• Why ethical awareness should be at the front of your skills portfolio

    ‘Well’ said our engineer ruefully, … ‘it has been a pretty business for me. I have lost my thumb and I have lost a fifty-guinea fee, and what have I gained?’ ‘Experience,’ said Holmes, laughing. Sherlock Holmes’s remark in the 1892 story ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’ should be taken as a warning shot across the bows for those of us who, finding ourselves out of our depth in a new and challenging situation, fail to catch on quickly enough. And, as like as not, find ourselves in an ethical quagmire. It happened to me a long time ago. In the context of a contractual commitment by my employer to deliver certain items of equipment on time and at a specified cost, three things became clear at a late stage. First, that the company had misled the client – and perhaps also itself – as…

  • TikTok to open cyber-security centre in Ireland

    The Chinese social media giant has announced that Dublin will be the first location of what it calls regional 'fusion centres' around the world, designed to help the company respond to security incidents in real time, 24 hours a day. Roland Cloutier, the platform’s chief security officer, said these centres are intended as the next step for TikTok to ensure security is “built-in from the start”. “When people use TikTok, we know they’re entrusting us with their data and we take our duty to protect that data very seriously,” he said. “Our global security organisation operates a ‘follow the Sun’ approach, so that people on teams around the world are always focused on protecting people’s information and ensuring that our next-generation entertainment platform can anticipate and stay ahead of…

  • Paris Agreement action could boost energy jobs by eight million

    “Currently, an estimated 18 million people work in the energy industries – a number that is likely to increase, not decrease, to 26 million or by over 50 per cent if we reach our global climate targets,” said co-author Dr Johannes Emmerling, an environmental economist at the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment in Italy. “Manufacturing and installation of renewable energy sources could potentially become about one third of the total of these jobs, for which countries can also compete in terms of location.” The study is based on a global dataset of 'job footprints' in 50 countries, including major fossil fuel-producing economies. The dataset used in this study included data from China, India, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and other additions. The team…

  • Plastic accumulation in seafood increases risk of dangerous bacteria

    Researchers from the University of Portsmouth tested a theory that microplastics covered in a layer of microbes called a biofilm were more likely to be ingested by oysters than microplastics that were clean. Although the experiment was carried out on oysters under laboratory conditions, scientists believe similar results could be found in other edible marine species that also filter seawater for food. “We know microplastics can be the mechanism by which bacteria are concentrated in coastal waters and this shows that they are more readily taken up by shellfish and can be transferred to humans or other marine life,” said lead researcher Dr Joanne Preston. Microbes have been known to readily colonise microplastics that enter the ocean. This study makes a comparison between the uptake rates…

  • Sponsored: Nine Calculations Every Power Systems Engineer Should Know

    Power Systems Engineers need validated tools that help them solve complex problems – and a mathematics tool is central to this work. Maths and data analysis tools may be used for simple design calculations, data analysis, and more intensive mathematical tasks. This whitepaper explores a variety of applications within electrical power systems engineering. Each application is created using Maple, with sections of each Maple document displayed to show the mathematics and algorithms required for a solution. Key Learning Points: Discover some of the most important calculations used in power systems engineering Learn how calculation management software can help engineers solve complex problems Get links to full application examples created within Maple Download Here

  • Government pushes road freight greening with £20m funding boost

    The funding will go towards trials of zero-emission road freight vehicles and supporting infrastructure, paid for by the Department for Transport and managed by Innovate UK. The six successful projects include a trial and demonstration of 20 electric DAF trucks by Leyland Trucks intended for public sector use; a trial of a 20km-long stretch of “electric road system” by Costain near Scunthorpe, and a green hydrogen truck feasibility study by Arcola Energy focused on Scottish transport. Scotland minister Iain Stewart said of the hydrogen truck study: “It’s great news that a study involving Scottish utility, logistics companies and the University of St Andrews to design a potential trial for hydrogen fuel cell trucks and new refuelling infrastructure has received a share of £20 million UK…

