• Voyager 2 plasma instrument shuttered to preserve power as probe nears 50 years in space

    Nasa scientists have turned off one of the instruments on the near 50-year-old Voyager 2 space probe as its electrical power supply continues to decline. Voyager 2 was launched in 1977 and has travelled more than 20 billion kilometres from Earth. It continues to use four science instruments to study the region outside the solar system’s heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the Sun. While mission engineers have been trying to avoid turning off any of its key instruments for as long as possible, they recently made the decision to shut down the plasma science instrument that is designed to measure the flow of charged atoms in the space surrounding the craft. It has only managed to collect limited data in recent years because of its orientation relative…

  • Factory of the future: manufacturers harness AI to revolutionise the assembly line

    Comment: Why do manufacturers invest in technologies such as robotics, cloud computing and AI? What are the main barriers to adopting new tech? And how do these manufacturers plan to invest in the future? Anders Billesø Beck, vice president for strategy and innovation at Universal Robots, provides some answers. Prioritising the evolving needs of end customers is essential for any business. To gain a deeper understanding of what these needs are, Universal Robotics, a Danish manufacturer of collaborative robot arms (cobots), carried out a survey of 1,200 manufacturers in Europe and North America. The focus of the survey was to find out how these manufacturers are using technology now and how they plan to invest in the future. The four key takeaways from the survey include: 1. AI: From…

  • IBM opens first European quantum data centre in Germany

    US firm IBM has opened its first quantum data centre outside of the US near Stuttgart in Germany, enabling European companies and research institutes to access its quantum computing systems. The new European IBM Quantum Data Center includes two utility-scale IBM Quantum Eagle-based systems. IBM claims these systems are capable of performing computations beyond the brute-force simulation capabilities of classical computers. The centre will also soon feature a new IBM Quantum Heron-based system. First introduced at the end of last year, IBM Heron is the company’s highest performing quantum chip. It offers reduced error rates, 16 times better performance and a 25-fold increase in speed over 2022 IBM quantum systems. The Quantum advantage, which companies like IBM refer to, is the point at…

  • China’s $100bn cleantech investment turbocharging global energy transition

    China’s unprecedented “tsunami” of foreign investment in renewable energy and transport electrification projects since 2023 is turbocharging the global energy transition, according to a report. The Green capital tsunami report from Climate Energy Finance (CEF), a Sydney-based research group, outlines how China is leading the decarbonisation race. The report findings reveal how China is leading the world in every aspect of decarbonisation – in R&D, investment, innovation, manufacturing, installation and exports of key clean energy technologies spanning solar, wind, batteries, new energy vehicles, grids, hydro and green hydrogen. Its domestic cleantech investment is double that of the EU and the US. Based on investments currently proposed and confirmed, the report calculates that Chinese…

  • Engineering and the art of the prompt

    The creative abilities of GenAI can appear impressive, but depend on the user being able to tell it precisely what they want. Are engineers poised to benefit from increasing demand for this skill? When generative AI (GenAI) makes headlines, it’s often for negative reasons. That could be its ability to create images that are realistic but misleading, or output that reflects racial and gender prejudices inherent in the material it has been trained on. Regardless of its potential weaknesses, businesses of all kinds are recognising GenAI’s potential, with plans to use it in a range of ways. Increasingly, though, awareness is growing of the importance of the human element not just to check AI’s output, but to make sure it is being asked the right questions in the first place. Image credit…

  • A more strategic approach is essential to skilling the UK’s workforce, says report

    A report published by EngineeringUK has highlighted how a comprehensive STEM education and skills strategy is essential to skilling the UK’s workforce. The report – Advancing STEM careers provision in England: Key lessons and opportunities – looks at what is working well in careers education in schools and colleges, and what requires urgent attention. With a rising and pressing demand for engineering and technology roles, primarily driven by the UK’s net zero goals and the increasing prominence of green jobs, there urgently needs to be a skilled workforce to fill those roles. The report calls for a more strategic approach to careers provision in England and for greater investment in the careers system and infrastructure. Dr Hilary Leevers, CEO of EngineeringUK, said: “We welcome the…

  • What’s in store for Advanced Engineering attendees?

