• British firm launches ‘most sophisticated’ communications satellite

    The Inmarsat-6 F1 (I-6 F1) is the first of two satellites that the firm plans to launch into geostationary orbit, about 35,785km above the Earth. It will be able to make use of L-band communication networks using global narrowband technology Elera, as well as Ka-band. Although L-band provides relatively slow-speed connectivity, demand for its use in Internet of Things (IoT) applications has been growing. Such applications include remote assets – which includes everything from shipping containers to bulldozers – allowing the sensors to make regular reports back to base of their operational status. The satellite could also help to bolster other services such as 5G, Wi-Fi on planes, remote drones, autonomous vehicles, and remote sensors used for ocean and agricultural monitoring. Inmarsat…

  • Nasa delays launch of James Webb Telescope to Christmas Day

    Once launched, Nasa’s Hubble successor will be the world’s most powerful telescope with the ability to probe deeper and further back into space than ever before. The launch has been delayed by 14 years and is roughly ten times over budget, although once in orbit will hopefully give scientists a more detailed look at the start of the universe, the birth of stars, and possibly the origins of life. Originally set for a Christmas Eve launch on the back of an Ariane 5 rocket, poor weather conditions at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana has forced a 24-hour delay. Encapsulation of the JWST inside the cargo bay of the rocket was completed last Friday and it is now poised for blast-off just after midday on Saturday. If all goes according to plan, the $9bn instrument will be released from…

  • Electric car supply chain carbon emissions lower than ICE vehicles, study finds

    Indirect emissions include those produced by the supply chains of the vehicle components and the fuels used to create the electricity that charges the vehicles. “The surprising element was how much lower the emissions of electric vehicles were,” said researcher Stephanie Weber. “The supply chain for combustion vehicles is just so dirty that electric vehicles can’t surpass them, even when you factor in indirect emissions.” The research team combined concepts from energy economics and industrial ecology – carbon pricing, life cycle assessment, and modelling energy systems – to find if carbon emissions were still reduced when indirect emissions from the electric vehicle supply chain were factored in. “A major concern about electric vehicles is that the supply chain, including the mining…

  • Sponsored: Atlas underlines the power of SaaS to deliver enhanced protection against cyber-attacks

    Steve Dertien, EVP Chief Technology Officer at PTC , pointed to the recent global Apache Log4j 2 security breach as the perfect example of how quickly providers can react to a potential attack if they are embracing SaaS technology. The company was able to overcome the open-source vulnerability attack in just three hours, mitigating severe issues for every customer using products that run on Atlas TM, its SaaS platform. This tight response time was only possible because, in the world of SaaS delivery, everything is highly automated and built to scale efficiently. Software is updated with no effort on the part of the user, and this also means that when critical security or software issues are found, no manual intervention is required at the customer’s site.  PTC engineers discovered the…

  • UK scientist to pilot the European Space Agency’s Mars rover

    The Rosalind Franklin rover will be on a mission to find life on the Red Planet when it arrives in June 2023. It is the first to carry a drill long enough to explore molecules up to two metres below the surface, where they would be protected from the harsh radiation on the planet’s surface. Dr Christian Schröder is one of five Guest Investigators who will join a panel of scientists from of different disciplines from Europe, Russia and Canada. They will play a leading role in commanding the rover once it lands at the selected site of Oxia Planum on Mars. The rover will spend a minimum of 211 ‘sols’ (Martian days), equivalent to 230 Earth days, searching for organic carbon molecules that could tell us whether there was ever life on Mars. Schröder was previously part of the team operating…

  • Cheaper, greener and more efficient: paperless engineering’s time has come

    Despite the numerous technological innovations that have been implemented by manufacturers in recent years, many firms are still dealing with endless amounts of printed documents. For maintenance engineers, everything from instruction manuals and training documentation to parts catalogues are often only accessible in paper form. Not only are these documents time-consuming for engineers to use, they are also costly and environmentally unfriendly. The need to regularly update huge numbers of PDF files as product models are upgraded, then translate them into different languages, means an even bigger paper pile. Manufacturers and engineers both lose out in this environment – with major overheads being generated from such extensive paper-based processes. Relying on printed documents also restricts…