  • Glenfiddich uses own whisky waste to fuel trucks

    The company said it has installed fuelling stations at its Dufftown distillery in north-eastern Scotland which use technology developed by its parent company William Grant and Sons. It will convert its production waste and residues into an Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel (ULCF) gas that produces minimal carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions. Glenfiddich said the transition to using fuel made from the distillery’s waste product is part of a “closed-loop” sustainability initiative. Stuart Watts, distillery director at William Grant, said traditionally Glenfiddich has sold off spent grains left over from the malting process to be used for a high-protein cattle feed. However, through anaerobic digestion – where bacteria break down organic matter, producing biogas – the distillery can also use the…

  • New Nokia phones focus on ruggedness, XXL screens and nostalgia

    The latest Nokia-branded handsets are made by Finnish firm HMD Global, which is licensing the Nokia brand after the parent company closed its phone unit in 2015 . The Nokia XR20 is described as “life-proof” and comes with a tough build and three years of software updates. The device is designed to handle extreme temperatures; a drop to the ground from 1.8m; one hour under water, and is built to survive harsh environmental conditions. It is also one of the largest phones on the market, with an 81mm width that should make it comfortable for those with larger hands. Nokia XR20 Image credit: Nokia The display is covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, which HMD said allows it to survive even when being kicked, flipped and spun screen-first across a concrete…

  • UK set to miss net-zero goals without battery innovation

    In a report on the subject, it said the UK was failing to make the most of its expertise in fuel cells and next-generation batteries, increasing the risk that the domestic automotive industry could fall behind its global competitors. The Committee added that it was “alarmed” by the disconnect between the optimism of Ministers about the UK’s prospects and the concerns raised by other witnesses who fear that the UK is lagging behind its competitors and facing significant challenges with innovation, supply chains and skills. The report sets out a number of recommendations for the government and research funders, in order to protect the UK’s automotive sector and develop a competitive advantage in fuel cells and next-generation batteries. It called for Government support to develop UK supply…

  • Semiconductor fab and civil nukes new focus of UK-China tensions

    The Financial Times report, citing people familiar with the plans, said the government is exploring how CGN may be excluded from all future power projects in the UK. A change in policy could have severe ramifications for the Sizewell C project in Suffolk, which France’s state-owned power company EDF is scheduled to build with backing from CGN. CGN is also involved with proposals for a successor to the decommissioned Bradwell nuclear power station in Essex. The UK government has taken a firmer stance against Chinese companies’ involvement with British infrastructure projects and strategically important industries. Last year, the government performed a U-turn by announcing that Shenzhen-based Huawei would be completely excluded from British 5G networks by the end of 2027 , having previously…

  • Boeing primes Starliner for unmanned launch to the ISS

    The reusable crew capsule, in development for over a decade, has been designed to transport crew to the ISS and other low-Earth orbit destinations. While humans may not be present, the upcoming test flight will see Starliner carry supplies and test equipment to the ISS. If all goes well, it will demonstrate its capabilities in launching, docking, and then re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere while performing a safe desert landing. Boeing’s previous attempt at an uncrewed test flight in 2019 ended in failure due to an unforeseen software glitch. While the capsule was able to reach orbit and land safely, the software problem prevented it from docking successfully with the ISS. Boeing is estimated to be paying around $410m (£300m) for the upcoming test mission on 30 July which will take place…

  • Sponsored: Break through the Barriers of Evolving IoT Regulatory Standards

    IoT device makers need to accomplish regulatory pre-compliance and compliance testing throughout the product life cycle — from design to test validation, manufacturing, and deployment. Solving design issues early in the product life cycle helps manufacturers achieve first-to-market breakthroughs to stay competitive in the marketplace. Discover deep insights into regulatory compliance test, why it is crucial, its test challenges, and the solutions to overcome these obstacles. Key Learning Points: Roadblocks to global market access Tips to help you meet product release schedule and maximise asset utlisation Understand the complexity of wireless regulatory tests Download Here

