• Endless regression: hardware goes virtual on the cloud

    In the summer of 2018, professors John Hennessy and David Patterson declared a glorious future for custom hardware. The pair had picked up the Association for Computing Machinery’s Turing Award for 2017 for their roles in the development of the reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architectural style in the 1980s.   Towards the end of their acceptance speech, Patterson pointed to the availability of hardware in the cloud as one reason why development of custom chips and the boards they would be soldered onto is getting more accessible. Cloud servers can be used to simulate designs on-demand and, if you have enough dollars to spend, you can simulate a lot of them in parallel to run different tests. If the simulation does not run quickly enough, you can move some or all of the design into…

  • Motorola faces competition investigation over its emergency services network

    The Airwave Network was first introduced in 2000 as a way to allow emergency services to communicate during major incidents without interruption. All of Great Britain’s emergency services and over 300 public safety organisations communicate using the network and its coverage is actually superior to any of the publicly available networks, with 99 per cent coverage across the country. The CMA has launched a market investigation, following a consultation earlier this year, which set out concerns about the impact of the dual role of Motorola as the owner of the company providing the current mobile radio network (Airwave Solutions) and as a key supplier in the roll-out of the planned new Emergency Services Network (ESN). The ESN is superior to the Airwave network because it runs on 4G technology…

  • London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone expands 18-fold to cut air pollution

    The new ‘inner London’ zone is 18 times the size of the current central London zone and is designed to tackle air pollution in some of London’s most densely populated areas. The £12.50 daily charge is on top of the £15 Congestion Charge, which is designed to lower overall traffic in central London and mostly covers diesel cars that are more than six years old and petrol cars that are more than 15 years old. Around 87 per cent of vehicles currently travelling in the zone already meet ULEZ standards and will therefore be exempt from the new charge, up from 39 per cent in February 2017 when plans for expansion were first announced. ULEZ has now been expanded from central London, covering the same area as the Congestion Charge, up to - but not including - the North Circular and South Circular…

  • Sponsored: Collaborating for a fairer world

    The potential of engineering to transform and protect lives was thrown into sharp focus by the pandemic. In the initial stages, supply chains struggled to cope with demand for essential products. PPE shortages made the headlines: but with 40% of pre-pandemic PPE production based in China, this was inevitable. Concerns over how long it would take to develop an effective vaccine and issues over distribution and matching supply with demand also emerged. It was clear that our existing models of manufacture - based on proprietary technologies, restrictive IP practices and just-in-time supply chains - were not fit for purpose in the face of a rapidly evolving global crisis. As outlined in a Wilson Center report , the situation not only prompted a remarkable response from the engineering community…

  • Escape Rooms arrive at National Museum of Computing

    Participants must band together with their teammates to crack the problems against the pressures of a ticking clock – and rival teams – in a race to reach the finish line and escape TNMOC. The escape room challenges are rooted in the museum’s unique collection. In order to collect and decipher clues and escape the museum, participants must grapple with historic and retro computing technology (including paper tape, punch cards and floppy disks) and solve programming and cryptography challenges. “After a difficult 18 months of limited access to the museum, we are delighted to be able to host fun days out like our Escape Room packages,” said Jacqui Garrad, director, TNMOC. “We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from those who have trialled them and are thrilled to be opening…

  • How tech can help sport boost its green credentials

    With COP26 fast approaching, one thing is for certain: in every industry, a focus on 'ESG' –shorthand for using environmental, social and governance factors to evaluate the sustainability performance of companies and countries – is top of the agenda. The world of sport is no exception. This year, we have already seen the Tokyo Olympics prioritise recycled and recyclable materials; Tottenham Hotspur play ‘the world’s first carbon-zero football match’, and the Williams F1 team be the first to pledge to be climate positive by 2030. These are all big steps forward and like measures to increase diversity in sport - such as the MCC’s recent appointment of its first-ever female president - they should be celebrated. There is still a long way to go. The sports industry’s huge environmental and social…

