrete than a traditional flat slab floor and could help the construction industry reduce its carbon footprint. The curved vault-shaped structure is covered by standard raised floor panels to create a level surface. Created by the UKRI-funded Acorn (Automating Concrete Construction) research project , the innovative vault-shaped floor design takes advantage of concrete’s inherent natural properties…

  • Why green issues are back at the top of the NHS agenda

    The UK government has set a target of achieving carbon net zero by 2050, with the National Health Service playing its part by striving to be the first national health service in the world to be net zero carbon by 2040 . The moves come as the climate emergency has the potential to become a health emergency. Changes to climate threaten the building blocks of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for patients, the public and the NHS. Recent data from the Met Office confirms that 2020 concluded the Earth’s warmest 10-year period on record; in 2019 almost 900 people died as a direct result of heatwaves in England alone. The UK’s healthcare sector spends in excess of £400 million on energy every year - more efficient and effective energy solutions would provide better conditions…

  • The eccentric engineer: how an unsticky glue took a decade to finally stick

    Sometimes the engineer-inventor knows exactly what they’re after, but it’s always important to keep your mind open enough to see a different use should it present itself. This is particularly the case if the thing you’ve invented simply doesn’t work. That’s the situation Spencer Ferguson Silver III found himself facing in 1968. Silver had a very definite plan when he started out his work as a chemist at the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (now known simply as 3M). His task was to create a pressure-sensitive adhesive strong enough to be used in aircraft construction. The rigours of flight, a life outdoors, ultraviolet radiation, high altitude and extreme temperature variations means that it would require a remarkable glue to hold a plane together. Silver had come up with a remarkable…

  • Sit-ski designed to achieve the paralympian dream

    With the global buzz just dying down after the Winter Olympics, it is now the turn of the Paralympians to take centre stage in Beijing. From 4-13 March athletes from around the globe will compete for their sport’s greatest prizes – and the competition will be tough. At the recent World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, the strength of athletes from Russia and Norway in the Nordic skiing disciplines was particularly strong. Trying to gain every possible advantage is therefore crucial if British athletes are to be competitive, and a team has been assembled behind these skiers to give them a technology boost. The sub-divisions of Nordic skiing are cross-country skiing and biathlon. Gruelling events range from the 2.5km sprint to the 20km long distance in the cross-country, while the 7…

  • Back Story: Mimi Nwosu, ‘It is important to know your value and be your own champion’

    Shini Somara: What is it like being one of very few women in civil engineering? Mimi Nwosu: When I started studying civil engineering at university, there were women on the course but nowhere near the number of men and I had a strong feeling this would be a reflection of the industry. I wasn’t wrong. I felt the university environment was very diverse, my class had students from all walks of life! I was shocked when I went into industry, to find that this was not the same. As a new graduate, this knocked my confidence. Completing pre-university education and living in London, I had become so comfortable with such diverse environments and inclusive peers. Not seeing that directly reflected in the industry was very strange to me. To blend in at work, I held back certain aspects of myself,…

  • The measure of: Stratolaunch carrier Roc

    Founded in 2011, Stratolaunch Systems produces and operates hypersonic testbeds. The Roc aircraft is described as a mobile multi-vehicle launch platform, built to carry and launch hypersonic and aerospace craft. With a twin-fuselage design and powered by six engines, the 117m-wide aircraft is said to have the longest wingspan in the world. The plane first flew on 13 April 2019, and completed its third test flight on 17 January 2022, when it flew for four hours and 23 minutes over the Mojave Desert in California after taking off at 08:47 (California time). The aircraft reached an altitude of 23,500ft (7,160m) at an indicated airspeed of 180 knots. Image credit: , As a result of the test, the company says it is now edging closer to reaching its hypersonic goals…

  • Sponsored: Testing squares up to LEO Satcom challenges

    Today’s satellite communication systems combine features from legacy cellular networks and emerging wireless technologies. New constellations are under development that attempt to provide ubiquitous broadband mobility via NewSpace Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks that include ground stations and user terminals. LEO constellations promise vast improvements in latency and coverage. For example, Starlink latency performs roughly 15 – 20 times faster than GEO satellites. Such constellations offer a significant increase in aggregate network capacity, thus enabling satellites to support time-sensitive applications such as video streaming and data-heavy applications. However, the LEO environment introduces challenging test requirements compared to legacy GEO VSAT terminals. LEO networks…

  • View from India: Human-centric approach to technology

    To put things in perspective, the 2010-2020 decade has witnessed a massive digital transformation; India has emerged as a powerful force to reckon with in terms of digital services. So much so, that even the pandemic’s impact was somewhat negligible and could not stagger progress. A case in point is the tech industry, which ended the fiscal year 2021 with success. “We massively increased jobs and strengthened our startup ecosystem. The IT industry is projected to add $30bn to last year’s revenue. IT accounts for 51 per cent of India’s service exports,” said Rekha M Menon, chairperson at NASSCOM and chairperson and senior managing director at Accenture, India, at the 30th Edition of the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2022. The IT industry created an additional 450,000 jobs last year…

  • Change of focus for photography: Is the DSLR dead?

    Ask any professional photographer what they want from their camera of the future and you can guarantee that the answer will be a variation on the theme of higher resolution and bigger file sizes. In other words, more pixels on the camera’s sensor. It’s hardly a new request: ever since the Kodak Microelectronics Technology Division developed a 1.3MP charge-coupled device image sensor in 1986 and integrated it with a standard Canon F-1 film camera body, photographers have been clamouring for more from their digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. The equation has always been ‘bigger sensors plus more pixels equals better quality’. And they got it. Today, at the professional high end of the spectrum, Hasselblad H system cameras (that will set you back tens of thousands of pounds) deliver…

  • Brain changes observed in astronauts engaged in lengthy space trips

    Researchers at the University of Antwerp said they found “significant” microstructural changes in several white matter tracts. The human brain can change and adapt in structure and function throughout a lifespan. As human exploration of space reaches new horizons, understanding the effects of spaceflight on human brains is crucial. Previous research has shown that spaceflight has the potential to alter both the shape and function of an adult brain. White matter refers to the parts of the brain that are responsible for communication between grey matter and the body, and between various grey matter regions. To study brain structure and function after spaceflight, the researchers used a brain imaging technique called fibre tractography. “Fibre tractography gives a sort of wiring scheme…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Breakthroughs in nuclear power and the radioactivity issue

    When I went to see Sellafield’s nuclear decommissioning some years ago I was fascinated – and I admit a little nervous – to see the toxic legacy that had been left by previous generations that today’s custodians are still dealing with. Things, they pointed out, were very different when it started. There was the Cold War raging in the fields of science and technology as well as defence, and there was an urgent need for energy before the days of North Sea oil. In the rush to nuclear, the thorny problem of what to do with the toxic nuclear waste that would remain potentially dangerous for another generation or more was kicked down the road for another generation to deal with – a problem, you could say, to be repeated with climate change. But it was a very different time. It was the age of…

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