• Drones could inspect rural roads for potholes

    The Digital Intelligence Brokerage (DIB) – which had been tasked with collecting potential solutions on behalf of Wiltshire council – said that a consortium of a small and medium-sized enterprises could use this “cutting edge approach” to check the condition of highways in rural and urban areas where infrastructure is sparse. It acknowledged that consideration must be given to the risks of using automated equipment on or above live highway networks. The DIB also recommended using video streams to inspect the quality of work carried out on highways, and making the shape of pothole repairs circular rather than square to avoid weak points in corners. The DIB has previously proposed graphite nanoparticles in asphalt to reduce cracking, the use of bio-bitumen materials to create environmentally…

  • ‘Reassess’ Cambo oil field licence, says Scotland’s Sturgeon

    The Oil and Gas Authority and Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning are weighing up the proposed oil field, which is owned by Shell and private equity firm Siccar Point Energy. Licensing for exploration at the oil field was initially approved in 2001. If the Cambo project goes ahead, a further 150-170 million barrels of oil may be extracted from the site, which is expected to be in operation from 2022 until 2050. The Cabinet is now under pressure to intervene, although Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, and other ministers have insisted that the matter is entirely in the hands of regulators. While the government recently introduced a climate compatibility test for new oil and gas developments, the test will not be applied to fields such as Cambo which have already…

  • Starliner space capsule faces delays as rocket separation deemed necessary

    The troubled project has faced extensive delays and technical issues throughout its decade-long development, including a last-minute glitch in a test launch earlier this month that forced Boeing to abandon attempts to send it to the International Space Station (ISS). Since then, its engineers have been trying to tackle an issue causing 13 of Starliner’s valves not to open that was only discovered while it was siting on the launchpad ready to blast off. Boeing said that it has now got nine of the valves to function normally and is still working to address the other four. The test flight was supposed to see Starliner carry supplies and test equipment to the ISS in order to demonstrate its capabilities in launching, docking, and then re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere while performing a safe…

  • Human jetsuits ‘could help police fight crime’

    A human jet suit system, developed by the company Gravity Industries, was showcased at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) based at Porton Down near Salisbury in front of senior police and government officials on Thursday (12 August). Test pilot Richard Browning presented the system’s capabilities as part of a demonstration of emerging science and technology that could help fight crime and terrorism. In a fictional scenario, Browning flew rapidly through the air and tracked down a would-be assailant. While it is not thought there are any immediate plans to buy and use the kit, chairperson of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Martin Hewitt – who was among those in attendance alongside Home Office officials – said the event presented some “important and exciting opportunities…

  • ‘Blue hydrogen’ more carbon-intensive than gas and coal

    Hydrogen is a potentially zero-carbon fuel source, producing just heat and water when burned or used in fuel cells and making it an attractive alternative to fossil fuels in transport, heating and industry. For instance, part of the UK government’s decarbonisation plan is a significant expansion in hydrogen to 5GW of capacity by 2030 . There are two approaches to producing hydrogen: blue hydrogen (produced by splitting natural gas into hydrogen and carbon dioxide) and green hydrogen (produced by splitting water via electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen). While green hydrogen requires a large energy input, blue hydrogen cannot be described as a zero-emission fuel source, though it may be described as net-zero when used in conjunction with efficient carbon capture. Climate think tanks and campaigners…

  • China commits to raft of carbon-intensive coal and steel projects in 2021

    In an analysis, the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said that China’s newly approved steel and coal power facilities will collectively emit CO 2 equivalent to the Netherlands' total emissions. This includes a total of 18 new blast furnaces with a total capacity of 35 million tonnes of steel per year and 43 new coal-fired power plant units. If approved and built, they will emit an estimated 150 million tonnes of CO 2 a year, the report estimates. State-owned power and steel firms have continued to build and announce new coal-based projects, even as China’s leadership has pledged to aim for carbon neutrality by 2060 . A landmark report from the UN earlier this week issued a stark warning that anthropogenic climate change is already having a devastating…

