• Short-haul flights under 300 miles dominate Europe’s aviation emissions, study finds

    The research, from the University of Manchester, identified a large number of flights covering distances less than 300 miles between cities that are connected to each other with public transport options. To create the data models, the researchers used a rapidly expanding data broadcasting system to track worldwide air traffic. Air traffic data was then integrated with aircraft emission models to produce quantitative estimates of the engine exhaust emissions of most aircraft types. Using the data, the team identified several short flights between several city pairs within the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, that operated flights over flat terrain and distances below 200 miles. The most common routes in the data analysed included Copenhagen-Stockholm, Gothenburg-Stockholm; Rome…

  • The bigger picture: MingYang Smart Energy offshore wind turbine

    The MySE 16.0-242 by MingYang Smart Energy is a 16MW, 242m-tall turbine capable of powering 20,000 homes per unit (80GWh per year) over a 25-year life. Three propelling 118m blades will cover a 46,000m2 swept area. It will generate 45 per cent more energy than its predecessor, the MySE 11.0-203. Image credit: Cover Images The new hybrid-drive turbine model is designed for high-wind sites and will be capable of withstanding typhoon-class weather conditions. It has been certified by DNV and China General Certification Centre for design, and MingYang aims to install a prototype in 2023 and roll out commercial production in the first half of 2024. MingYang already offers a number of lightweight offshore turbine models – ranging from 5.5MW to 11MW; the new product sets…

  • Tesco and BT join calls for mandatory net-zero reporting

    Research from environmental charity WWF suggests that fewer than one in five of the UK’s largest public companies have credible plans to slash their emissions to net-zero. Under the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to within 1.5°C, the world must reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In June 2019, the UK became the first major economy to enter into law its net-zero target . However, it has only fully implemented 11 of 92 policy recommendations from the independent climate change committee and it is not on track to meet its long-term or medium-term carbon budgets A letter to ministers, which has been signed by more than 30 organisations, calls for large companies to be forced to disclose their plans for decarbonisation. It says the government should clearly…

  • View from India: Being connected and staying secure in a digital world

    Rapid digital adaptation is a Covid-led outcome and the expectations of digital services are much higher than pre-Covid times. Multiple surveys indicate that the digital investments which could have spanned over the next three to four years have happened in the last 18 months. The Government of India (GoI) has invested in various digital services. Take the case of e-RUPI, which is a person and purpose-specific digital payment solution. Cashless and contactless, e-RUPI is a QR code or SMS string-based e-voucher delivered to the mobile of the beneficiaries. Then there’s the Union Health Ministry's National Telemedicine Service, titled 'eSanjeevani', which according to recent reports has already completed 1.2 crore consultations. eSanjeevani is operational through two modes: eSanjeevani AB-HWC…

  • Solar-powered aircraft flown for nearly three weeks without landing

    Zephyr has flown six times so far, with four low-level test flights and two stratospheric flights. The stratospheric flights flew for around 18 days each, totalling more than 36 days of continuous flight from only two take-offs. Airbus ultimately believes that the aircraft could remain airborne for “months at a time” and could provide internet to both commercial and military customers. Zephyr could also help with disaster management scenarios, including monitoring the spread of wildfires or oil spills, due to its ability to provide persistent, long-term surveillance. Image credit: Airbus The unmanned glider, which is powered by two small propellers, could ultimately spend around six months continuously in the air and is cheaper and more environmentally friendly…

  • US particle accelerator to receive upgraded, UK-built detector

    Nuclear and particle physicists in the UK will lead preliminary work to help design its some of the detector technologies for the vast, complex experiment. They are supported with £3m funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The work will continue for almost three years. The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) will be built on the existing Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) facility at Brookhaven, the only large particle accelerator in operation in the US. Particle accelerators like the RHIC accelerates beams of ions to near the speed of light and causes them to collide, revealing their internal structure. The EIC will be focused on the strong interaction, the strongest of the four fundamental interactions, which is responsible for binding the constituents of nuclei…

