• Machine learning decisions can be made both fair and accurate

    There is considerable alarm among academics and civil rights campaigners at the adoption of machine learning tools in areas such as law enforcement, healthcare delivery, and recruitment, given that AI replicates and amplifies existing inequalities. For instance, an ACLU study using Amazon’s facial recognition software to compare every member of the US Senate and House against a database of criminal mugshots disproportionately misidentified Black and Latino legislators as criminals. Adjustments are made to training data, labels, model training, scoring systems, and other aspects of machine learning in an effort to iron out these biases; there is a theoretical assumption that these adjustments render a system less accurate. A team of Carnegie Mellon researchers, who tested that assumption…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Easier charging is the key to boosting EV adoption

    Climate change is taking a greater toll on our planet more rapidly than many of us would have imagined, and we are all looking at ways we can help. This is one of the reasons the electric vehicle (EV) market has started to grow apace, and governments around the world are doing their bit too. The UK and EU governments are phasing out petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030, with hybrid models to stop being sold by 2035. This should create a perfect environment for drivers to leap into the EV future more quickly, but high vehicle costs, a lack of charging point infrastructure across the UK, and limited payment options are currently acting as a handbrake on sales. Despite this, the EV market is growing, with EVs, plug-in-hybrid (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles accounting for 10 per…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Europeans unwilling to accept lifestyle changes to tackle climate crisis, poll finds

    Conducted by the YouGov-Cambridge Centre for Public Opinion Research, the poll of seven Western European countries showed that up to 50 per cent of people were reluctant to give up eating meat and were opposed to bans on new petrol or diesel vehicles. The petrol ban attracted different results depending on the country; in Germany for example, 70 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about climate change, but 50 per cent opposed such a ban. In the UK, a similar 76 per cent of those polled said they were either very or fairly concerned about climate change, but only 27 per cent indicated opposition to a ban on new petrol or diesel vehicles. Meanwhile, participants were not enthusiastic about eating less meat despite the wide acceptance of its environmental benefits. All seven countries…

  • Fossil fuel plans ‘dangerously’ at odds with 1.5°C target

    The UNEP worked with research institutions on its latest Production Gap Report , which identified that planned production by fossil-fuel-producing countries is 110 per cent above the levels that would curb temperature rises to 1.5°C. The 1.5°C target – rather than the maximum of 2°C above pre-industrial levels stated originally in the Paris Agreement – is considered critical for saving island nations and averting other catastrophic climate change impacts. Scientists warn that the world is already experiencing worse extreme weather events at 1.2°C, and if temperatures rise above 1.5°C, the world faces significantly more heatwaves, rainstorms, droughts, lower crop yields, higher sea levels, greater reef destruction, and great economic losses. Despite increased climate pledges from governments…

  • Royal Mint to recover precious metals from e-waste

    Each year, more than 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced; it is the world’s fastest growing waste stream and set to increase to 75 million tonnes by 2030 unless there is an intervention. Less than 20 per cent of e-waste is recycled , rendering it a significant environmental challenge. This category of waste contains materials like lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, which can be harmful to the environment and the communities ( disproportionately in the Global South ) charged with handling it. However, e-waste also contains gold, silver, copper, palladium and other valuable metals conservatively valued at $57bn (£41bn) by the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor report. These resources tend to be discarded rather than collected for treatment and reuse. The Royal Mint is partnering with Excir…

  • £10m upgrade to UK’s recreational aircraft needed to unlock drone economy

    Drones are already being used in several trials for making deliveries such as transporting Covid-19 medical supplies and Royal Mail post to remote UK islands. The 'Digitise the Skies' report suggests that the government would need to fund around £10m worth of upgrades to make the UK’s recreational aircraft electronically visible to drones in order to overcome safety issues. The report also calculates that doing so would “unlock” the UK’s drone economy, which could be worth £42bn by 2030, a separate report by PwC has claimed. Currently, drones and commercial manned aircraft are made visible to each other and to novel traffic control systems by small onboard electronic devices that communicate their location to minimise the risk of collision. The UK’s 20,000 recreational aircraft - which…

