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Western banks lack transparency in their usage of AI, report finds

According to a report from Evident, which scrutinises the adoption of AI by businesses, one-third of Western banks lack transparency on their practices, despite the fact that AI is already being used by them for many critical processes. Used for such tasks as authenticating customers and risk modelling, eight of the 23 largest banks in the US, Canada and Europe currently provide no public responsible AI principles. Evident analysed millions of publicly available data points to assess how banks create AI leadership roles and define their ethical principles. Alexandra Mousavizadeh, Evident CEO, said: “AI could be the key driver of better risk management and decision-making across the global banking sector. However, it is vital that banks develop AI in a way that meets high ethical standards…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
Watchdog urges ‘realistic’ budget for HS2’s Euston Station revamp to lower costs

Earlier this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) delayed the project due to inflationary pressures coupled with the UK’s struggling finances. The changes will see services not stopping in Euston for years to come, with passengers expected instead to travel for half an hour on the Elizabeth Line instead. The latest cost estimate for the 10-platform design at Euston is £4.8bn, £2.2bn more than its original budget. The NAO report recommends that the DfT looks again at the project with regards to its budget and public benefits. “Government is once again having to revise plans for Euston HS2. Clearly, the 2020 reset of the station design has not succeeded. DfT and HS2 Ltd have not been able to develop an affordable scope that is integrated with other activity at Euston, despite their…

E+T Magazine in Railways
British construction workforce too small to meet home-building targets

The UK's construction industry would need a considerable boost to its labour force or a change in building methods to meet the government's annual 300,000 new homes target, according to a report by Make UK Modular. The organisation found that the country's workforce is not large enough to meet the current demand for housing, replace workers who will retire in the coming years and help retrofit homes for the path to net zero. In 2019-20 there were just 242,700 net additional dwellings, which fell to 216,490 in 2020-21, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the research, the traditional housebuilding sector needs to recruit 137,000 more workers to hit the new homes 300,000 target by 2030 – triple the current rate. The manufacturers’ organisation said only 11,000 construction…

E+T Magazine
That TikTok privacy debate in 10 questions

I live under a rock. What is TikTok? TikTok is a social media app based around short-form video. It was launched internationally in 2017 and has since become one of the most popular social media apps with over one billion monthly active users, almost half of which are between the ages of 16 and 25. TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin are owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. I’m too old for TikTok. Do I have to think about this? Even if you have never seen a TikTok video, the company can (and will) still gather your data. Like Facebook, it allows third parties to embed a tracker on their websites to gather activity data, which is aggregated and sent to advertisers. If you do use TikTok – even without an account – expect the company to collect data about all your activity on the platform…

E+T Magazine in Cybersecurity
Book review: ‘Virtual You’ by Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield

It will be second nature to the engineering mindset that digital twins, as Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield point out in their introduction to ‘Virtual You: How Building Your Digital Twin Will Revolutionize Medicine and Change Your Life’ (Princeton University Press, £25, ISBN 9780691223278) “have been used to help create wind turbines, oil rigs, cars, jet engines, aircraft, spacecraft and more besides.” What might not be so obvious is that, thanks to the data revolution in biology, digital twins are successfully operating in the field of medicine. The reason for this assumption, says Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan in his foreword to this immensely thought-provoking book, is that while we’re used to thinking of physics and chemistry as disciplines which lend themselves to predictive simulations…

E+T Magazine
Breakthrough method creates 2D-layered metallic materials

A research team at the University of Chicago has discovered a new way of making the fabrication of MXene (pronounced max-ene) materials much more efficient, paving the way for their use in high-tech electronics or energy storage methods. These materials are made from extremely thin layers of metal, between which scientists can slip different ions for various purposes. The majority of metals, when shaved, stop reacting like a metal. MXenes, in contrast, have unusually strong chemical bonds that allow them to retain the special abilities of metal, like conducting electricity strongly, while also being easily customisable. “You can put ions between the layers to use them to store energy, for example,” said chemistry graduate student Di Wang, one of the researchers involved. All of…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
TikTok pushes back against US and UK opposition