  • Cyclists could get the ‘green wave’ at traffic signals with mobile app

    The latest report to come out of this multi-project research effort, led by Dr Stephen Fickas of the University of Oregon (UO), introduces machine-learning algorithms to work with their mobile app FastTrack.  Developed and tested in earlier phases of the project, the app allowed cyclists in Eugene, Oregon, to communicate with traffic signals along a busy bike corridor. The researchers hope to make their app available in other cities. “Our overall goal is to give cyclists a safer and more efficient use of a city’s signalled intersections,” Fickas explained. “The current project attempts to use two deep-learning algorithms, LSTM and 1D CNN, to tackle time-series forecasting. The goal is to predict the next phase of an upcoming, actuated traffic signal given a history of its prior phases in…

  • Summer STEM Challenge: Water Battles

    STEM Challenge #52: Bike Pump Water Pistons, Super Squirters, and the Single Helix Pump A mini bike pump can be good at squirting, but some work is needed. You can’t easily fill a bike pump with water. Bike pumps use an O-ring seal or conical seal which moves and lets air in when you pull back. So when you put the pump into the water and pull back to fill, it does... nothing. You can fix this by substituting the O-ring with a fatter one, or by putting hot-melt glue inside the large end of a conical seal, thus sealing the piston in both directions. Axial outlet pumps work as they are, but it’s better to saw off the end of right-angle-ended pumps. What about a Super Squirter, again a cylinder and piston, but made from polypropylene 40/32mm plastic plumbing pipe? Wrap tape over an elastic band…

    IET EngX
    IET EngX

  • Why the way you measure emissions may not reduce them

    As international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continue in light of growing acceptance that climate change is real, man-made and looming, increasing numbers of businesses are striving to measure, report and reduce their carbon footprints. Many seek the confidence, authority and reputation enhancement that comes from using a recognised methodology and quantification to apply certified standards to their carbon assessments. There is no doubt about the recognised benefits of this approach, but inevitably the structure of assessments is driven by the structure of the required reporting. For example, where a quantification methodology requires reporting of direct and indirect emissions - also known as scope 1 and scope 2 emissions - data collation is organised to match that requirement…

  • UN human rights experts call for spyware crackdown

    The comments came following reports of the use of military-grade Pegasus spyware from Israel-based NSO Group. The spyware can be covertly installed on phones running most versions of iOS and Android OS, after which vast amounts of information can be harvested from the device including private messages. Alarmingly, it can also be used to activate and record using a device’s microphone and camera. In August 2020, Israeli media reported that the software had been sold for hundreds of millions of dollars to the UAE and other Gulf States for surveillance of critical politicians, journalists, and activists. Last month, it was revealed that Pegasus is still being used widely to monitor and intimidate human rights supporters and political dissidents. International human rights law requires countries…

  • Bennu asteroid poses greater threat to Earth than previously thought, Nasa says

    Researchers from the space agency used precision-tracking data from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft (pictured above) to better understand the potentially hazardous asteroid’s movements. OSIRIS-REx was launched in 2016 with the primary mission of studying Bennu and ultimately returning a sample of it back to Earth for detailed analysis. It is believed to have successfully collected that sample last October and is currently undergoing the two-year trip back home . With a firmer understanding of its path, Nasa scientists now believe the odds of Bennu striking the Earth have risen from 1 in 2,700 to 1 in 1,750 over the next century or two. In 2135, it will make a close approach with Earth, although it will not pose a danger at that time. Nasa said scientists will need to get a grip on its exact…

  • $613m cryptocurrency heist claimed as white hat hack

    The hack, which occurred on 10 August, saw millions in Ethereum, BSC and Polygon cryptocurrencies stolen by exploiting a vulnerability on the platform which allows users to move their assets between different blockchains. But the funds are slowly being returned to their original wallet, owned by Poly Network, with all the BSC and Polygon refunded and around $268m in Ethereum still missing. With the money slowly coming back to the firm, it is now thought that the attack may be perpetrated by white hat hackers who use their abilities ethically to reveal flaws in computerised systems. A person claiming to have perpetrated the hack said they did it “for fun” and wanted to “expose the vulnerability” before others could exploit it, according to digital messages shared by Elliptic, crypto tracking…