  • Storms batter south of England, flooding homes, roads and hospitals

    Residents in north-east London used buckets, brooms and wooden boards to create makeshift flood defences for their homes, while water gushing from an Underground station was caught on video. The wettest part in the whole of the UK on Sunday was St James’s Park in London, where 41.6mm of rain fell. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: “Local emergency services, @LondonFire, and @MetPoliceUK are responding to significant flooding across London. If you’re travelling, check your route as multiple @TfL bus, tube and rail services are affected. Avoid walking or driving through flood water. In an emergency, call 999.” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, MP for the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, said: “Thoughts with all those affected by today’s flooding. Thanks to all the emergency…

  • Cheap thermal sensor operates at high temperatures

    Thermal-imaging sensors have been in demand since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to examine the thermal profile of human bodies and detect people who may have elevated temperatures: a symptom of the disease. The smartphone industry is considering incorporating such sensors as portable features to in order to allow them to measure temperature in real time. Additionally, the application of such technology to autonomous vehicles could facilitate safer autonomous driving. Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology have developed a new sensor that can operate at temperatures up to 100°C without a cooling device and is expected to be more affordable than standard sensors on the market. Many of the thermal imaging sensors currently available cannot operate above 35…

  • Acoustic fields used to levitate polystyrene ball

    Optical trapping is a technology which has allowed scientists to move tiny objects around for many years, enabling manipulation with no contact. In fact, one of the recipients of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics, Arthur Ashkin, was recognised for his work on optical trapping. Despite the many possibilities opened up by this technology, it has some limitations. Chiefly, it places limits on the properties of objects which can be manipulated. Acoustic trapping is an alternative technology which uses sound waves instead of light waves; the technology is sometimes referred to as 'acoustic tweezers'. Scientists hope that they may be able to manipulate individual cells and other tiny objects using the technology. Sound waves, unlike light waves, can be applied to a wider range of object sizes and…

  • Wearable computer vision aid helps blind people avoid collisions

    A team of researchers showed that people using a long cane or a guide dog were able to reduce the number of collisions by 37 per cent, compared to using other mobility aids alone. “Independent travel is an essential part of daily life for many people who are visually impaired, but they face a greater risk of bumping into obstacles when they walk on their own,” said Gang Luo, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. “Although many blind individuals use long canes to detect obstacles, collision risks are not completely eliminated. We sought to develop and test a device that can augment these everyday mobility aids, further improve their safety.” The experimental device and data recording unit were enclosed in a sling backpack with a chest-mounted, wide-angle camera…

  • Hands-on review: RiutBag X35 3-in-1 backpack

    RiutBag (pronounced 'Riot Bag' and derived from 'Revolution in user thinking', natch) was started by commuter Sarah Giblin in 2014 to address what she perceived as a fundamental flaw with most backpacks: when worn on the back, as on a bus or train, the zips and flaps face away from the wearer and are instead invitingly within sticky-fingered reach of any opportunistic thieves standing nearby. Following this Damescene revelation, Giblin quit her City day job and pursued her dream of launching the 'backwards' backpack with her life savings and a Kickstarter campaign. Fast forward to today, where it's 20,000 Riutbags sold and the company recently 'bagged' a European Product Design Award. E&T looked at the company's pandemic-inspired backpack back in May, with its focus on the specific needs…

  • Why spatial computing is the next frontier for industrial efficiency

    Smart factories are about to get even smarter. With the adoption of spatial computing – the digitisation of spatial relationships between machines, people and objects in order to identify their precise location and movements within a 3D space – industrial companies have an opportunity to take the optimisation of worksites to a whole new level. To understand the scale of that opportunity, let’s first take a step back. Over the past decade, manufacturers have been able to reach new levels of efficiency through industrial internet of things (IIoT) programmes. These have equipped factory-floor machinery with smart sensors able to report on their status and usage and receive instructions remotely. Connected operations provide far greater insight into how facilities are running. In turn, companies…