  • Toyota trialling hydrogen engines in race cars

    Earlier this year, the Japanese automaker announced that, to play its part in the shift to a carbon-neutral society, it is in the process of developing a hydrogen engine. Rival automakers such as Ford and Honda are also exploring the technology as another zero-carbon alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based internal combustion engines. Fuel cell electrified vehicles, such as Toyota’s Mirai , contain a fuel cell in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electricity to power an electric motor. However, hydrogen engines generate power through the combustion of hydrogen using fuel supply and injection systems similar to those found in conventional vehicles. Hydrogen engines burn hydrogen as their fuel, releasing no harmful products. A major advantage of hydrogen engines is that minimal…

  • View from Brussels: EU supercomputers start to boot up

    ‘Discoverer’—a world-class peta-scale supercomputer capable of executing 4.5 billion operations every second—was inaugurated by EU and Bulgarian government officials in the Eastern European country’s capital city, Sofia. Made possible thanks to funding worth more than €11 million from the EU and the Bulgarian state, Discoverer is designed to be part of a continent-wide supercomputer network that can be used to accelerate research across a variety of sectors. “Bulgaria can foster research and be better integrated in pan-European innovation ecosystems. It will stimulate highly data-intensive research in such areas as medicine, industry or security,” said Mariya Gabriel, the EU commissioner in charge of research and innovation policies. The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Government must do more to support the skills needed for net zero, report warns

    Released today, the Committee's latest report, titled 'Green Jobs', expresses disappointment that despite announcements committing millions of pounds to green jobs initiatives, the UK government is yet to define what a ‘green job’ is and how it will evaluate the perceived demand. The 'Net Zero Strategy', which claims to support up to 440,000 jobs by 2030, would have been the ideal opportunity to offer clarity on how to define and measure what ‘green jobs’ are. While the strategy set out the government’s green jobs and skills ambitions, what is needed now is a detailed, actionable delivery plan. Delay in clarifying this information could lead to the government’s ambitions amounting to little more than an aspiration and failing to prepare the UK for the future. This lack of understanding…

  • VR headsets could reconstruct facial expressions

    “This is one of the first devices that will allow us to monitor human facial activity in detail and it has a variety of potential applications ranging from [VR] gaming to healthcare,” said Professor VP Nguyen, a computer scientist at Texas. “The project bridges the gap between anatomical and muscular knowledge of the human face, and electrical and computational modelling techniques to develop analytical models, hardware and software libraries for sensing face-based physiological signals.” Nguyen is director of the university’s wireless and sensor systems laboratory, which is focused on building connected systems to monitor and improve human health and environment. He has received a grant of almost $250,000 from the National Science Foundation for the VR project, which is one part of a larger…

  • Smart bandage contains sensors to detect wound-healing process

    Developed by researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy, the bandage allows doctors to determine how well a dressed wound is healing without removing the bandage, which can disrupt the healing process. By changing the geometry and materials in the bandage, the researchers believe it could be fine-tuned to suit different types of wound. Chronic wounds can be a source of significant suffering and disability for patients who experience them. Getting such wounds to heal can be difficult due to a large number of varying factors that impact the healing process, such as temperature, glucose levels, and acidity. One of the most important is moisture levels – too dry, and the tissue can become desiccated; too wet, and it can become white and wrinkly. Both these situations disrupt the healing…

  • Plastic industry’s contribution to climate change to outpace coal by 2030

    In a collaboration between Bennington College and Beyond Plastics, the report found that as fossil fuel companies seek to recoup falling profits, they are increasing plastics production, cancelling out the greenhouse gas reductions gained from closures of coal-fired power plants in the US. The report analysed data of ten stages of plastics production, usage and disposal and found that the US plastics industry is releasing at least 232 million tons of greenhouse gases each year - the equivalent of 116 average-sized coal-fired power plants. In 2020, the plastics industry’s reported emissions increased by 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 2019 and construction is currently underway on another 12 plastics facilities with an additional 15 in the planning stages. “The fossil…