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have become the focus of a geopolitical trade and technology dispute between Beijing and Washington, as the company tries to prevent further regulatory restrictions. Shou Zi Chew, the social media app's CEO, faced four and a half hours of what TikTok described as "grandstanding" questioning from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. The Congressmen questioned TikTok's links to the Chinese administration and the effects that the short-video platform could have on children's well-being. “Mr Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security,” committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said in her opening statement. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more…

E+T Magazine in Security in the Modern World
North Korea claims its subsea drones could trigger ‘radioactive tsunamis’

North Korea's new Unmanned Underwater Nuclear Attack Craft Haeil drone is said to be able to generate giant "radioactive tsunamis" to attack enemy targets. The drone is built to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami through an underwater explosion" to destroy enemy naval strike groups and ports, state news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNW) has reported. The device was tested in the waters off South Hamgyong province on Tuesday (21 March), and it cruised for over 59 hours at between 80 to 150 metres deep before being detonated, according to the agency. The test "verified [the drone's] reliability" and "confirmed its lethal strike capability", KCNA said. The test of the “nuclear underwater attack drone” was part of a three…

E+T Magazine in Nuclear Power
3D-printed rocket launch successful; second stage, less so

The Long Beach, California-based company's 110-foot tall Terran 1 rocket, which is 85 per cent made of 3D-printed parts, lifted off on its debut flight around 11:25 p.m. EDT (03:25 GMT on Thursday) from a launchpad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. Roughly 80 seconds into the flight at an altitude of nearly 10 miles (16km) above the Atlantic ocean, the rocket reached peak aerodynamic stress as it ascended toward space at 1,242mph (1,999km/h), passing a key objective of the test mission. Upon reaching space, the rocket's second stage engine appeared to briefly ignite but failed to achieve thrust, ultimately failing to reach orbit. "While we didn't make it all the way today, we gathered enough data to show that flying 3D-printed rockets is possible," said Arwa Tizani Kelly,…

E+T Magazine in Space
700,000 car drivers in London face ULEZ fee when zone expands

The RAC, which carried out the research, said the expansion of the zone - due to start from 29 August this year - will have a “massive financial impact on motorists and businesses”. The news comes a day after Transport for London (TfL) claimed that nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day already meet the ULEZ standards, so would not be liable for the charge. TfL also claimed that many drivers are switching from older, more polluting vehicles ahead of the expansion. The controlled zone is currently limited to the area within London’s North and South Circular roads, but Mayor Sadiq Khan has moved to expand it to cover the whole of the capital in an effort to improve air quality for all residents. Most diesel cars registered before September 2015 and petrol cars…

E+T Magazine in Road transport systems
View from Washington: TikTok fails to convince lawmakers

It was brutal. It may prove fatal. TikTok CEO Shou Chew’s testimony to the US House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday (March 23) felt unconvincing and poorly prepared. Other technology executives have performed equally evasively on Capitol Hill. The difference was that they were not at hearings fighting for their companies’ lives. Unless the business can at least be sold to a non-Chinese, preferably US owner, Washington lawmakers seem increasingly hell-bent on banning TikTok. If they do so, other countries might follow suit, with several having already banned its installation on government devices, including the UK. For its part, Beijing itself has just said it could block any sale on technology transfer grounds, muddying the situation still further. “Mr Chew, welcome to the most…

E+T Magazine in Ethical Aspects
Arm’s quest for royalties has a sting in the tail

There comes a time in every technology company’s evolution, assuming it grows old enough, where management turns round to its customers and declares: “Hey, that’s my money!” This is where Arm, or at least its parent Softbank, has now landed. Given that Arm already collects a royalty on each core used by its chipmaking customers, Softbank has apparently decided according a report by the Financial Times that its best course of action for collecting more money is to demand it from the customers of its customers. Twenty years is also roughly the birth-to-peak lifecycle of a processor architecture that has made it to the top. IBM’s System/360 mainframe looked triumphant in the mid-1980s, two decades after forging the early computer industry. No-one got fired for buying IBM in those days. Yet…

E+T Magazine in Electronics Design
View from India: Collaboration is the key to a cleaner aerospace sector

