• 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…

  • Spacesuit delay puts Nasa’s 2024 Moon mission on hold

    It said the suits were a “critical component” of achieving the goal of returning humans to our nearest celestial neighbour but is facing a 20-month delay in their delivery. Currently, for activities such as spacewalks, astronauts use suits designed 45 years ago for the Space Shuttle programme and rely on these refurbished and partially redesigned spacesuits for extravehicular activities on the International Space Station (ISS). A new generation of spacesuit that would be more manoeuvrable and have more advanced life support systems has been in development since 2008. In 2017, Nasa reported that despite spending nearly $200m (£145m) on their development over the previous nine-year period, it remained years away from having a flight-ready spacesuit to use on exploration missions. …

  • ‘Rise of the Machines’ report fingers disturbing number of ‘agentless’ devices

    In its 2021 report, ' Rise of the Machines 2021: State of Connected devices - IT, IoT, IoMT and OT ', Ordr addresses pandemic-related cyber-security challenges, including the growth of connected devices and the related increase of security risks from these devices as threat actors have taken advantage of unintended opportunities to launch attacks. The research incorporates security risk and trend analysis of anonymised data for 12 months (June 2020 to June 2021) across more than 500 of the company's deployments in the healthcare, life sciences, retail and manufacturing verticals. According to the report, 42 per cent of connected devices were 'agentless' or 'un-agentable' devices. This was up from 32 per cent of such devices in 2020. These devices include medical and manufacturing devices…

  • Chameleon-inspired robot mimics its surroundings

    The robot could be a precursor to next-generation wearable camouflage which rapidly adapts to its environment. Artificial camouflage – which has been continuously developed since the nineteenth century, largely for military purposes – is inspired by natural camouflage present in nature, such as in octopuses and chameleons. Natural camouflage normally relies on the mechanical action of muscle cells, while artificial camouflage can use a more diverse range of strategies to achieve colour changing. Camouflage devices must be capable of conveying a range of colours which can be controlled on demand; this is a complex challenge when working with high-resolution camouflage patterns (necessary for larger devices) at the complete device level. This requires not only consideration of colour but…

  • Letters to the editor: volume 16, issue 8

    Vehicle use data needs to be realistic The conclusions reported in the story  ‘Most UK cars only driven for one hour a day leaving ample time for EV charging’  on the E&T website are misleading, given that so many properties built in the 1950s, ’60s and even ’70s did not provide off-road parking. Many that did had garages separate from the main dwelling with no possibility of providing mains electricity, making it difficult to provide EV-charging facilities without considerable expense. This article would provide a more balanced view of the opportunities for EV parking if the percentage of time vehicles were parked could be modified to include off-road parking that has access to mains electricity. This would show how many vehicles could not have the option of being charged while parked…

    IET EngX
    IET EngX

  • Gadgets: Trust Taxon webcam, Sony SRS-NB10, MyndPlay MyndBand and more

    Trust Taxon webcam Image credit: Trust A webcam with a 2K camera to improve the quality of your video calls. Its 80° wide-angle glass lens takes more in, while a sliding lens cover offers privacy. Twin noise-cancelling mics ensure sound is equally well handled. It’s designed to hook over the top of your screen or sit on the table at an adjustable angle; it works with a tripod, too. Read Caramel’s hands-on review £69.99 trust.com The Little Botanical Living Art Image credit: Little Botanical This stunning living wall is a picture frame-style planter, made from recycled plastic. Its built-in reservoir waters the plants for up...