  • Advanced morphing material able to take on any shape

    “Today’s shapeshifting materials and structures can only transition between a few stable configurations, but we have shown how to create structural materials that have an arbitrary range of shape-morphing capabilities,” said Professor Lakshminarayanan Mahadeva, a renowned expert in the organisation of matter. “These structures allow for independent control of the geometry and mechanics, laying the foundation for engineering functional shapes using a new type of morphable unit cell.” A major challenge in designing shape-morphing materials is balancing the seemingly contradictory needs of conformability and rigidity. Conformability enables transformation to new shapes, but going too far in this direction compromises the material’s ability to maintain its shape. Rigidity helps lock the material…

  • Tighter rules needed to stop energy suppliers ‘greenwashing’ their tariffs

    In a survey of more than 900 people, the consumer organisation found that 72 per cent said they expect that companies selling green tariffs will buy renewable electricity from other companies or generators, while a similar number (67 per cent) expect that the company generates its own renewable electricity. To be able to call a tariff ‘green’ or ‘renewable’, a supplier matches the electricity consumers use with energy generated from a renewable source. They do this with renewable energy certificates or REGOs (renewable energy guarantees of origin). But these certificates are not attached to the power, so companies can buy and sell them separately – and often cheaply. The Committee on Climate Change has said that unbundling REGOs from power “could mean that the supplier of the green tariff…

  • Secrets of pearl perfection could unlock high-precision nanomaterials

    For centuries, scientists have tried to understand how molluscs produce such perfect objects. “We humans, with all our access to technology, can’t make something with a nanoscale architecture as intricate as a pearl,” said Professor Robert Hovden, a materials science and engineering expert. “So, we can learn a lot by studying how pearls go from disordered nothingness to this remarkably symmetrical structure.” As a pearl is built, its symmetry edges towards perfection, coaxing order from unpredictable layers of nacre, the durable organic-inorganic composite that gives it its pearlescent sheen. The process begins when nacre covers a shard of aragonite that surrounds an organic centre. The layers of nacre, which comprise more than 90 per cent of a pearl’s volume, become progressively thinner…

  • IET Achievement Awards celebrate world-leading engineers

    The IET Achievement Awards recognise individuals worldwide who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science in any sector. This can be through research and development in their respective technical field or through their leadership of an enterprise. This year, 15 of the world’s top engineering and technology talents have been honoured with medals and trophies for services to the industry. The top Faraday medal was awarded to Fleming for his significant role in the development of the world’s first obstetric ultrasound device. Whilst working for Smiths Industries in Glasgow, Fleming became the lead engineer in charge of developing the first ultrasound machine, the diasonograph. This static B-Scan machine was the first scanner to go into commercial…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Review: ‘Waste Age: What can design do?’ at the Design Museum

    Imagine a world where recycled packaging is transformed into high-end fashion, or discarded fishing nets become beautiful home furnishings. It sounds like a dream, right? In fact, designers have already shown that such creations are possible – these very objects can be seen for yourself at this exhibition. 'Waste Age' ingeniously encapsulates how design can help tackle the critical problem of waste. Visitors can expect to see a wide range of innovations from visionary designers all with a common goal, to help us rethink our relationship with everyday objects – from fashion to food, electronics to construction, and even packaging. Its curators were also being environmentally conscious throughout the design process of the show. The exhibition itself was put together with a more circular approach…

  • Toshiba shrinks quantum system to semiconductor size

    QKD addresses the demand for cryptography which will remain secure from attack by the supercomputers of tomorrow. In particular, a large-scale quantum computer will be able to efficiently solve the difficult mathematical problems that are the basis of the public key cryptography widely used today for secure communications and e-commerce. In contrast, the protocols used for quantum cryptography can be proven secure from first principles and will not be vulnerable to attack by a quantum computer, or indeed any computer in the future. According to Toshiba's long-term estimates - extrapolated from existing short to mid-term estimates by research firms - the QKD market is expected to grow to approximately $20bn worldwide by 2035. Large quantum-secured fibre networks are currently under construction…