    Advanced Engineering, the UK’s premier annual event for the engineering and manufacturing sectors, has announced this year’s keynote speakers. The six industry leaders — and 150 plus other speakers — will share their expertise and insights on critical industry issues during talks across several different forums. The two-day show will take place at the NEC in Birmingham on October 30 and 31, 2024. The first of this year’s keynote speakers, Brian Holliday, is a leading figure in industrial technology and digital manufacturing. As the head of Siemens Digital Industries for the UK and Ireland, he oversees advanced automation, industry software, systems integration and R&D. He is an expert on productivity, digital manufacturing and industrial strategy, often contributing to media discussions.…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • IET and E+T magazine win multiple awards at the annual Memcom Excellence Awards

    E+T magazine and the IET won awards in numerous categories at the recent Memcom Excellence Awards, including Best Magazine, Best Website, Best Venue and Best Strategy for Member Engagement or Recruitment. The Memcom Awards are an annual awards ceremony for professional membership organisations. It celebrates innovation, creativity and impact in the membership sector. Earlier this year, E+T magazine was shortlisted in three categories: Best Website, Best Digital Transformation and Best Magazine (circulation more than 20,000). On the night, E+T walked away as winners of Best Magazine and was highly commended in the Best Website category. For the Best Magazine win, the judges said: “Impressive innovative and engaging content that is circulated to 156,000 members in 148 countries. The multimedia…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The software era has begun: will you turn left or right?

    Comment: The deep software-driven transformation of the automotive industry should be a wake-up call for manufacturing. David Hughes, director of UKI Solutions Consulting at PTC, discusses why a new approach to product development is needed. Way back in 1965, MIT developed the Apollo Guidance Computer for Nasa’s Apollo program – the world’s first widely recognised embedded software system. Just six years later, in 1971, Intel released the first microprocessor, the 4004. This freed embedded software systems from hardware devices as independent computing units, and was a milestone in modern computer engineering. Fast forward to today, where software working on microprocessors is about to take over the world – or, at least, the role played by hardware in product development in the past century…

  • Breakthrough in medical imaging generates high-quality scans of blood vessels in real time

    A new handheld scanner generates highly detailed photoacoustic tomography (PAT) imaging scans in real time, providing doctors with an accurate view of a patient’s blood vessels. Researchers involved in the study at University College London (UCL) say this medical imaging breakthrough could offer the potential for earlier diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. PAT imaging uses laser-generated ultrasound waves to visualise subtle changes (an early marker of disease) in veins less than 1mm in scale and arteries up to 15mm deep in human tissues. However, existing PAT scanners require the patient to be completely still for more than five minutes in order for the technology to generate a high enough quality 3D image of their blood vessels. In this study…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • IET comment - Why only 20% of the British Public can Identify a Secure Password

    Dr Junade Ali, IET fellow and cyber-security expert, reminds us that longer is better when it comes to securing our assets with uncrackable but memorable passwords. Every few days it seems there is yet another data breach of passwords online, and it gets ever harder for us to keep on top of our cyber security – even for those of us who do this for a living. But in an evolving online world, having strong passwords is more important than ever. When the first computer password emerged in 1961, it was never intended to secure our most valuable assets as society eventually moved online. However, over the following decades, more complex password rules were implemented to improve their security. Users were asked to remember complex passwords containing punctuation and numbers. This led to another…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK government’s pylon roll-out plan receives backlash from local councils

    Local councils have warned they will launch a High Court challenge to block the government’s plan to roll out electricity pylons across the UK. Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk county councils are concerned that the pylons will “wreck” local landscapes. As a result, all four councils have warned they will launch a High Court challenge to block the plans. The energy grid is formed from a complex web of pylons, cables, substations and transformers. But the current infrastructure is reaching capacity and cannot transport much more electricity. With the increase in electricity generated through renewables sources, particularly wind farms off the coast of Scotland, the energy grid needs to be expanded in order to transport electricity to homes and businesses across the country. …

