• UK’s ‘most powerful’ quantum computer heading to Cambridge

    A 256-qubit quantum computer housed at the University of Cambridge is set to ‘supercharge’ quantum research in the UK. In partnership with US quantum technology firm IonQ, the project will see the first commercial-scale quantum computer installed at a UK university. The system will be housed in the new IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre located on campus and marks the university’s largest-ever corporate research partnership. “This is a true partnership, with long-term investment, shared research and co-development in all areas of quantum technology, bringing together physics, engineering, medicine, computer science, policy and more,” said Professor Mete Atatüre, head of the Cavendish Laboratory, the physics department of the University of Cambridge. As part of the collaboration, Innovate…

  • From tractors to satellites, digital technology moves deeper into agriculture

    Farming’s rural nature has long been an obstacle to technology adoption in the sector – but more accessible communications, together with AI, are opening the door. Agriculture is one of the UK’s key strategic industries but has not traditionally been seen as a leading user of digital technologies. However, that is starting to change thanks to increasing functionality in farm machinery, satellite connectivity, the incoming 6G hybrid communications standard and, inevitably, AI. According to NFU Mutual’s Agri-Tech Report, around 60% of farmers were using some form of precision agriculture by 2023 – although many remained cautious about the costs of adoption. A 2024 survey by the National Farmers Union found its members wanted to see more research and results in AI, alongside measures to reduce…

  • Average EU electric car price drops €1,800 as affordable models arrive

    The average price of an electric vehicle in the EU has fallen for the first time since 2020, with consumers saving an average of €1,800 (£1,500) as carmakers release affordable models to meet climate targets. But according to non-profit Transport and Environment (T&E), the recent easing of carmakers’ 2030 obligations could delay the point at which EVs reach price parity with combustion vehicles. The price has dropped for the first time since 2020, driven by the release of more affordable models to comply with the bloc’s car CO2 targets. The average price of EVs decreased by €1,800 to €42,700 (–4%) in the EU last year – a stark contrast to the period between 2020 and 2024 when the price climbed by €5,000. Lucien Mathieu, cars director at T&E, said: “The EU targets are delivering cheaper…

  • Advanced radiation-blocking material could shield astronauts on deep space missions

    A nanotechnology-based material developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) could block harmful space radiation, enabling safer human spaceflight. Researchers at MIT in the US have developed boron nitride nanotubes that are able to block dangerous ionising radiation. This could make long-duration, deep-space missions to Mars possible. Ionising radiation in deep space cannot currently be fully mitigated by traditional shielding. When space radiation hits the aluminium used in most spacecraft it creates secondary neutrons. Exposure to these high-energy particles could damage an astronaut’s DNA and cause serious long-term health risks. Ionising radiation is not an issue in missions closer to Earth as our magnetic field provides protection from this radiation. But if humans…

  • 1,140-lens telescope set to uncover the universe’s hidden structure

    Construction has begun on a next-generation telescope, dubbed MOTHRA, that is designed to reveal the cosmic web – a largely unknown network of gas and dark matter that connects galaxies across the universe. MOTHRA is a distributed-aperture telescope composed of 1,140 high-end Canon telephoto lenses, which together synthesise the power of a single giant telescope. This design has grown out of the Dragonfly Telephoto Array concept which initially demonstrated the capability to find and study extremely faint, extended structures. Dark matter is still little understood by scientists but appears to make up most of the matter in the universe. Astronomers know it exists because of the way its gravity affects galaxies and the movement of stars. By studying it, scientists hope to explain how galaxies…

  • Inaccessible rail network ‘locking millions out’, report warns

    Upgrading outdated stations and infrastructure should take priority over building new railway schemes, argues a report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). The report – En route to inclusive public transport – is calling on the government to integrate the retrofitting of stations and disabled access points directly into the procurement process. It argues that the government cannot build its way out of the current inaccessible transport system with impressive new projects while old barriers remain embedded across the network. These barriers mean that passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility cannot easily navigate stations due to lack of step-free access – for instance, steep stairs, narrow passageways, no elevators to reach platforms and big gaps between the train…

  • Government unveils package to boost girls and women in tech careers

    Measures aimed at attracting and retaining girls and women in the tech sector have been launched by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The package aims to boost female participation in tech through supporting girls and women at every stage of their careers. It includes initiatives to attract more girls into considering tech as a future career, a £4m placement programme to help women in tech advance their careers and a pilot ‘returnship’ scheme supporting those re-entering jobs after a career break. Secretary of state for science, innovation and technology Liz Kendall said: “I am very aware of the reality women face in tech. Women aren’t being given a fair shot – whether that’s getting into the sector, staying in it or returning after time away. If we don’t address…

  • Major UK study shows clinicians and AI working together to cut breast cancer deaths

    The use of AI in breast cancer screening could save many lives, according to a landmark study. The research, led by Imperial College London, involved 175,000 women – the largest NHS study to date. The findings clearly show the advantages of using AI to identify breast cancer earlier, reduce errors and help deliver life-saving treatment sooner. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes and roughly 55,000 new cases per year. Diagnosis usually follows a mammogram or breast screening, with images assessed by clinical radiologists. The NHS is under pressure as there is currently a 29% shortfall of radiologists in the UK – almost 2,000 – and this is predicted to rise to 39% by 2029. The study looked at the potential of using AI technology…

