• Amazon advances factory automation with new ‘sense of touch’ robots

    Amazon has introduced its first robot with a sense of touch that it says heralds a “fundamental leap forward in robotics”. The new Vulcan robot was officially unveiled at Amazon’s Delivering the Future event in Dortmund, Germany. Under trial for the past year at warehouses in Germany and the US, it represents a step change from typical “numb and dumb” industrial robots. With its robotic arm and grabbing tool, Vulcan uses “force feedback sensors” to grab and stow items without causing damage. “Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics,” said Aaron Parness, Amazon director of applied science. “It’s not just seeing the world – it’s feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.” Vulcan will join the wide array of robots already in use…

  • Aviation movement calls for urgent action on industry’s climate impact

    The newly launched ‘Call Aviation to Action’ movement is calling on aviation professionals to “urgently and decisively” address the industry’s growing climate impact. Aviation is widely recognised as a hard to abate sector, along with shipping, construction and steelmaking. Although there are mandates in place for the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and much research into hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft – as well as other designs and technologies including blended wing aircraft – these all remain in the early stages. It is considered highly unlikely that the aviation sector will be able to reduce emissions as quickly as other sectors. Just last week, a study found that emissions from European airlines have soared to pre-Covid-19 levels. While aircraft production targets…

  • Neom megacity may alter weather systems and intensify storms, warns climate adviser

    A leading climate scientist for Neom has warned that this futuristic megacity in the desert could alter weather patterns and amplify wind and sand storms. Construction of Neom’s sprawling 25,500km2 megacity has been far from a smooth road. Located in the Saudi desert near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, the project aims “to change how people live and look after the planet”. First announced by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017, the ambition is for Neom to be an independent, liberal, high-tech megacity with its own tax and labour laws and judiciary. It includes the 170km-long The Line – a linear skyscraper city of narrow buildings up to 500 metres high, encased in a mirrored glass façade. While the ambitions for Neom are indeed lofty, work on the project has been…

  • Electricity transmission - Trouble down the line

    While electrification marches onwards, it depends on having the infrastructure in place. And our transmission network is struggling to keep pace. A major challenge facing the UK’s net zero programme is moving the current state of the wired transmission (national) and distribution (local) networks from problem statement to coordinated action plan. A key moment in this transition will be the publication next year of the UK’s strategic spatial energy plan (SSEP). It will set out a framework for coordinating the development of Great British energy system infrastructure for the next quarter-century. However, some work is already costed, organised and under way. The transmission network was able to meet the last period of peak demand at 63GW in 2005-06. This number has been falling thanks to…

  • London’s 88,000 new homes a year target at risk as building costs soar

    Soaring construction costs are exacerbating London’s housing crisis, according to independent think tank Centre for London (CfL). London’s housing crisis continues to escalate. The government wants to see 88,000 new homes built in the capital every year until 2030, but CfL’s analysis reveals that this will become increasingly challenging. It has revealed that the upfront cost to developers of constructing these new homes will be at least £2.2bn. That is roughly 43 times higher than the equivalent target in the West Midlands (£50.6m), and 36 times higher than in Greater Manchester (£61.3m). This estimate was reached by combining the costs associated with the Building Safety Levy, section 106 agreements, the Community Infrastructure Levy and planning fees for local councils. It also…

  • Satellite chase reveals environmental impact of space sector

    European researchers pursued a satellite falling from the sky to learn how its burn-up affects Earth’s atmosphere. Their findings will help the space industry understand the harm it is doing to the environment and, hopefully, reduce its impacts. It was shortly after noon local time on 8 September 2024 when a streak of smoke, burning as brightly as the midday moon, visible at the same time, appeared on the blue sky above the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean. Flying towards that fireball was a Falcon business jet carrying 12 researchers working under the banner of the European Space Agency (ESA). None were able to observe the daytime fireball as the windows of the aeroplane, which had taken off from Easter Island about three hours earlier, were covered with black fabric. After that fleeting…

  • Millions of birds are dying on power lines – can we stop it?