  • Bizarre Tech: Engineering baby book, MOWO, Winston’s watches

    Engineering baby book The quest for world domination starts at infancy So, computers are made up of on and off signals, and this book claims to show some ways that computers combine on/off signals to do interesting things. It’s a simple board book, which is apparently designed to keep your baby engaged while they learn about the ‘stuff’ computers are made from. The maker of the book also recommends it to people who “skipped CE150” – whatever that is. Maybe I need the book? According to Chase Roberts, the gadget’s creator, ‘Computer Engineering for Babies’ (I’m sure he could condense the title a little, right? Perhaps an acronym? CEB?) has two buttons and an LED. The book explores basic computer logic gates, including NOT, OR, AND, XOR and a Latch. It uses light sensors to detect which…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • After All: Four voices in a campervan (to say nothing of the bark)

    There were not three, but four of us, in that relationship. To say nothing of the dog... All four (or five) of us were stuck inside the moving Toyota Alphard (aka Alphie) converted campervan. No wonder the atmosphere inside it was often volatile. “You are over the speed limit!” George would crackle in his rough ear-grating voice. “Oh, George, here you go again!” my wife would exclaim. “Don’t you see that we are actually standing in a queue?” “Yes, George, why don’t you shut up once and for all?” I would echo from the driver’s seat. “At the roundabout in 800 metres, take the third exit and turn right,” Liz would butt in. She spoke with a posh accent, which made her sound permanently annoyed... Heading for Dumfries, I was driving Alphie through the Scottish Borders, which H V Morton…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Microplastics found in Arctic fish eaten by beluga whales

    The study, conducted by researchers at Simon Fraser University, investigated five different species of Arctic fish known to be eaten by beluga whales. Of the fish studied, 21 per cent were found to have microplastic particles in their gastrointestinal tracts. Coupled with the findings of the team’s previous work, which looked at the amount of microplastic found in beluga stomachs, the researchers estimate that the whales ingest upwards of 145,000 particles of microplastics a year. Rhiannon Moore, the lead author of the study, said that while the potential health impacts on belugas are unknown, the findings underscore how pervasive plastics are in these regions. “When we first investigated seven different beluga stomachs and found microplastics in all of them, I was quite surprised,” Moore…

  • Facebook poised to announce major rebrand with focus on the ‘metaverse’

    An unnamed Facebook source told technology site The Verge that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is most likely to announce a name change at the company’s annual conference, Connect, on 28 October, or possibly even sooner. The rebrand would place Facebook’s various products and projects - including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus, along with other ventures such as the smart glasses recently developed with Ray Ban - under the control of one umbrella company, thus making its most significant and signature product, the Facebook social network, merely one aspect of the new parent brand. Google underwent a similar restructuring in 2015 when it created the holding company Alphabet, a top-down body that was responsible for both the firm’s search engine business - i.e. Google - as well as its other…

  • AI taught to predict bankruptcy risk for businesses

    The method makes it possible to fully utilise information on a company’s financial state and to make more accurate predictions than are possible with traditional statistical approaches. The ability to accurately assess the financial risks of dealing with a business is vital to both the economy and society. This is particularly true when forecasting bankruptcy, which can result in significant financial losses and hurt the national economy. The causes of business bankruptcy have long been of interest to research economists. Their work includes empirical and theoretical studies into the processes that lead to business failure in order to identify problems at an early stage. Data on companies’ economic performance indicators is also used to develop new forecasting methods. Currently, bankruptcy…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from Washington: For Zuck's sake, read the room

    According to one of her biographers, the writer Dorothy Parker would greet a ring at the door by declaring, “What fresh hell can this be?” Right now, writing about Facebook elicits much the same feeling. You sit down to author some, you hope, coherent thoughts on the company and... Ding-dong: Instagram damages the self-esteem of young women. Ding-dong: Backbone/DNS snafu leaves continents cut off for six hours. Ding-dong: Whistleblower claims Facebook is “tearing societies apart” and putting profit before people. Ding-dong: Mark Zuckerberg launches counterbid for Newcastle United. OK, I made one of those up, but you get my drift. And we’re not done yet. A report in The Verge says the troubled social media giant is to unveil a change-of-name, likely to be a new umbrella brand for all its…