  • Alternative methane model identifies shortfalls in current modelling

    The amount of methane entering the atmosphere is a point of contention and there is no universal, standardised way of measuring it. Tracking the emission of this greenhouse gas in the US is the responsibility of the EPA. The EPA uses models which take a “bottom-up” approach; their inventory is found by counting the well heads, storage tanks, pipeline and other sources of methane, calculating an average annual release for each source and summing them up. Other organisations taking a top-down approach, using satellite imaging or atmospheric measurement to calculate the total methane emissions, have results which contradict the EPA models and say that these are underestimating the amount of methane by as much as half. “Top-down approaches were finding total emissions double the EPA’s emissions…

  • Sponsored: New Study – Seamless Connectivity Fuels Industrial Innovation

    For many manufacturers, operational processes have historically been designed with the assumption that staff will be on-site all the time. The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the evolution of advanced network connectivity and connected assets and technologies, have accelerated long overdue modernisation and digitisation efforts across the manufacturing industry. Today and tomorrow´s manufacturing leaders are tossing aside processes designed to ossify cost control, efficiency, and predictability, and replacing them with those that emphasise flexibility, innovation, and resilience. Forrester Consulting, on behalf on Analog Devices, evaluated the state of industrial modernisation, including the efforts to improve network reliability. 312 senior manufacturing leaders responsible…

  • ‘Chain-mail fabric’ stiffens on demand

    The soft, lightweight fabric is 2D printed from nylon plastic polymers and is comprised of hollow, interlocking octahedrons. It is normally as flexible as any other cloth, but when wrapped within a flexible plastic envelope and vacuum-packed, it turns into a rigid structure 25 times stiffer than when in its 'relaxed' state. Known as “wearable structured fabric”, its inventors hope it could lead to the creation of new smart fabrics which can harden to protect the wearer against an impact (such as in bulletproof vests or kits for high-impact sports) or to provide support when additional load-bearing capacity is needed (such as on construction sites or in configurable medical support). “With an engineered fabric that is lightweight and tuneable, easily changeable from soft to rigid, we can…

  • Robotic fish tail could pave way for next-gen underwater drone design

    Underwater vehicles are typically designed to have a single cruise speed, and they’re often inefficient at other speeds. The technology is rudimentary compared to the way fish swim, but researchers believe they have discovered a way of making underwater vehicles travel fast through miles of ocean, then slow down to map a narrow coral reef, or speed to the site of an oil spill then throttle back to take careful measurements. Researchers at the University of Virginia’s (UVA) School of Engineering & Applied Science have developed a strategy for enabling these kinds of multispeed missions. They have shown a simple way to implement this strategy in robots that they believe could inform the design of future underwater vehicles. When designing swimming robots, a question that keeps coming up is…

  • Book review: ‘How to Talk to a Science Denier’ by Lee McIntyre

    Last month, American rock star Gene Simmons, frontman of Kiss, warned his cohort of devoted fans that they would not be welcome at his band’s ‘End of the Road Tour’ gigs unless they were vaccinated against Covid-19. Suspecting that there were ‘science deniers’ among his hardcore fanbase, to emphasise his point, Simmons added: “I don’t care if you think the Earth is flat.” While it’s easy to empathise with the singer’s position, pronouncements like this raise the question of how best to communicate with people whose minds are closed to irrefutable, undisputable, incontrovertible scientific fact. While the ever-popular Simmons will no doubt have got his point across, what can those of us who are not metal gods do? Help is at hand in the form of Lee McIntyre’s superb ‘How to Talk to a Science…

    IET EngX
    IET EngX

  • UK failing to fund its climate change commitments, WWF report finds

    A Budget tagging tool designed to track UK spending on green policies found that an amount equivalent to just 0.01 per cent of the country’s GDP was allocated for green measures. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) estimates that investment of approximately 1 per cent of GDP per year from the public and private sectors will be needed to deliver the transition to net zero carbon. WWF also warned that the government is well below target if it wants to meet its policy of cutting emissions by 78 per cent by 2035. Around £145m was allocated towards measures designed to tackle climate change, while policies that will drive up emissions, like the fuel duty freeze, equate to over £40bn. WWF’s findings come just days after the publication of the latest IPCC report, which suggests the target to…