  • Rail electrification works underway following criticism of scaled-back plans

    The project is part of the Government’s £96bn Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the Midlands and the North and will see work undertaken to electrify lines between Kettering in Northamptonshire and Market Harborough in Leicestershire. When the details were published last month, MPs in the north of England expressed anger at the scrapping of the eastern leg of HS2 between the Midlands and Leeds. The Government insisted its new plan will result in similar improvements to previous plans, and that they will be delivered quicker and with better value for taxpayers’ money. The DfT said the IRP will cut journey times from Chesterfield to London to 76 minutes, Derby to London to 58 minutes and Nottingham to London to 57 minutes. Passengers will also see services and capacity nearly doubled with more…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from Brussels: France’s big plans for the EU

    “I am here to talk to you about Europe. ‘Again?!’ some will say. They will have to get used to it, because I will continue to do so,” French President Emmanuel Macron said during a speech earlier in December. Macron is firmly on the campaign trail, preparing for mid-April’s presidential elections, where he will seek another five-year term. He is likely to face a conservative or perhaps even far-right candidate in a second-round runoff. France’s leading role within the EU and the ‘Frenchification’ of how Brussels does business is a foundation stone of Macron’s re-election effort, given that much of his first mandate always had one eye on European policies. Slovenia will hand over the reins of the rotating EU presidency at the end of this month to France, giving Macron a shop window to…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Three and EE to provide 4G across London Underground

    TfL awarded a contract to BAI Communications earlier this year to build out the infrastructure needed to provide coverage through the tunnels and stations. Uninterrupted mobile coverage has already been introduced on the eastern half of the Jubilee line and will be expanded in phases to ticket halls, platforms and tunnels on the Tube network over the next three years . The London Underground is one of the world’s largest underground networks and prior to the pandemic was used by more than five million passengers a day. The Elizabeth Line, which is expected to open early 2022 after repeated delays, is on track to be the next one to get 4G coverage from next year. The deal struck between Three, EE and BAI, will allow all mobile operators to access the London Underground WiFi, as well…

  • Sustainable circuits printed from graphite-loaded shellac ink

    For many years, researchers have been developing means of producing circuits using additive manufacturing techniques. Although this has been quite successful – allowing for cheap, precise, quick-to-produce electronics – the metal particles used to make these “inks” conductive are exacerbating the problem of electronic waste. This is particularly concerning given the likelihood that printed electronics will be largely used in cheap, disposable IOT sensors. “There is an urgent need for materials that balance electronic performance, cost, and sustainability,” said Professor Gustav Nyström, head of Empa’s Cellulose and Wood Materials lab.  In order to develop an environmentally friendly ink, Nyström and his colleagues set the goal of making it metal-free, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Having…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Qatar takes 10 per cent stake in Rolls-Royce small nuclear reactor arm

    Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR), which is majority-owned by Rolls-Royce, has been established to set up sites around the country that will be approximately a tenth the size of traditional reactors. These mini nuclear power stations would use modules constructed in factories that enable on-site assembly of the plant. Rolls-Royce is hoping to build its first small nuclear reactor, which has generation capacity of 470MW, in the early 2030s. The sheer size and scale of conventional nuclear power stations has made it challenging to secure investors for new stations to replace the capacity of those due to be decommissioned in the coming years. It is hoped that the small modular approach will make it considerably cheaper to bring zero-carbon electricity onto the grid via new nuclear power…

  • Human muscle cells to be launched to ISS for ageing study

    In preparation for the launch, lab-grown human muscle cells, the size of grains of rice, have been put into small 3D-printed holders. Once in orbit, they will be electrically stimulated to induce contractions in the muscle tissue while being observed. On the ISS, the muscle cells will not experience the effects of gravity; spending extended periods of time in microgravity causes astronauts’ muscles to weaken, as they do with ageing, before recovering on return to Earth. University of Liverpool researchers, funded with £1.2m from the UK Space Agency, will investigate what happens to muscle tissue in space and compare this with the effects of natural ageing. Knowledge gleaned from the study will help solve the puzzle of why muscles lose mass and strength with age, and hopefully develop ways…