Green manufacturing is being adopted across industries on a global scale. In the aerospace and defence industry too, the accent is on green or decarbonisation. However, lowering the carbon footprint could mean that the entire ecosystem may need an overhaul. The raw material may need to be treated to be environment friendly. Generally, products and components are shipped and distributed across geographies. Maritime transport may have to be realigned or streamlined for achieving carbon neutrality. Perhaps every segment of the logistics chain and all that it takes to create an aircraft may have to be redefined. Emissions may be lowered by adopting newer technologies. Digital twins and additive manufacturing may help reconfigure product design. Probably clean clear skies may drive aerospace manufacturers…

E+T Magazine in Aerospace
Carterpillar-like soft robot showcases great mobility skills

The caterpillar-like robot developed by the North Carolina researchers could offer a new approach to locomotion for soft robotics. The caterpillar-bot’s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the robot's bending, allowing users to steer its movements in either direction. “A caterpillar’s movement is controlled by local curvature of its body – its body curves differently when it pulls itself forward than it does when it pushes itself backward,” said Yong Zhu, a leader of the research. The team drew inspiration from the caterpillar’s biomechanics. The robot uses its nanowire heaters to control a curvature similar to that of the animals, which allows it to copy the way it moves. The robot is made of two layers of polymer, which respond differently…

E+T Magazine in Biotechnology
Wood-based material cleans up toxic water using only the Sun

The material, which was developed by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, could also combat the widespread problem of toxic dye discharge from the textile industry. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are currently over two billion people living with limited or no access to clean water. The new material is based on cellulose nanocrystals which have an extremely high absorption capacity. “We have taken a unique holistic approach to these cellulose nanocrystals, examining their properties and potential applications. We have now created a biobased material, a form of cellulose powder with excellent purification properties that we can adapt and modify depending on the types of pollutants to be removed,” said Gunnar Westman. The researchers show…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
France to trial AI surveillance technology at 2024 Olympic Games, despite concerns

France has passed a controversial bill to trial AI-based surveillance cameras at the 2024 Olympic Games, despite the opposition of human rights activists. The bill, focused on ensuring security at the Games, included an article which allowed the use of AI-powered camera systems to spot suspicious behaviour in real-time to detect " events likely to pose or reveal a risk" of "terrorist acts or serious breaches of security". However, the bill has been opposed by politicians and activists. Last week, around 40 mostly left-leaning members of the European Parliament said the plan "creates a surveillance precedent never before seen in Europe", according to reports by Le Monde. Even before the debates started, members of parliament had already filed 770 amendments to the bill, many aimed at…

E+T Magazine in Security in the Modern World
10,000 new electric vehicle chargers coming to Surrey by 2030

Surrey County Council and charge point provider Connected Kerb will install around 10,000 chargers as part of efforts to ramp up EV infrastructure by 2030. At present, there is one charger per 9,000 residents in Surrey, but the rollout will see this figure dramatically increase. The project is expected to cost up to £60m and will see over 5,000 fast charging points installed by 2027, including over 500 rapid charging points across the county. The rollout in Surrey will consist of chargers produced by Connected Kerb including 7kW and 22kW 'Gecko' chargers, 'Chameleon' chargers for on-street and car parks and wall-mounted 'Limpet' and 'Scarab' chargers throughout housing developments. A recent 'Net Zero Review' published by the government highlighted the opportunity for local authorities…

E+T Magazine
Sponsored: 3D Printing Composites for Aerospace

Download free whitepaper 3D printing has been on the rise amongst aerospace manufacturers. Industry leaders are using additively manufactured composites to improve responsiveness to rapidly shifting supply chains, simplify regulatory compliance, and push the boundaries of innovation - for an ever-growing range of prototyping, tooling and end-use applications. Download our new eBook to learn how the aerospace industry uses AM, what the industry needs from 3D printing solutions, how today’s AM technologies address these needs, innovative applications and case studies, and more. Key Learning Outcomes: How additive manufacturing fits into the aerospace industry. How aerospace companies overcome compliance and regulatory hurdles when using additive manufacturing. What overlooked applications…