  • Child-friendly changes coming to Google Search and YouTube

    Among the measures, videos uploaded to YouTube by users under the age of 18 will be set to private by default, meaning that they may only be viewed by themselves and users who receive a link. However, the uploader can still choose to adjust the settings, if they wish, to make the content available to the general public. YouTube will also switch existing settings to disable autoplay and provide young users with break and bedtime reminders to discourage compulsive binge-watching. Google is also planning to make changes to Google Search. New rules for Google Images will enable anyone under the age of 18 or their parent or guardian to request that their photo is removed from results. Regarding data protection, Google will switch off location history – without the option to turn it back on…

  • Banks rapidly adopting AI to detect and counter money laundering

    The study by SAS, KPMG and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), surveyed more than 850 ACAMS members worldwide about their use of technology to detect money laundering, which amounts to around 2 to 5 per cent of global GDP – or $800bn to $2tr – annually. 57 per cent of respondents said they had already deployed either AI or ML into their anti-money laundering compliance processes or are piloting solutions that they plan to implement in the next 12-18 months. “As regulators across the world increasingly judge financial institutions’ compliance efforts based on the effectiveness of the intelligence they provide to law enforcement, it’s no surprise 66 per cent of respondents believe regulators want their institutions to leverage AI and machine learning,”…

  • Barnacle-inspired medical glue halts bleeding

    The paste was inspired by barnacles, which use their cement glands to adhere to rocks, ships and larger animals and remain stubbornly in place despite being affixed to often contaminated, wet conditions and variable surfaces. They are able to do this due to the production of a type of oil matrix which cleans the surface and repels moisture, which is followed by production of a protein which cross-links them with the molecules of the surface. This two-step process was replicated in the quick-acting medical glue, which functions well in challenging sites covered with blood or other bodily fluids. Surgeons historically use a type of material to speed up coagulation and form a clot to halt bleeding, which takes several minutes at best. However, this paste can halt bleeding in as little as 15…

  • SpaceX buys tiny satellite firm in first public acquisition

    The purchase was revealed in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. SpaceX has reportedly scooped up Swarm’s 30 employees alongside its network of 120 tiny satellites. The satellites are functioning as a wireless network providing continuous coverage across the planet for IoT devices, particularly in remote areas in industries such as agriculture and maritime. The service is somewhat analogous to SpaceX’s Starlink service, which has been designed to provide broadband internet using its own constellation of satellites. Starlink currently has 1,740 satellites in orbit, but more are planned before the rollout of its full commercial service, which has faced delays . The merger agreement, in which Swarm will become a direct and wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX…

  • Magnetic ‘millirobots’ climb and swim to deliver drugs to neural tissue

    The study investigated how the robots – 'Magnetically Aligned Nanorods In Alginate CapsuleS' (aka ‘Maniacs’) – could perform as drug delivery vehicles inside the body. It found that, when controlled using a magnetic field, the robots can move against fluid flow, climb slopes and move through neural tissue, such as the spinal cord, to deposit substances at precise locations. Disease in the central nervous system can be very difficult to treat. Lamar Mair of Weinberg Medical Physics, which partnered with the academics on the study, explained: “Delivering drugs orally or intravenously, for example, to target cancers or neurologic diseases, may affect regions of the body and nervous system that are unrelated to the disease. Targeted drug delivery may lead to improved efficacy and reduced side…

  • 2020 reduction in business carbon emissions offset by extra home energy usage

    Personal energy usage was found to have increased by around 37 per cent, largely balancing out business savings of 6 per cent on electricity and 1 per cent on gas, on average in 2020. Hospitality saw the largest fall in business consumption while manufacturing experienced just a 5 per cent reduction. The research found that many businesses may have unknowingly experienced an increase in total net energy consumption, when accounting for a remote workforce. Gazprom Energy is wholly owned by Russian oil producers Gazprom, the third largest carbon emitting firm in the world, according to a study from 2019. The business energy supplier said it wanted organisations to educate themselves on their true total consumption by taking employees’ working-from-home consumption into account, and has…

  • Where will the games industry find the 4D engineers it needs?