  • Sponsored: A new hybrid era of innovation for virtual communications platforms

    Connected, responsive, global, engaging... meeting the challenges of the modern commercial age. Adopting new ways of communication and interaction, and committing time, money and resources to stay ahead of the future development curve can be daunting. How do you know you're investing in long-term, future-proof solutions? Helping to maximise your investment and catalyse your digital transformation journey – we explore how to utilise, prioritise and create the right virtual platform solution best suited to your audience and their needs. Key Learning Points Understand the shift in the technology and software solution landscape, from popular virtual communications platforms to the new hybrid approach for business, stakeholder engagement and brand interactions Forecast business need and…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Biosensors could help people with complex health conditions

    The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada. According to Karen Van Ooteghem, a researcher in kinesiology and health sciences at Waterloo, information from wearables could provide insight into patterns of health-related behaviour and disease symptoms as they occur over days and weeks. “This may be important for monitoring disease progression and the impact of therapeutics, supplementary to assessments conducted in the clinic,” she said. “Within our research programme, we carry out work to validate novel outcomes derived from wearables for these purposes and develop avenues to relay this information to patients and clinicians.” Van Ooteghem added it was important for researchers to understand feasibility in participants’ natural environments because behaviour…

  • How HR tech can help solve the UK’s digital skills shortage

    During this year’s London Tech Week, news broke that investment in UK technology start-ups and scale-ups had reached a record £13.5 billion in the first half of 2021 alone. This is almost triple the figure achieved at the midpoint of 2020. Twenty unicorn companies were created in just six months, bringing the UK’s total to 105; more than France and Germany combined. Unicorns are privately held start-up companies valued at over $1bn. The tech revolution, prime minister Boris Johnson commented, “is creating jobs, driving growth, and boosting investment across the country.” However, job creation doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with job vacancy fulfilment. According to a recent Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport report, the cyber-security sector faces a shortfall of 10,000 people…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Giant, regolith-based solar panels under development for ESA’s lunar outpost

    ESA hopes, over a timescale of decades, to establish a lunar output on the South Pole of the Moon. Previous Moon missions, such as Nasa’s Apollo or the Soviet Luna mission, landed relatively near the Moon’s equator, rather than in the rugged polar moonscape. However, the Moon’s South Pole has been identified as the possible region for a future lunar outpost, given its perpetual exposure to sunlight and the possible existence of water (hinted at by recent orbiting missions). At TalTech, scientists are hoping to contribute to this mission through the development of solar cell technology. The researchers have presented a sandpaper-like solar cell containing thousands of sunlight-absorbing microcrystals (diameter 50μm) embedded in a polymer, in one continuous layer. The microcrystals are then…

  • Regulator investigates sale of UK telecoms towers over duopoly fears

    The proposed deal will see Cellnex buy all of CK Hutchison’s UK passive infrastructure assets in an £8.6bn deal that also involves assets in several other European countries. The telecoms towers are primarily used by wireless communication network providers to host their electronic equipment to in order to operate their networks. At present, Cellnex is one of only two large independent suppliers of passive infrastructure in the UK; it gained a market-leading position last year after it acquired the telecommunications division of Arqiva. The only other supplier with a similar presence is Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited (CTIL), a joint venture between O2 and Vodafone that was originally set up to provide services for its parent companies but became an independent supplier…

  • Global coal use expected to hit all-time high next year despite COP26 pledges

    According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the trend could elevate global coal demand to an all-time high next year. There was significant rhetoric over the damaging impact of coal on the environment at COP26, although the deal ultimately watered-down proposals to eliminate its use entirely. After falling in 2019 and 2020, the IEA said global power generation from coal is expected to jump by 9 per cent in 2021 to an all-time high of 10,350 terawatt-hours. According to the IEA's 'Coal 2021' report, the rebound is being driven by this year’s economic recovery, which has pushed up electricity demand faster than low-carbon supplies can keep pace. The steep rise in natural gas prices has also increased demand for coal power by making it more a cost-competitive alternative. Overall…