  • Japan plots chip industry comeback with fivefold boost to production by 2040

    Japan has set a target to boost its chip production eightfold by 2040 as it tries to catch up with global rivals and capitalise on the AI boom. The country was a global leader in semiconductor production in the 1980s, capturing more than half of the market by the end of the decade. To counter this, the US instituted the US-Japan Semiconductor Agreement in 1986, which contained anti-dumping provisions and other measures to try and strengthen its domestic producers. After Japan failed to stick to the agreement, 100% tariffs were imposed on all electronics being made in the country the following year. This encouraged technology firms to look abroad for their chip supply, especially Taiwan, which was on the ascendancy in the sector after the founding of TSMC in 1987. Japan is now about a decade…

  • Strategic oil reserves could be tapped as war squeezes Middle East fossil fuel production

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed that member countries release emergency oil stocks to counter the price shock seen across the world in the wake of US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The war, which began on 28 February, immediately impeded oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly 20% of the world’s oil passes through the strait, transporting product from high-producing Middle East countries primarily to ports in Asia. But export volumes of crude and refined products are currently at less than 10% of pre-conflict levels, which has seen the price of Brent crude soar from around $70 at the end of February to nearly $100 in recent days before dropping again slightly. The inability of operators in the Gulf to transport their produce is forcing them to curtail production…

  • Government sets out £700bn plan for roads, rail and energy projects

    The government has detailed an expanded 10-year Infrastructure Pipeline for the UK that includes 734 road, rail, energy and water projects costing over £700bn in private and public funding. The Treasury’s National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) said the projects will require an estimated annual average construction and infrastructure workforce of between 629,000 and 706,000 over the next five years. The expanded dataset is designed to make it easier for firms to use the information as a future planning tool. Other changes include new project metrics on potential investment opportunities, including details about the type of investment sought and how much. Chief secretary to the treasury James Murray said that upgrades to the UK’s infrastructure were “a vital…

  • Dolphin‑shaped robot can vacuum up oil spills from ocean surface

    A remotely-operated minibot developed by Australian researchers can quickly clean up oil spills using a specialised filtering system. Rapidly cleaning up large-scale oil spills presents an environmental and technological challenge. In future, this work could be undertaken by schools of ‘electronic dolphins’ that skim the surface of oil slicks, absorbing the pollution with high efficiency. A team at RMIT University in Melbourne built the foot-long device with an onboard filtering system that is able to repel water while absorbing oil floating on the surface. The oil is drawn through the filter via a pump into an onboard collection chamber. “Oil spills can take a huge environmental and economic toll. We wanted to create a system that can be deployed quickly, steered accurately and used…

  • Can nanotechnology help feed a world of nearly 10 billion people?

    Could nanotechnology provide the next green revolution in agriculture? With the global population set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, the world needs to produce more food than ever before. Using current farming methods, that means more fertiliser, more pesticides, more water and more energy. But there are obvious problems. Water is a limited resource, with three out of four people worldwide facing possible drought conditions by 2050. Energy is also scarce, especially as the world transitions to renewable sources to avoid catastrophic climate change. Pesticides pollute the environment, decrease biodiversity and negatively affect human health, while fertilisers also cause environmental damage, especially when they are washed into rivers and oceans where they create algal blooms and dead zones…

  • Editor's comment: Momentum remains behind net zero

    Eighteen months ago, E+T took another look at the IET’s updated Critical Targets. This, in turn, was based on a series we began back at the height of the Covid-19 crisis that examined the challenges facing humanity and what the role of our sector would be in solving those challenges. It is a theme I fully intend to return to in the future. The issue you hold in your hands covers perhaps the greatest of these challenges: the technology behind feeding the eight billion inhabitants of the planet, securing the sustainable materials and the technology we can trust, protecting vulnerable environments, providing energy without overheating the planet and communicating to those on the periphery of mass populations. There is so much to aim at and so much to be achieved. Which is why I found a speech…

  • Heat radiation offers new way to transmit ‘hidden’ data in plain sight

    A virtually unhackable communication system hides data transmission within natural heat radiation, a new study has shown. Led by researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the study uses a phenomenon known as ‘negative luminescence’. The method works by blending data signals into the background of natural heat radiation – the faint glow of heat that objects give off in infrared – which is detected using a thermal camera. As the data transmission process is hidden, it means the communication is difficult to intercept or hack. This makes the process ideal for transmitting sensitive data in sectors such as defence and finance. Bad actors seeking to intercept today’s data transfer technologies abound, but as Michael Nielsen, lead author from UNSW, puts it: “If someone doesn…