    Engineering provides fantastic possibilities, allowing us to create everything from infrastructure, roads and bridges, to bridges into entirely virtual worlds – and almost anything in between that we can imagine and make technically feasible. Too often, however, the world of engineers is siloed. Our educational path, intellectual curiosity and analytical rigour may be similar, but different fields of technology and engineering operate in separate disciplinary silos that could learn a lot from one another when it comes to tackling challenges facing the wider profession. Within engineering and computer science, the creation and development of online games remains a popular choice for graduates. Those of us in the video game industry have seen the past year supercharged by demand from consumers…

    IET EngX
    IET EngX

  • 25,000 webcams seized in Chinese anti-voyeurism crackdown

    The powerful Chinese internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), published a statement explaining that it has been working with various other government bodies on the crackdown, including the Ministry of Industry and IT, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration of Market Regulation. The bodies are reportedly involved in widespread efforts to curb voyeurism conducted online such as “trading private videos”, Reuters reported. In addition to the dozens of arrests and the seizure of 25,000 webcams, the CAC said that online platforms have “cleaned up” more than 8,000 pieces of information associated with illegal voyeurism and taken action against 134 accounts associated with the activity. Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com cooperated…

  • UN climate report must be ‘death knell’ for fossil fuels

    The summary report  from the IPCC provides a comprehensive picture of the impact human activity is having on the climate, bringing together climate data and physical sciences expertise from around the world, including drawing on the findings of more than 14,000 technical papers. The 4,000-page report – the first instalment of the IPCC’s sixth assessment since the 1980s and the first since 2013 – has been approved by representatives of 195 governments prior to its publication. At the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November this year, governments will present their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement target of keeping temperature rises within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Remaining within this target temperature rise could help avoid the…

  • Wind turbine plant in Hull gets government funding to support expansion

    Siemens said the upgrade of its operation on the Humber, which was first announced earlier this year, will create 200 direct new jobs as part of a £186m total investment. For its part, the UK government has said that Siemens Gamesa will receive grant funding from its £160m 'Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support' scheme. The Hull plant, in Alexandra Dock, is the largest offshore wind manufacturing facility in the UK, employing around 1,000 people. It has built more than 1,500 offshore wind turbine blades since it opened in 2016 and Siemens Gamesa said the new investment will mean the operation will continue to be a major driver of economic growth in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. The giant turbines are used in wind farms already being constructed in the North Sea, as well…

  • Scottish weather data could help improve self-driving cars

    Professor Andrew Wallace and Dr Sen Wang, from Heriot-Watt University, chased rain, snow, and fog around the rural northern roads and the urban sprawl of Edinburgh to gather the data. As part of the road trip, the two researchers kitted out a van with light detection and ranging (lidar) radar, stereo cameras, and geo-positioning devices. The technology produced a new dataset of three hours’ worth of radar images and 200,000 tagged road objects, including other vehicles and pedestrians. Image credit: Heriot-Watt University According to the researchers, the information will be valuable to manufacturers and researchers of driverless vehicles as most public data currently available is based on sunny, clear days. It has also relied mainly on data collected from optical…

  • Fibre-optic cables could be carried through UK water pipes

    The £4m trial will examine whether passing cables through water pipes could improve connectivity for homes, businesses and mobile masts. Digging for cable laying is an expensive and disruptive process; civil works such as installing new ducts and poles can comprise up to four-fifths of the cost of building new gigabit-capable broadband networks. Fibre cable has been deployed in the water pipes of other countries, such as Spain, and broadband providers are already using existing infrastructure in England to lay cable, including electricity poles. If the project is successful, broadband firms could gain access to more than one million kilometres of underground utility ducts – not just water, but also electricity, gas and sewage – to help their rollout of gigabit-speed broadband. “The cost…

    IET EngX
    IET EngX

  • View from India: Data readiness and AI strategies for future growth

    It’s a known fact that many big companies have leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and enjoyed a significant return on investment (ROI). The power of automating and streamlining processes is so strong that AI strategies are increasingly aligned with business goals. Customer satisfaction, minimal errors and better performance levels are some of its outcomes. Cloud migration has also helped cut costs. There appears to be the notion that only large corporations need to automate processes and that smaller ones needn’t necessarily adopt frontier technologies. To that effect, many fledgling companies treat AI with skepticism. Moreover, many of them don’t have the wherewithal or skill sets to handle AI-cloud solutions. Other hurdles present themselves. The cost of scaling-up operations…

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