  • Electronic fibre spun into clothing to teach breathing techniques

    Developed by researchers in the US and Sweden, the fabrics could be used in garments that help train singers or athletes to better control their breathing, or those that help patients recovering from disease or surgery to recover their breathing patterns. The multi-layered “OmniFibers” contain a fluid channel in the centre, which can be activated by a fluidic system. This system controls their geometry by pressurising and releasing a fluid medium, such as compressed air or water, into the channel, allowing the fibre to act as an artificial muscle. They also contain stretchable sensors that can detect and measure the degree of stretching. The resulting composite fibres are thin and flexible enough to be sewn, woven, or knitted using standard commercial machines, the researchers said. The…

  • UK’s ‘leading’ net-zero strategy published

    The 368-page strategy document (Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener) lays out government policy in areas including transport, waste, energy, heat, and fuel. “The UK leads the world in the race to net zero,” Johnson writes in the document’s foreword. “The likes of China and Russia are following our lead with their own net-zero targets, as prices tumble and green tech becomes the global norm.” He says that the transition will be fair (by making carbon-free alternatives cheaper) and will not compromise economic growth or quality of life. “This strategy shows how we can build back greener, without so much as a hair shirt in sight. In 2050, we will still be driving cars, flying planes, and heating our homes, but our cars will be electric gliding silently around our cities, our planes will…

  • Plans to provide £5,000 grants for low-carbon boiler upgrades are ‘inadequate’

    The £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme is part of more than £3.9bn of new funding being announced today by the Government for decarbonising heat and buildings. It wants to incentivise people to install low-carbon heating systems by providing subsidies to make the technology more affordable. But the current plan only has enough funds to adequately help 30,000 homes upgrade their heating systems when the target is to install 600,000 heat pumps annually in order to reduce the UK’s household carbon emissions. Greenpeace UK’s head of climate, Kate Blagojevic, said: “While £5000 grants and a 2035 boiler phase-out date are a decent start, they aren’t ambitious enough to adequately tackle emissions from homes or support low income households to switch. “What’s also missing from these reports is any…

  • Novel theorem demonstrates scalability for quantum AI

    There is considerable interest in running convolutional neural networks on quantum computers, thanks to their potential ability to run quantum simulations far more effectively than classical computers can. However, the fundamental solvability problem of 'barren plateaus' has so far limited the application of these neural nets for large data sets. “The way you construct a quantum neural network can lead to a barren plateau, or not,” explained Dr Marco Cerezo, quantum computing expert at Los Alamos and co-author of the study. “We proved the absence of barren plateaus for a special type of quantum neural network. Our work provides trainability guarantees for this architecture, meaning that one can generically train its parameters.” Quantum convolutional neural networks are inspired by the…

  • View from India: EVs encourage last-mile delivery

    India imports lithium batteries, which has scaled up the cost of electric vehicles (EVs). Battery is the key energy supplier of EVs but it’s a challenge to ensure their long-term performance. “Two issues need to be addressed. First is the energy capacity of the batteries; the second hurdle to consider is the rate at which the energy can be discharged. We need a trade-off between energy control, and the cost and size of the batteries,” said Babu KSV, business head, e-mobility, Automotive motors, Cooling Solutions and Export, Lucas TVS, at the recent CII Karnataka Electric Mobility Conclave. The internal combustion engine is the core of mobility business, while battery is core to EV business. The price difference between the EV and internal combustion vehicle is steep and needs to be lowered…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Loss-making gas-fired power plants 'are risky bet for investors'

    The financial think tank estimates that developers of most gas plants planned or under construction will never recover their initial investment and more than $24bn (£17.5bn) is at risk in the US and nearly £2.6bn in the UK, even if plants run for their full planned lifetime. Many governments are pledging to meet net zero carbon by 2050, which will force most gas plants to be closed before the end of their lifetime unless there is significant progress in technologies to reduce their emissions. US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both committed to deliver a carbon-free power sector by 2035, while the EU has also made clear that gas has no long-term future. The report calculates that if gas plants are phased out in line with a target of net zero by 2050, nearly…