  • Flying taxis prepare for take-off in 26 US states

    US regulators have approved a range of pilot programmes that will see electric taxis take to the skies of 26 states. Otherwise known as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, the upcoming transport option is aimed at delivering short-haul flights in urban areas. However, it’s one thing building an aircraft and another getting it certified for flight. This is an area where many eVTOL companies are struggling: getting past the testing stages into operation because of stringent regulations and safety rules. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said its new programme is aimed at capturing this nascent market before widespread deployment in other countries. The pilot projects will create “one of the largest real-world testing environments for next-generation aircraft in…

  • Mixing wind, wave and solar could smooth the bumps in renewable power

    The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow – so can renewables become a more reliable energy source? Rapid decarbonisation efforts are seeing countries around the world increasing the share of energy that comes from renewable sources. However, unlike the reliable and consistent fossil fuel generators used in the past, renewables introduce an intermittency that can threaten grid stability. The problem lies with the unpredictable nature of wind and solar power, which rely on weather patterns. Baseload generators – typically gas power stations in the UK – are spun up in the short term to fill the gap when needed. Unfortunately, this undermines broader efforts to decarbonise the grid and leaves energy security in the hands of other countries, potentially even rogue states…

  • London’s ageing Tube faces growing heat problem as climate warms

    Temperatures on the London Tube and other underground train systems are continuing to increase, leading to escalating complaints from passengers. Northwestern University scientists have conducted a broad-ranging study that scraped social posts and online reviews published between 2008 and 2024. They then analysed more than 85,000 crowdsourced comments from across Boston, London and New York. The findings show a clear pattern that as temperatures rise because of climate change, below-ground thermal complaints also increase. “No one wants to feel uncomfortable,” said Giorgia Chinazzo, who led the study. “But while discomfort might seem like a minor inconvenience, extreme heat also represents a serious threat to public health. Extreme heat causes more deaths per year than all other natural…

  • EU proposes ‘Made in the EU’ plan to protect industry from cheap Chinese imports

    The European Commission has unveiled the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), aimed at shielding Europe’s key sectors from global uncertainty and unfair foreign competition. The proposed law includes measures to boost both the production and demand of European-made technologies and products. Through scaling European manufacturing, the aim is to reduce dependence on non-EU suppliers in strategic sectors including steel, cement, aluminium, automotive and clean technologies. “Facing unprecedented global uncertainty and unfair competition, European industry can count on the provisions of this act to boost demand and guarantee resilient supply chains in strategic sectors,” said EU industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné when unveiling the IAA at an event in Brussels last week. In 2024…

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  • BYD’s 1.5MW flash EV charger ‘finally matches’ petrol refuelling speeds

    BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles (EV), has unveiled battery and charging technology capable of delivering speeds that rival refuelling at a petrol station. The new 1.5 MW Flash charging technology, coupled with the firm’s latest second generation blade lithium iron phosphate battery, delivers charging speeds of 10% to 70% in five minutes, and a full 97% charge in only nine minutes. Even in extreme cold weather of -30°C, which often impedes batteries from charging, the time it takes to fully charge only increased by three minutes compared to charging in an ambient temperature. BYD demonstrated the two technologies using its latest DENZA Z9GT model, which launched earlier this month. After charging the battery to 97%, the EV is able to hit the road again with a…

  • Most modern buildings unprepared for rising heat and extreme weather

    Most modern buildings are not designed to cope with increasingly harsh environments brought about by changing climate, a researcher at Heriot-Watt University has said. Most structures built over the last 40 years were designed with historical climate data in mind. But scientists predict that by the 2030s and 2040s they will need to contend with rising global temperatures, increased rainfall and unpredictable weather patterns. Susan Roaf, a professor at Heriot-Watt, has called on architects to begin adapting building design for the future realities of a changing climate. “We are moving into a world that is getting significantly warmer, with extreme weather records being broken year after year,” she said. “Our workplaces, our public sector care facilities and our own homes must be designed…

  • High-res 3D scans reveal new details of 3.67-million-year-old ‘Little Foot’ fossil

    A digital reconstruction of the face of the millennia-old fossil ‘Little Foot’ offers fresh insight into early human evolution, according to a study. The study, led by researchers at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, used advanced 3D scanning technology to digitally reconstruct the fossilised face of Little Foot. First discovered in South Africa’s Sterkfontein Caves in 1994, Little Foot is one of the most complete skeletons of an early human, or hominin, ever found. Since then the skeleton has been much studied; however, investigation of the face has been challenging due to distortion caused by millions of years of geological processes. Researchers have found it impossible to correct these distortions using physical reconstruction methods. Partnering with the UK’s national…

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  • Robot-assisted prostate surgery carried out remotely between London and Gibraltar

    A remote, robot-assisted telesurgery has been carried out on a patient 2,400km away in Gibraltar in a UK first. The prostatectomy – a removal of the prostate gland – was carried out in real time via telesurgery using the Toumai Robotic System. Professor Prokar Dasgupta used two screens during the procedure, which was carried out in London. One showed the surgical room in Gibraltar and the other showed the surgery itself taking place. A secure, high-performance network infrastructure was used to provide the real-time connection needed to safely perform the surgery with a time lag of around 48 milliseconds. It also had an emergency back-up link that operated over 5G in the event of networking issues, and a medical team in Gibraltar also remained on standby. The robot was equipped with a…

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