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    This whitepaper highlights the benefits of cloud-native engineering simulation and describes the fast and accurate analysis types available to engineering teams who simulate early in the design stages. Key Learning Points: Common challenges faced by electronics designers constrained by traditional CAE How cloud computing enables teams to quickly assess performance and accelerate design iterations Enclosure, lighting, and Li-ion Battery pack cooling case studies using cloud-native physics solvers  Download free white paper

  • Mesmerised crabs’ breeding habits inhibited by lure of undersea power cables

    The team from Heriot-Watt University showed that the electromagnetic field emitted from undersea power cables affects the crabs’ biology at a cellular level and stops them from moving. Researcher Dr Alastair Lyndon said: “When it’s at a strength of 500 microTeslas and above, which is about 5 per cent of the strength of a fridge door magnet, the crabs seem to be attracted to it and just sit still. “That’s not a problem in itself - but if they’re not moving, they’re not foraging for food or seeking a mate. The change in activity levels also leads to changes in sugar metabolism: they store more sugar and produce less lactate, just like humans.” The scientists observed around 60 crabs at the St Abbs Marine Station in the Scottish Borders and used its purpose-built aquarium laboratory for…

  • EV drivers hit the ‘Electric Road to COP26’ to demand faster global action

    EV drivers from 44 EV drivers’ associations will be calling for all new cars and light-duty vans sold in the 28 EU countries represented in the Global EV Drivers’ Alliance (GEVA) to have a plug by 2030 and to be fully zero-emission by 2035 at the latest. A rapid shift to zero-emission electric transport is currently being achieved in many countries and could be accelerated through supportive policies, the group says. Transportation accounts for 24 per cent of direct CO 2 emissions from fuel combustion globally, of which road vehicles account for nearly 75 per cent, according to GEVA. The Alliance is calling for action now to shift from vehicles burning fossil fuels to vehicles running on clean, renewable electricity. To take this message to COP26, EV drivers from Europe and the UK will…

  • View from Brussels: The repairman cometh

    According to polls carried out by the EU’s statistics office, 77 per cent of European citizens would rather repair their devices than buy new ones, while 79 per cent think that manufacturers should be legally obligated to make that practice more straightforward. Last week, both those wishes became more likely. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s tech tsar, confirmed that the European Commission will next year publish its plan to offer citizens a ‘right to repair’ and that groups interested in the issue should now get in touch to help her staff draft the proposal. “As for anything in the tech market, users shouldn't be locked in with one supplier. We should be free to choose which device we buy, the data we share, the apps we use and where we go when we need something to be fixed,” the European…

  • Heighten training in technical ‘green skills’, manufacturers urge

    Make UK conducted a survey of almost 200 UK manufacturers. They found that most are training staff in the latest technologies in order to prepare them for the decarbonisation of the economy. The report confirmed that the overwhelming majority (98 per cent) of manufacturers are aware of the government’s net-zero target and 92 per cent said this is achievable for their business by 2050 with the appropriate support in place. However, a third of companies reported a skills gap. Almost half of respondents said training for “green skills” should be at a high level (level 4 and 5, i.e. higher apprenticeship, higher national certificate, foundation degree or higher national diploma) and 30 per cent said those skills should be at the highest level (level 6 and above, i.e. degree level). Innovation…

  • Review: The Love Makers, by Aifric Campbell

    The Love Makers (MIT Press, ISBN 9781912685844 , $29.95) defies easy categorisation. The novel, Scarlett and Gurl, is described as a philosophical thriller and leans heavily towards the former. It follows a pair of women learning about each other’s lives as they drive to an airport on a Christmas Eve in a near-future in which robots have taken on roles as caregivers and lovers. ‘Scarlett’ (not her real name) is a former banker, now at the head of a tech company. She relies on her partner to take the role of primary caregiver, shunning the ubiquitous ‘I Moms’ for old-fashioned human care. Her partner and friends respond to her insistence on human care with frustration, ridicule and even disgust (imagine how one would respond to a modern mine owner employing a trapper instead of using automation…