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    IET EngX

  • Facebook blind spot allows timber wildlife trafficking to Asia to continue

    “Can people buy Kosso wood from you?”, was the message to a Nigerian log trafficker that kicked off an investigation into dozens of Facebook accounts responsible for smuggling precious, often protected wood species from Africa into Vietnam. The answer to our   inquiry about Kosso, a   CITES -listed rosewood illegally harvested in Africa where loggers   wreak havoc with local biodiversity and from where it's   mostly illegally exported - was hardly surprising: “I have lots of Kosso wood for sale in Nigeria,” the Nigerian Facebook account replied. Records show the account owner   is very active on Vietnamese Facebook   groups. It's just one example of a larger analysis that reveals how Facebook facilitates trading accounts and groups that shift large quantities of precious wood across continents…

  • Mars interior mapped using data from Nasa’s Insight probe

    InSight was sent to Mars in 2018 to study the internal structure of the Red Planet and shed light on how rocky planets, moons and meteorites in the solar system formed. It detected its first ‘Marsquakes’ in 2019 which proved that the planet was seismically active underneath the surface. Using information obtained from around a dozen earthquakes detected on Mars by the 'Very Broad Band' (VBB) SEIS seismometer, Nasa scientists were able to determine the internal structure of Mars. They estimated of the size of the planet’s core, the thickness of its crust and the structure of its mantle based on the analysis of seismic waves reflected and modified by interfaces in its interior. It is the first-ever seismic exploration of the internal structure of a terrestrial planet other than Earth and…

  • ‘Postcode lottery’ for access to EV chargepoints, CMA warns

    The CMA found that some parts of the new EV charging sector are developing relatively well, including charging at shopping centres, workplaces, and private parking (such as garages and driveways), but other parts are facing problems that could hinder the planned petrol and diesel engine phase-out. The regulator expressed particular concern about the choice and availability of chargepoints at motorway service stations where competition is limited; the speed of the roll-out of on-street charging by local authorities; and lack of investment in building chargepoints in rural areas. It also cited research showing that charging can be difficult and frustrating for drivers, as well as issues around reliability and cost putting drivers off going electric. The CMA laid out four principles which…

  • Jurors who view the scene of a crime in VR make better decision, study finds

    In a study published by the University of South Australia, researchers, legal professionals, police and forensic scientists simulated a hit-and-run scene, reconstructing the events with a laser scanner to compare verdicts between ‘jurors’ using 3D headsets and those relying on photographs from the scene. They found that the jurors using the VR headsets had better recall, spatial accuracy and more consistent verdicts. “Virtual reality also required significantly less effort than using photographs to piece together the sequence of events,” said researcher Dr Andrew Cunningham. Study participants viewing the scene through a 3D headset were 9.5 times more likely (87 per cent) to choose the same verdict – death by dangerous driving – than the group who relied on photographs, who were split…

  • New chip design exponentially boosts data rate for processors

    According to the United Nations' telecommunications agency, 93 per cent of the global population has access to a mobile-broadband network of some kind. With data becoming more readily available to consumers, there is a greater demand for more of it and at faster speeds. Now a research team at Texas A&M University has designed a chip that could revolutionise the current data rate for processors and technologies such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Ramy Rady, a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his team - including faculty advisor and professor Dr. Kamran Entesari, along with Dr. Christi Madsen and Dr. Sam Palermo, are moving toward the use of microwave photonics, a branch of optics that focuses on improving the quality…

  • Touchscreens could double as lab-grade sensors

    Researchers from the University of Cambridge showed how a typical phone’s touchscreen could be used to identify common ionic contaminants in soil or drinking water by simply dripping liquid samples onto the screen. The sensitivity of the touchscreen sensor is comparable to typical lab-based equipment, rendering it useful in low-resource settings. The researchers say their proof of concept could one day be expanded for a wide range of sensing applications, including for biosensing or medical diagnostics. While other research teams have utilised the computational power of smartphones for sensing applications, this is the first study to use the screen itself, rather than the camera or peripheral devices or significant additions to the screen. A typical phone screen is covered with a grid of…

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