  • South Korea test-launches first homemade rocket

    The rocket, KSLV-II NURI (often called simply 'Nuri'), reached its target altitude, but failed to deliver a dummy payload into orbit. It aimed to deliver the payload into orbit 600 to 800km above Earth’s surface. The rocket's three stages were powered by liquid-fuel boosters built by an affiliate of South Korea 's Hanwha conglomerate, with a cluster of four 75-tonne boosters in the first stage, another 75-tonne booster in the second, and a single 7-tonne rocket engine in the third and final stage. It is 47m in length. The launch had been delayed by an hour because engineers needed more time to examine the rocket’s valves. There had also been concerns that strong winds and other conditions would pose challenges for a successful launch. Streamed footage showed Nuri launching from Naro Space…

  • Global 5G roll-out could be hampered by chip shortage

    Telecom operators in Western Europe, North America, China and other advanced markets in Asia have continued to roll out 5G networks, overcoming difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, uncertainties about the role of Huawei, and an unstable economic climate. However, concerns about the supply of high-end devices towards the end of 2021, including the latest iPhone, poses a risk, albeit temporary, to broader adoption of 5G, the analysis found. A combination of factors including disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and rising demand have led to global chip shortages that have hampered the availability of some devices and made other more expensive. For example, the latest games consoles from Microsoft and Sony are still hard to find nearly a year after their release and automakers…

  • Chip shortages cause first Raspberry Pi price hike; automakers badly hit

    The 2GB Raspberry Pi 4 will be increased in price from $35 to $45, having previously been reduced from $45 to $35 when the 1GB model was discontinued. Stock is especially limited for the 2GB Raspberry Pi 4 and the miniature Raspberry Pi Zero. “As many of you know, global supply chains are in a state of flux as we (hopefully) emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said CEO Eben Upton. “In our own industry, semiconductors are in high demand and in short supply: the upsurge of demand for electronic products for home working and entertainment during the pandemic has descended into panic buying, as companies try to secure the components that they need to build their products. “At Raspberry Pi, we are not immune to this […] we’ll only end up making around seven million units in 2021…

  • Steel sector’s carbon impact could double without rapid green investment

    According to the University of Sussex Business School, multi-billion-pound investments in emission-limiting technology will be needed over the next five to ten years or its contribution to climate change could double. Iron and steel production is one of the largest industrial emitters of CO 2 and is responsible for 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers warn this could rise to 12 per cent of the global carbon budget should the industry fail to promptly take up opportunities to upgrade existing facilities with net-zero capabilities. While many carbon-emitting sectors are transforming their operations to adhere to net-zero principles, steel has been lacking – steel manufactured entirely without fossil fuels was only manufactured for the first time  this summer. The…

  • Automation technology plays a crucial role in environmental sustainability

    As a result, ever more industrial companies are committing to ambitious decarbonisation and environmental sustainability strategies. Energy source decarbonisation through greater use of low carbon power sources and fuels will be fundamental, but all power generation, heavy industries and manufacturers will have a significant role to play. This will require increased carbon capture utilisation and storage, electrification, energy supply optimisation, energy storage, energy efficiency and optimisation, and improved waste management. Automation technology will be crucial to achieving these targets. Transitioning from a fossil fuels to a sustainable-based energy system and achieving decarbonisation targets is not straightforward and requires considerable investment. Although fossil fuels will…

  • Compulsory climate education in schools needed for UK to hit net-zero goals

    The Association of Colleges (AoC) said that less than 1 per cent of college students are currently on a course with broad coverage of climate education and that £1.5bn would be needed to transform classrooms and provide the equipment needed to train people for green jobs. The body has written a joint letter to Boris Johnson, the COP26 president, the business secretary and the education secretary arguing that the ambition for a green economy is at risk without the next generation, as well as adults who need to retrain, having access to the education and skills they need to equip them for green jobs.   The government announced its net-zero strategy on Tuesday with broad plans to decarbonise areas including transport, waste, energy, heat, and fuel alongside a widely criticised initiative to…

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