    Millions of birds are dying every year – what can we do to protect them from the growing electrical network? It is a painful clip to watch – an elegant swan in flight collides with the highest wire strung above power cables and sinks to earth in a tangle of bent and broken feathers. In another incident caught on video, a startled white-tailed eagle crashes into overhead cables and drops like a stone after a sudden flash. Singed feathers and tell-tale burns can reveal how a bird died, but if these incidents had not been filmed they might have passed unremarked. In the UK and across most of the world, no one is required to count the millions of birds that crash into or are electrocuted by live overhead wires spanning the countryside. Eagles, storks, bustards, vultures and other endangered…

  • £250 energy bill discount fails to win over locals opposed to nearby energy infrastructure

    While a majority of Brits recognise the UK’s current energy infrastructure is unfit for the future, many remain firmly opposed to having new wind farms, solar panels or pylons built near their homes – despite offers to lower their energy bills. In September 2024, Labour set out ambitious planning reforms that aim to streamline the process for approving critical infrastructure and overhaul rules on the compulsory purchase of land. The UK currently faces an urgent need to revamp the electricity grid and accelerate new infrastructure to support the increase in renewable energy projects. But to prevent backlash from local residents, the government has proposed slashing £250 a year off their energy bills. Nevertheless, a survey from KPMG and YouGov found that one in three (32%) respondents…

  • Countdown to 2030: EV goals loom as charging infrastructure lags behind

    The UK automotive industry now has until 2030 to reach government zero-carbon targets. Ministers bring forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by five years; government investment for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and batteries announced in budget; huge increases in required battery capacity predicted by 2040. The UK automotive industry’s race towards a zero-carbon 2030 is underway. But with numbers of people driving EVs still below the required amount, what’s needed, now and next, if the UK is to meet its zero-carbon targets? Government waved the chequered flag on 17 September last year, when ministers scrapped the previous 2030 deadline for banning the sale of new vehicles powered solely by petrol and diesel and announced £88m funding for new zero…

  • Editor's comment: Electrification powers the nation

    The transition to electricity has added impetus towards a net zero approach. Historically one of the big criticisms of plans to reduce greenhouse gases was that the road map to get there was sufficiently vague and non-committal that actual action was always a can that could be kicked down the road. And while recent COPs have again replaced specifics with aspiration, the majority of the world is making steps in the right direction. In the UK, the trend for overall energy consumption has been downward for nearly a quarter of a century, while despite the gradual switch to electricity, it too decreases year on year (typically by 1-2%). However, transport remains an outlier, gathering pace and still using an increasing amount of fossil fuels. The switch to EVs, as discussed in the article on p32…

  • Major UK supermarket deploys shelf-scanning robots to roam the aisles

    Morrisons has begun trialling robots in select stores that roam the aisles to monitor how products are being displayed on shelves. The Tally robots, developed by California-based company Simbe, have been deployed at three stores – in Wetherby, Redcar and Stockton. Tally is able to automate the tedium of scanning store shelves to conduct product audits. The roughly 1.5m tall robot traverses store aisles to carry out inventories of the shelves and floor displays, delivering real-time data about mispriced products and stock shortages. The platform integrates multiple advanced sensing technologies – including computer vision cameras, RFID readers and precision depth sensors – to create a complete digital twin of the retail environment. As Tally traverses store aisles, this multi-sensor array…

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  • Powering up: What is the next frontier for gaming tech?