  • Busted: five myths that are blocking adoption of AI in manufacturing

    For all the promise of digital transformation and the role artificial intelligence will play in driving the factories of the future, its adoption is still relatively nascent when it comes to much of the manufacturing sector. There are a number of reasons for this, not least a lack of understanding of what AI actually is and the changes it will bring. Separating the facts from the (science) fiction can be a challenge. Confusion, coupled with uncertainty, breeds fears and misconceptions, whether that’s around security risks; job losses; losing control, and what the technology can and cannot do. Busting some of the most common myths can help set the record straight about AI and what it truly means for manufacturers. Myth 1: AI is the end goal There’s a common misconception that AI itself is…

  • View from India: Using satellite imagery to glean location intelligence

    People with problems and people with expertise in geospatial technology could come together to address societal issues. The Government of India (GoI) has paved the way for this with an announcement made earlier this year. GoI has announced liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data. Drafted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) the guidelines bring sweeping changes to India’s mapping policy, specifically for Indian companies. It means that granular geospatial data and services, many of which were in the restricted zone, will be made available publicly. As the government-led 'Smart City Mission' rolls out, satellite imagery could throw light on urban analytics. This includes buildings, farmlands, regional boundaries and land use planning. In all likelihood, these parameters could…

  • Nasa details its Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s Moon Titan

    It will be the first mission to explore the surface of Titan, which is the only moon in our solar system with a substantial atmosphere and liquid on the surface that could potentially harbour life. It even has a weather system like Earth’s, although its rains methane instead of water. Dragonfly’s goals include searching for chemical biosignatures, investigating the moon’s active methane cycle, and exploring the prebiotic chemistry currently taking place in Titan’s atmosphere and on its surface. “Titan represents an explorer’s utopia,” said Alex Hayes, a Dragonfly co-investigator. “The science questions we have for Titan are very broad because we don’t know much about what is actually going on at the surface yet. For every question we answered during the Cassini mission’s exploration of…

  • Book review: ‘The Distance Cure: A History of Teletherapy’ by Hannah Zeavin

    When I mentioned to a couple of friends that I was reviewing a book about teletherapy, their reaction was the same: “Ah, telepathy... When will they stop writing about this paranormal nonsense?” My learned friends could not be blamed for confusing ‘telepathy’ - communication from one mind to another by extrasensory means (according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) with ‘teletherapy’ – a social and scientific phenomenon, the coherent definition of which is hard to come by. It remains conspicuous by its absence in the seemingly omniscient Wikipedia, which refers instead to ‘telehealth’, defined rather clumsily as “the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies.” The latter definition, to my mind, ignores one key…

  • $1tn infrastructure bill backed by US Senate

    The passing of the 'Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act' affirms President Joe Biden’s push for consensus building in the pandemic recovery. 19 Republicans, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, joined their Democratic colleagues to support the bill, which passed in a 69-30 vote. Speaking at the White House afterwards, Biden said: “Today, we proved that democracy can still work. We can still come together to do big things, important things, for the American people.” Moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski, one of the negotiators of the bill, said: “This infrastructure bill is not the perfect bill [but] it is better to get some of what our constituents want rather than none of it.” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer commented: “It's been quite a night. We still…

  • Drones trained to tackle obstacle course at high speeds using virtual racetrack

    The algorithm was developed using simulations of a drone flying through a virtual obstacle course alongside data taken from experiments of a real drone flying through the same course in a physical space. The researchers found that a drone trained with their algorithm flew through a simple obstacle course up to 20 per cent faster than a drone trained on conventional planning algorithms. The new algorithm did not always keep a drone ahead of its competitor throughout the course, as it sometimes opted to conserve energy by slowing down only to speed up and ultimately overtake its rival by the end. “At high speeds, there are intricate aerodynamics that are hard to simulate, so we use experiments in the real world to fill in those black holes to find, for instance, that it might be better…

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