  • Custom-fit 3D-printed sensors could unlock key medical insights

    The team, which calls the 3D-printed sensors “biosymbiotic devices”, envisages that they will ultimately be used for scenarios such as measuring the onset of frailty in older adults; promptly diagnosing deadly diseases; testing the efficacy of new drugs, and tracking the performance of professional athletes. “There’s nothing like this out there,” said team leader Philipp Gutruf. “We introduce a completely new concept of tailoring a device directly to a person and using wireless power casting to allow the device to operate 24/7 without ever needing to recharge.” Current wearable sensors face various limitations. Smartwatches, for example, need to be regularly charged and they can only gather limited amounts of data due to their placement on the wrist. By using 3D scans of a wearer’s body…

  • Moon was volcanically active more recently than thought

    The findings paint a picture of a much more dynamic subsurface compared to the mostly static Moon from the present era. The Chinese National Space Agency have allowed international collaborators to access some of the material for analysis that it collected after touching down on the lunar surface in December last year. It is the first time any nation has collected rocks from the Moon since 1976. Analysis from researchers at The University of Manchester determined that the basaltic volcanic rocks were two billion years old: one billion years younger than any other dated basaltic lava from the Moon. They believe this presents a new mystery about how such a small rocky planetary body could retain enough heat to enable melting of its interior, and volcanic eruptions at its surface, two and…

  • Anti-poaching patrols get Cake delivery to help protect African wilidlife

    Cake, the Swedish electric motorbike manufacturer, has successfully delivered its first batch of electric anti-poaching bush bikes to Africa. The quiet and high-performance Kalk AP motorbikes were delivered to rangers at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), situated adjacent to the Kruger National Park, who are now beginning to use the bikes in their quest to increase the efficiency in combatting poaching. Poaching has had devastating consequences for wildlife in Africa and is one of the primary reasons that some species face the risk of extinction. Contrary to general perception, one of the principle drivers behind poaching is poverty and the need for food among local inhabitants. Areas with widespread poaching are often large, remote and lacking roads, making patrolling by car…

  • Social robot boosts positive outlook for hospitalised children

    Conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the study involved a social companion robot called Robin, who can move, talk and play with others while being remotely controlled by humans. As part of the research, specialists from UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital’s Chase Child Life Program conducted hour-long video visits with young patients using Robin, comparing it with other interactions using a standard tablet, from October 2020 to April 2021. At the conclusion of the study period, children and their parents were interviewed about their experiences and child life specialists provided feedback in a focus group. The researchers then used a transcript of the discussion to identify recurrent and salient themes. The researchers found that 90 per cent of parents…

  • Wildlife Trust urges UK to ban peat farming and seabed trawling to cut carbon

    The charity, which represents 46 local trusts that look after more than 2,300 nature reserves between them, said the Government should be placing greater focus on climate action ahead of the international COP26 talks in Glasgow later this month. It wants the UK to “significantly increase” peatland restoration and ban the sale and use of peat in gardening and compost products. Peat is typically used in compost because of its ability to retain water and nutrients, but to harvest it, bogs need to be drained and the top surface of the peat gradually stripped away. Not only does this destroy rare and endangered habitats and the flora and fauna that rely on them, but also allows the peat to react with the air, releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide. It also wants to ban bottom-trawling…

  • Recycled concrete and captured CO2 make new building material

    Concrete is the most-used artificial material. The concrete industry is vast and it is estimated that around seven per cent of CO2 emissions come from the manufacture and use of cement (the main component of concrete) alone. A large proportion of this is due to the use of calcium, which is normally obtained by burning limestone and which is essential for the reaction between cement and water to form concrete. Considerable research efforts are already underway to find alternative ways of making concrete or similar construction materials more sustainable. Now, the University of Tokyo researchers have demonstrated a method for combining waste concrete and captured CO2 to create a usable form of concrete called calcium carbonate concrete. Inspired by the way some aquatic organisms harden…