    The gaming sector has always resided at the cutting-edge of computer technology as advancements in graphics and compute power bring new creative possibilities to ever-more complex worlds. Just as the necessities of space travel inspired inventions that are now commonplace, such as vacuum-sealed food or LED technology, discoveries originally made with gaming in mind have also left an indelible mark on technological progress. Cryptocurrencies are mined with graphics processing units (GPUs), voice recognition systems were made for hands-free commands in games, and multiplayer games of the late 1990s could be considered as some of the earliest social networks. Between 1990 and 2010, gaming tech progressed in leaps and bounds, from games reliant on 2D sprites and side-on, simplistic perspectives…

  • Grassroots energy projects offer glimmers of hope in slow net zero transition

    The UK energy infrastructure is pulling on local resources to balance demand – progress is slow, but it is happening. On the side streets of Bacup, Lancashire, UK, in two-up two-downs nestled around a former mill, work began in January to convert the first properties as part of a new project. It could be indicative of methods to bring low-cost green heating to millions of homes that otherwise seem to be locked out of the planned transition to net zero. Rossendale Valley Energy’s Net Zero Terrace Streets (NZTS) project is an attempt to find a way to fit often bulky heat pumps in homes with little free space. A householder in a more suburban setting is more likely to be able to live the net zero ‘Good Life’, in an echo of the suburban self-sufficiency enthusiasts at the centre of the sitcom…

  • Trump’s ‘war on clean energy’ is putting 400,000 jobs at risk

    President Donald Trump’s cuts to the US clean energy industry have led to significant job losses and threatened almost $70bn in project investments, according to a Climate Power report. On Donald Trump’s election campaign trail last year, he pledged to boost oil and gas production in the US with a promise to “drill, baby, drill”. Indeed, his day one executive orders honoured this promise. Just hours after taking office, Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement. He also announced a “national energy emergency” that allowed him to swiftly reverse many Biden-era regulations that aimed to curtail the oil and gas sector, including shutting down construction on the Keystone Pipeline. In April, he also signed a series of executive orders designed to reinvigorate the US coal industry. At…

  • Visa’s AI service to let chatbots make purchases on behalf of consumers

    Visa has unveiled a new AI service that lets consumers browse, select and purchase products on their behalf. The AI agents in its Visa Intelligent Commerce service will be limited to products that have been pre-selected by the consumer, and spending limits can also be imposed. The card processor is working with AI industry leaders such as Anthropic, IBM, Microsoft, OpenAI and Samsung on the service that will build a picture of a consumer’s spending habits based on prior purchases. “Soon people will have AI agents browse, select, purchase and manage on their behalf,” said Visa’s chief product officer Jack Forestell. “These agents will need to be trusted with payments, not only by users, but by banks and sellers as well. “Just like the shift from physical shopping to online, and from…

  • UK government expands Boiler Upgrade Scheme to boost access to low-carbon heating tech

    The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched a consultation to expand the range of low-carbon technologies homeowners can claim under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). Heat pumps are seen by the government as a vital tool in cutting the carbon emissions from people heating their homes. To enable more people to benefit from this as well as other low-carbon technologies and to enable the switch from fossil fuel-based heating systems, BUS was introduced in April 2022. In 2023, the government’s £450m BUS was recently extended until 2028, offering grants of £7,500 towards the cost of a new heat pump. Home heating accounts for 18% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, despite the government having introduced the BUS Nesta report last year showing that uptake of low-carbon…

  • London St Pancras Highspeed to invest £300m in major rail infrastructure upgrade

    London St Pancras Highspeed has announced it will invest £300m in infrastructure renewals over the next five years, from April 2025 to March 2030. The funding for this five-year control period 4 (CP4) aims to maintain and enhance the UK’s 109km high-speed line, which runs from London St Pancras to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone. London St Pancras Highspeed, which operates this line, says the CP4 renewal programme includes £4m that will go towards research and development. This will help support the trial of innovative technologies to improve asset renewal efficiency and monitoring, including systems for remote condition surveillance. Ahead of each new control period, the condition and performance of railway assets are assessed in detail. The results of these help inform strategies for asset…

  • Industry insight: Quantum computing rise sparks security fears amid skills shortage