  • Four firms shortlisted to build the UK’s next-generation nuclear power plants

    The government has shortlisted four firms that could build a raft of new miniature nuclear power plants in the UK known as small modular reactors (SMR). British firm Rolls-Royce SMR, which has been exploring the technology for several years, is one of the contenders, alongside GE Hitachi, Holtec Britain and Westinghouse Electric Company. The tender to build the new SMRs was first announced by Great British Nuclear (GBN) last year, with six possible entrants including EDF, which ultimately failed to submit a bid by the deadline, and US firm NuScale Power, which was eliminated from the process earlier this week. A spokesperson for NuScale said it had been told it did not need additional support getting to market because it had already begun production of its reactor designs. The shortlist…

  • Is carbon capture the solution or a distraction from achieving net zero?

    CCS is an industry buzz-acronym routinely deployed to refer to the removal of carbon dioxide from industrial processes in pursuit of climate change mitigation. But what is carbon capture and storage, and can it help us reach net zero and global temperature equilibrium? This will be neither the first nor the last time you’ll have read the following statement: “Stopping global warming requires net greenhouse gas emissions to fall to zero and remain at zero thereafter.” You can find variations on the theme in any media with even a passing interest in climate change – from the most trivial of online newsfeeds to industry white papers and peer-reviewed academic analyses. The words quoted above are taken from a paper published by the Global CCS Institute, Technology readiness and costs of CCS.…

  • Government urged to scrap £10.5bn in road projects to pay for rail upgrades

    Campaigners have urged the government to cancel £10.5bn in road projects and use the money to fund new rail and public transport projects. In a letter to transport secretary Louise Haigh, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing (designs pictured) and the £1.5bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme were “large and unnecessary” road projects. The CBT argues that rather than basing the need for new road schemes on increasing capacity for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), the government should instead invest in rail freight upgrades as an alternative to road building which would free up existing road space “for a fraction of the cost”. Haigh is expected to make a final decision next week on whether to grant a development consent order (DCO) for the Lower Thames…

  • Nasa teams up with Starfish Space on a mission to tackle orbital space junk

    Nasa has awarded a $15m contract to Starfish Space for the agency’s first-ever commercial space debris inspection mission. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission – known as SSPICY – aims to conduct close inspection of defunct, or inoperable, US-owned satellites in low Earth orbit. Nasa has awarded the $15m SSPICY mission contract to Starfish Space, a space technology company based in Washington in the US, which will have three years to execute the mission. Nasa and Starfish Space took to X to make the announcement: The aim of the SSPICY mission is to help identify whether defunct satellites in low orbit could be repaired or whether they should be deorbited. The aim is to help pave the way for future satellite repair and disposal missions, with the ultimate…

  • Carbon capture and storage needs major boost to reach 2°C climate target

    Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not expanding fast enough to meet the 2°C climate target set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, a study has found. The study, led by researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology and Norway’s University of Bergen, says that it’s unlikely that CCS will even expand fast enough to reach the 1.5°C target. CCS technology captures carbon dioxide and stores it deep underground. It is thought to play an important role in many climate mitigation strategies, including net zero targets. However, the study – Feasible deployment of carbon capture and storage and the requirements of climate targets – finds that despite all the talk about CCS, the current use of the technology remains negligible. Jessica Jewell, associate professor at Chalmers University…

  • Apple and Meta snub the EU’s voluntary pact on responsible use of AI

    More than a hundred companies have signed the EU’s AI Pact pledging to use AI responsibly, but while Amazon, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are among them, Apple and Meta have snubbed the initiative. Pact signatories agree on a set of voluntary commitments about how to use the burgeoning technology. This includes three ‘core actions’ they should adhere to, such as developing an AI governance strategy, identifying AI systems likely to be categorised as high-risk and promoting AI literacy and awareness among staff to ensure ethical and responsible development. The pact is a precursor of sorts to the EU’s AI Act that entered into force across all 27 EU member states on 1 August 2024, although enforcement actions for the majority of its provisions will not commence until August 2026. The AI…

  • Monitoring tech on the ISS to provide insights into climate change and natural disasters