  • Smart window coating cools or heats the interior depending on climate

    A coating is applied to the glass that responds to changing external temperatures and can switch between heating and cooling as needed, potentially saving energy. The glass has no electrical components and works by exploiting the different wavelengths of light responsible for heating and cooling. During summer, the glass suppresses solar heating (near infrared light), while boosting radiative cooling (long-wave infrared) - a natural phenomenon where heat emits through surfaces towards the cold universe - to cool the room. In the winter, it does the opposite to warm up the room. In lab tests using an infrared camera to visualise results, the glass allowed a controlled amount of heat to emit in various conditions (room temperature – above 70°C), proving its ability to react dynamically…

  • ‘Nightmare’ robofish spooks virility out of tail-eating mosquitofish

    The invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is a pest, chewing the tails from freshwater fish and tadpoles and leaving these native animals to perish while feasting on other creatures’ eggs. Aiming to frighten away this aquatic bully, researchers set about engineering a robot inspired by the appearance and movement of the mosquitofish’s natural predator, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). “Mosquitofish is one of the 100 world’s worst invasive species and current methods to eradicate it are too expensive and time-consuming to effectively contrast its spread,” said Giovanni Polverino of the University of Western Australia, first author of the iScience study . “This global pest is a serious threat to many aquatic animals. Instead of killing them one by one, we’re presenting an…

  • Train passengers hit by largest fare hikes in nine years

    The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that ticket prices will rise by 3.8 per cent from 1 March 2022. The confirmation comes just one day after transport secretary Grant Shapps refused to rule out the rumoured 'brutal' increase when challenged by Labour in the House of Commons. The increase of 3.8 per cent is in line with July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, below the current inflation rate of 7.1 per cent, the department said. Even at 3.8 per cent, the price hike will still be the steepest increase since January 2013, according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). This year’s rise in fares in England and Wales was based on the previous July’s RPI plus one percentage point. The Scottish government imposed smaller rises for some journeys…

  • Nine further Institutes of Technology announced in skills push

    According to a government statement, more than 100 short courses will be offered at institutions in England from September 2022. The courses, which will last between six weeks and one year, are intended as an alternative to a conventional three- or four-year degree for people looking to upskill or retrain. They will be provided by more than 20 universities and colleges and cover areas in which there are skills shortages, “such as digital, net zero, education, STEM, and healthcare”. £150m has been awarded to 100 colleges and universities to upgrade facilities and equipment to boost access to higher-level technical training and flexible courses. Colleges benefitting will include Weston College in Somerset while universities include the Universities of Wolverhampton and Keele. The government…

  • Social impacts of Covid-19 negatively affecting nation’s psyche

    According to a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 39 per cent of adults do not expect life to be back to normal for at least 12 months. This is more than double the number (18 per cent) answering the same question in December 2020. Around 7 per cent expect life to return to normal in less than six months – significantly down from the 28 per cent of optimists last December. Measures for life satisfaction – the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile – and happiness all fell, while anxiety increased somewhat. The ONS analysed responses from 3,276 adults in Britain between 1 and 12 December as part of its 'Opinions and Lifestyle' survey on the social impacts of Covid-19. During this period, the government announced its Plan B in response to the rapidly spreading…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Christmas STEM Challenge: E&T carousel

    Put a magnet next to a piece of aluminium or copper and what do you get? Nothing! They’re not magnetic, right? Yup, that’s true. But this isn’t the whole story. Whoosh the magnet past the aluminium without touching it and you may see it twitch. More dramatically, try dropping a powerful magnet down a length of plastic pipe, and then down a similar length of copper plumbing pipe. The plastic pipe has no effect – the magnet accelerates down with gravity. But the magnet lingers and rattles down the metal pipe incredibly slowly. That’s because of eddy currents. Image credit: Neil Downie The traditional Christmas Carousel or Christmas Pyramid Carousel is driven round and round by a fan and a bunch of candles. This version of the Christmas Carousel replaces the candle…

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