    This article has been provided by Mark Patrick, director of technical content at Mouser Electronics. Although quantum technology is still very much in its infancy, its commercial applications are already available. As the race to build more powerful quantum computers heats up, the concept of quantum supremacy gets closer to reality. The quantum supremacy milestone will severely compromise our existing digital security mechanisms, so another race is on to build secure solutions that are resistant to quantum computing. Currently, one of the main risks to the evolution of quantum technology is a severe shortage of the skills required to bring scalable solutions to market. This article looks at the recent advancements in the field of quantum computing, discussing existing practical applications…

  • UK government failing to prepare for extreme weather, climate watchdog warns

    The government’s climate advisers warn that progress on climate change is “either too slow, has stalled, or is heading in the wrong direction”. The past year has seen our environment ravaged by extreme weather conditions, from flooding and droughts to wildfires and hurricanes. Scientists argue that these extreme weather events are made even more likely as the result of human-driven climate change. Speaking at the COP29 climate conference at the end of last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government “recognises that the world stands at a critical juncture in the climate crisis” and that the UK “has a critical role to play”. However, a new report from the UK government’s climate watchdog, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), reveals that the government is not appropriately prepared…

  • Robot vacuums could double as home assistants with simple software upgrades, study finds

    Robot vacuum cleaners could be reprogrammed to perform helpful tasks around the house such as playing with a pet, watering the plants and carrying groceries to the kitchen. University of Bath researchers identified 100 functions that domestic cleaning robots could perform with some fine tuning during idle periods. They took a Roomba, one of the most popular robot vacuum cleaner models, and altered its programming to perform the following four functions: Mobile wireless charger: the robot, fitted with a holder, charged a phone, navigating the home to find the phone user when mobile charging was needed. Workout projector: equipped with a projector, the robot displayed workout videos on a wall. When it was time for floor exercises, it shifted the projection to the ceiling, ensuring uninterrupted…

  • Which transmission tech is best for the UK’s great grid upgrade? IET report finds out

    As the UK pushes to fully decarbonise its energy grid by 2030, a new report compares the costs and characteristics of overground, underground and subsea power transmission. The UK government has set itself the lofty goal of entirely decarbonising the UK’s energy grid by 2030. However, this requires the country’s electricity infrastructure to be significantly expanded and upgraded. A report last year suggested that the grid was not ready for the major influx of green energy coming online in the next few years. BloombergNEF data suggested that for every pound invested in renewable energy, the UK should be investing at least £1 in the grid, but the current ratio is more like 25p to every £1. National Grid’s Electricity System Operator estimates that Britain’s electricity needs will rise…

  • Spain blackout underscores urgent need for investment in ‘vulnerable’ UK grid

    The nationwide blackout of Spain’s electricity network highlights the vulnerability of grids on peninsulas and islands such as the UK, an energy expert has said. Yesterday, a major incident saw millions of households and businesses across Spain, Portgual and southern France lose power in what was the largest power cut in Europe’s recent history. While power has now been restored to more than 99% of affected areas, the cause of the blackout has not yet been identified. Various explanations have been offered, including cyber attacks on the grid and atmospheric phenomena across Spain. Portuguese grid operator REN said “extreme variations” in Spain’s temperature caused the power failure, though Spanish transmission system operator Red Eléctrica has so far given no reason for the outage. …

  • Nuclear energy ramps up in China as 10 new reactors approved

    China’s State Council has approved the construction of 10 new nuclear reactors, as reported by Bloomberg. While it was recently revealed that the world’s largest energy consumer plans to keep building coal-fired power plants through to 2027, it is also ramping up its renewables development. In July 2024, the Global Energy Monitor found that China was building almost twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as every other country in the world combined, with 180GW of utility-scale solar and 159GW of wind power already under construction. Bloomberg has now reported that China is also ramping up nuclear power with the approval of at least 10 new nuclear reactors, the fourth consecutive year that number has been endorsed. With 30 nuclear reactors currently under construction, nearly…

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