    With its unparalleled view of Earth, the International Space Station (ISS) is being installed with new environmental monitoring technology to improve the ability to observe and understand our planet. Through a commercial payload agreement with Airbus US Space & Defence, supported by the ISS National Laboratory, ISS plays host to a variety of payloads for cutting-edge research and product development. The Airbus payload hosting platform Bartolomeo is attached to the European Columbus Module of the ISS and can accommodate up to 12 different experiment modules, supplying them with power and providing data transmission to Earth. The Airbus team has since added the ArgUS multi-payload carrier – a payload accommodation plate that can host up to 10 smaller payloads within one standard payload…

  • Gigafactory builder Northvolt cuts 1,600 jobs amid weak demand for EVs

    Swedish battery developer Northvolt has announced it is cutting 1,600 jobs as it struggles with a tumultuous market for automotives. The firm, which specialises in building lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles (EVs), was founded in 2015 by former Tesla executives and is seen as one of Europe’s primary competitors to China in the battery manufacturing space. China currently dominates the rest of the world in the race for the most EV battery manufacturing, with nearly 66% of global capacity. Its Northvolt Ett factory, which is located in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, is Europe’s first homegrown gigafactory dedicated to producing lithium-ion batteries. But following a strategic review, the firm said it had “revised the scope” of its operations to focus on accelerating production of…

  • Global shipping off track to meet emissions target by 2030

    The global shipping industry is off track to meet its target of zero-emission fuels accounting for 5% of all fuels by 2030, according to a new report. The report – Progress Towards Shipping’s 2030 Breakthrough – highlights that the next 12 months will prove critical to avoid shipping falling irreparably behind its climate goals. This third annual progress report has been published by the UCL Energy Institute at London’s Global University, UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, and the Getting to Zero Coalition (a Global Maritime Forum initiative). It warns that the majority of actors across the maritime ecosystem – which spans the five ‘system change levers’ of supply, demand, policy, finance and civil society – are moving too slowly to meet the internationally agreed target. Global…

  • From additives to hands free farms: Can technology decarbonise UK agriculture?

    Agriculture in the UK is becoming a climate change laggard, having made almost no reduction in emissions in nearly a decade. With government reluctant to incentivise dietary changes away from emissions-intensive foods, can technology make the difference? In 2022, then environment secretary George Eustice – responding to the Environmental Audit Committee over failures by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to progress its decarbonisation targets – sheepishly diverted to technology. He was “optimistic”, he said, about the role it would play in slashing agricultural emissions. Eustice’s uneasiness before the committee betrayed his predicament. Agriculture contributes less than 1% to the UK economy, but is responsible for around 11% of the country’s total greenhouse…

  • VR tech helps pedestrians and cyclists navigate cities differently to swerve harmful pollutants

    Virtual reality (VR) could be key to reducing the exposure of pedestrians and cyclists to harmful, non-exhaust vehicle emissions, according to a University of Birmingham study. Cyclists and pedestrians in city centres are exposed to numerous particle pollutants through the release of small particles from brakes, tyres and roads. These pollutants, which often cannot be seen by the naked eye, are harmful to human health, putting those in city centres at risk of serious diseases. In a study led by the University of Birmingham, researchers created detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to simulate the release and dispersion of these particles from vehicles. These models helped them identify the key moments in people’s daily journeys where exposure risk is highest. The CFD files…

  • Blue Origin completes crucial second-stage test of New Glenn rocket

    Blue Origin has successfully completed testing on the second stage of its heavy-lift rocket New Glenn, ahead of a hoped-for launch later this year. Jeff Bezos’ space firm originally planned an inaugural flight for 2020. Now, after multiple delays, New Glenn is on the cusp of its first launch, with a mission to carry a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft. Its latest hotfire test marked “a milestone on our road to first flight”, Blue Origin said. The 15-second test marked the first time the vehicle was operated as an integrated system and validated interactions between the subsystems, two BE-3U engines and ground control systems. It also demonstrated the functionality of New Glenn’s three key systems: the tank pressurisation control system, which uses helium to pressurise the liquid hydrogen…

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