E+T Magazine in Aerospace
Planned expansion of human infrastructure threatens Key Biodiversity Areas

The new assessment of the presence of infrastructure in Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) raises concerns that more of the sites could contain power plants, mines and oil and gas infrastructure in the future. Maps of the KBAs were compared with datasets of different types of infrastructure in categories such as transport, dams and reservoirs and energy. Infrastructure is one of the greatest drivers of threats to biodiversity according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It can cause natural habitat destruction, pollution and increased disturbance by humans. Researchers from BirdLife International, WWF and the RSPB, in association with the University of Cambridge, have conducted an assessment of infrastructure in KBAs and found that it is widespread and likely to increase…

E+T Magazine in Power Equipment
Energy-harvesting materials needed to power future IoT networks, experts say

A group of over 100 scientists, led by Professor Vincenzo Pecunia of Simon Fraser University in Canada, have worked together to analyse various types of energy-harvesting techniques and recommend the best strategy to convert waste energy into clean power. The resulting paper outlines future research avenues that could allow society to fully harness the potential of energy-harvesting materials. “With the rising global energy demand and the challenges posed by climate change, it is more urgent than ever to generate green energy to preserve our planet and sustain human development,” Pecunia said. “Energy-harvesting materials present a promising opportunity to generate clean electricity, ultimately enhancing the energy efficiency of our daily lives and supporting our efforts to combat…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Mobile needs global standards to ensure a greener, safer world

Standardisation plays a vital role in ensuring that products developed for one market can be sold in others with no, or minimal, modification to the production process. Its impact is huge in the mobile communications sector, where it has helped the industry evolve to the extent that it touches everything from healthcare to commerce. Standardisation forms a collection of blueprints for the mobile industry and connected technologies such as IoT devices, encouraging competition by establishing a level playing field as well as helping the market as a whole to innovate in ways that meet consumers’ evolving needs. Let me share some thoughts on how mobile standardisation is likely to progress over the next three to five years, relating to innovation, security and climate. Greater competition…

E+T Magazine in standards
Book review: ‘Distrust’ by Gary Smith

“Science is under attack and scientists are losing credibility,” Gary Smith warns at the outset of ‘Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science’ (Oxford University Press, £25, ISBN 9780192868459). “There are three prongs to this assault on science: disinformation, data torturing, and data mining. Ironically, science’s hard-won reputation is being undermined by tools invented by scientists. Disinformation is spread by the internet that scientists created. Data torturing is driven by scientists’ insistence on empirical evidence. Data mining is fuelled by the big data and powerful computers that scientists created.” The diagnosis is convincing. Throughout ‘Distrust’, Smith explains clearly the phenomena that are eroding trust in science: fake news, confirmation bias, p-hacking…

E+T Magazine
Google launches early version of Bard chatbot to the public

Bard is an AI tool hastily created by Google over the last few months to compete with ChatGPT, a free app that can generate text in response to a prompt, including articles, essays, jokes and even poetry. The popularity of ChatGPT has skyrocketed in recent months, leading Microsoft - which invested around $10bn in the app's developers, OpenAI, in January this year - to incorporate the technology into a new version of its search engine, Bing. Announcing the public release of its competing app in a blog post, Google VPs Sissie Hsiao and Eli Collins said the Bard chatbot can be used to “boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity”. US and UK consumers can now join a waiting list for English-language access to Bard, a program that was previously open to approved…

E+T Magazine
Researchers could generate clean energy from photosynthesis

Photosynthesis – the process by which plants, algae and some bacteria convert sunlight into energy – could serve as a new source of clean energy, according to new research. The team of physicists, chemists and biologists at the University of Cambridge was able to study photosynthesis in live cells at an ultrafast timescale: a millionth of a millionth of a second. Using ultrafast spectroscopic techniques to study the movement of energy, the researchers found the chemicals that can extract electrons from the molecular structures responsible for photosynthesis do so at the initial stages, rather than much later, as was previously thought. This "rewiring" of photosynthesis could improve ways in which it deals with excess energy, and create new and more efficient ways of using its power,…

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy

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