  • How innovation can make the UK a global leader in offshore wind

    Home to a third of the world’s offshore wind farm installations and more installed capacity than any other country, the UK has clearly staked a claim as an offshore wind powerhouse. The Government’s plan to increase offshore energy to one-third of the total energy mix by 2030 puts the country well along the path to achieving its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Despite the many offshore energy innovations that have brought it to the global table, the UK’s efforts are still often overshadowed by the European offshore energy giants. Being bigger, it seems, sometimes garners more attention than being better. The result - disproportionate reliance on European developers and technology. To attain market share that is commensurate with its contributions, the UK offshore energy…

  • Fukushima study shows no radiation harm to local animals

    The plant suffered a meltdown in 2011 after it was hit by a tsunami that damaged several of its reactor cores, leaving the surrounding area largely inaccessible to humans without suffering health consequences. In the decade since the incident, multiple generations of local animals have been exposed to the radiation. But a team at Colorado State University have studied wild boar and rat snakes across a range of radiation exposures and did not find any significant adverse health effects. First author Dr Kelly Cunningham said their findings could suggest that people do not need to be as fearful of moving back into the remediated areas as they thought. The wildlife study particularly relevant to humans because human physiology is relatively similar to wild boar, said co-author James Beasley…

  • COP26: subsidies, carbon trade and other hard choices

    Can our leaders save the world? Put like that, it doesn’t sound very likely, does it? But as they gather in Glasgow this month for COP26 – the Conference of Parties 26 meeting – that’s what we’re all hoping. It feels almost like the planet’s last chance. The mess we’re in certainly demands a global response, because while everyone can make a difference, no one can do it alone. However, some populations and even some individuals can make a bigger difference than others. As the Earth’s environment worsens, it’s becoming clearer we are not going to reverse global warming without drastic action and some ingenious moves. COP26 must agree more concerted, coordinated action and get on with it. We need global agreements and national policies to cut consumption and to support technologies that mean…

  • Ford to electrify Halewood plant with £230m investment

    The company said its Halewood plant in Merseyside will be “transformed” for the purposes of building electric power units for future all-electric passenger and commercial vehicles for European customers. It will the first of Ford’s EV component in-house assembly site in the region. Production will begin mid-2024, with capacity planned to rise to around 250,000 units a year. Ford confirmed the £230m investment is subject to, and includes a reported £30m of Government support through its £1bn automotive transformation fund. The fund aims to support the development of a high-value end-to-end domestic EV supply chain. “This is an important step, marking Ford’s first in-house investment in all-electric vehicle component manufacturing in Europe,” said Stuart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe…

  • New UK nuclear power plant to get go-ahead before next election

    Citing “government insiders”, the paper said that the front runner for the new site would be Sizewell C, a project that has been under consideration since French energy giant EDF submitted an application for it in May last year. EDF wants the plant to be able generate around 3.2GW of electricity and it will be a “near replica” of Hinkley Point C in Somerset in order to reduce construction costs and risks. The power station, which will also be part owned by the China General Nuclear (CGN), is expected to meet seven per cent of the UK's demand when it comes into service. However, amid growing uncertainty around Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, it emerged last month that the Government was trying to strike a new deal that would prevent CGN from being involved in the project. “Nuclear…

  • Global policymakers rapidly scaling up climate change mitigation efforts

    Under its 'Forecast Policy Scenario' (FPS), which it believes is the most likely outcome for near-future climate policy announcements, PRI expects sweeping changes across energy systems and transport over the next decade. It predicts that zero-emission vehicles will make up around 30 per cent of all vehicles on the road by 2030, accelerating the demise of oil, which is already near its all-time peak and is expected to decline significantly after 2026/27. Wind and solar power will represent over 30 per cent of global electricity generation by 2030, more than three times today’s levels (around 10 per cent). The FPS also anticipates rapid changes in the food and land systems, often overlooked in climate scenarios, that will see land use becoming a net carbon sink within 30 years as the world…

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