  • Clingy mussels could inspire new glues and plastics

    Blue mussels spend their days being buffeted by crashing waves and currents, remaining tethered to the rocks - or their fellow mussels - thanks to the highly effective underwater glue which they produce. Given that achieving adhesion in the presence of water is so challenging, scientists who are interested in producing effective adhesives for use in wet environments – such as within the body, for surgical or dental purposes – have turned to nature for inspiration. In a new Science paper , a McGill-led team reports that, after a decade of work in the area, it has uncovered the cellular mechanisms by which mussels fabricate underwater adhesives. “The specific mechanism by which mussels produce their adhesive has been shrouded in mystery until now because everything occurs hidden from view…

  • News from the global AI hothouse

    The need to train machines more quickly, more efficiently and less expensively is a pressing imperative. AI-powered technology, dependent on machine learning, has limitless potential to propel business and benefit society. Progressive improvements in training will bring incalculable rewards, if only we could imbue machines with a childlike curiosity that encourages them to learn more naturally, more intuitively and more effectively. Perhaps we can. Like many businesses and academic institutions, our team at Cambridge Consultants invests in extracurricular research to advance machine learning, using algorithms and neural-network models to progressively improve the performance of computer systems. Many see meta learning – essentially learning to learn – as the ultimate objective. With that…

  • Nasa’s Perseverance rover sends back images of Martian river delta

    The pictures also provide insight into where the rover could best hunt for samples, including those that may contain signs of past life, known as biosignatures. Billions of years ago, when Mars had an atmosphere thick enough to support water flowing across its surface, river flows carried sand and gravel from the surrounding highlands towards Jezero’s fan-shaped river delta. The lake in the crater – Lake Jezero – could have been up to 40km wide and tens of metres deep, researchers believe. They hope the findings could help Perseverance achieve its scientific missions of finding signs of former life and collecting samples for future return to Earth. Soon after landing in February this year, the rover’s Mastcam-Z cameras and Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) zoomed in for a closer look at one of…

  • Intel no longer considering UK semiconductor factory

    The company, one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, is currently pushing to boost its own chipmaking output amid a global shortage. Intel plans to expand its US chip-manufacturing operations with a $20bn investment towards two new factories in Arizona and a colossal $95bn investment in new and upgraded semiconductor factories in Europe over the next 10 years. Gelsinger told the BBC that before the UK left the single market, it “would have been a site that we would have considered” and that Intel “absolutely would have been seeking sites for consideration” in the country. However, post-Brexit, “we are looking at EU countries and getting support from the EU”. He said that Intel has approximately 70 proposals for sites across Europe, covering around 10 countries, and hopes…

  • UK electricity supplies will be tight this winter although demand should be met

    The annual winter report of The National Grid's Electricity System Operator (ESO) arm has predicted that while there would be a sufficient margin between peak demand and supply all winter round, it anticipates that it may have to issue Electricity Margin Notices and Capacity Market Notices. Electricity Margin Notices are used to send a signal to the market of looming tightness in supply in a bid to ensure there is a greater safety cushion between power demand and available supply. Six such notices were issued in winter 2020 - a record for the UK’s electricity grid. Only two notices were issued in the winters between 2011-2019. The coming winter brings even tighter conditions than last year, with gas prices rising to historic highs and a fire at a French interconnector sending the cost…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Red squirrels get conservation boost with AI acoustic monitoring

    In partnership with the University of Bristol, Huawei Technologies and international NGO Rainforest Connection (RFCx), the Mammal Society project will deploy innovative technologies for the first time in the UK to help protect red squirrels by generating unprecedented insights into the lives and activities of their declining populations across the UK. The project will see advanced bio-acoustic, cloud and artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies deployed to help experts assess and monitor squirrel populations. It will use custom-built 'Guardian' and 'Audiomoth' monitoring devices and Huawei software to analyse the natural noise of the environment – the first time Huawei’s world-leading technology has been applied in this way in the UK. One of the UK’s most-loved native species, the endangered…

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