The antenna designs of our speaker, the lead antenna architect and Senior Director of Antenna Design for Microsoft in Seattle, USA, have been reproduced as more than 500 million antennas (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc.) in laptop computers, PlayStations and other computer accessories. He will provide us with insights on antenna design, constraints and solutions.

The European Space Agency's science and exploration missions have been much in the news in recent years, with exciting results from its Gaia Milky Way surveyor and other astronomical observatories, the decade-long adventure of the Rosetta comet-chasing spacecraft and its Philae lander, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter at the Red Planet, and the launch of the international BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter missions to Mercury and the Sun, respectively. In this talk, I'll give you some insight into these missions and others in ESA's fleet, their challenges and scientific discoveries, and tell you what's coming next as we continue our exploration of the solar system and the wider Universe beyond. These include a new mission to Jupiter and new space telescopes spanning the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as preparations for humans to return to the Moon and travel beyond.

Nature, with its multitude of forms and species, is a great source of inspiration for engineering. The biological muscles in humans, bioluminescence in octopus and adhesive feet in lizards all provide insights into new technologies that can be created to enable a range of applications. Recent advances in soft active materials offer us the opportunity to develop technologies that enable us to replicate what we see in nature and unravel new applications. In this talk, Dr Godaba will discuss his experiences in developing and investigating fundamental soft material technologies such as dielectric elastomer artificial muscles, self-healing electroluminescent devices and controllable electroadhesion for application to robotics. Further, he will show recent work on applying soft robotic technologies to tackle outstanding challenges of manipulation and grasping in extreme environments.

Transmission systems are facing increased challenges from the rise of renewables and inverter-based generation on the Grid, coupled with a decline in inertia historically provided by large conventional power station generators. This presentation explains what Synchronous Condensers are and why, when and where they are needed to help the UK Grid.

This talk explores how Brighton and Hove is facing the challenges of building a convenient electric vehicle charging infrastructure for residents and visitors.

We look at the part this has to play in meeting our ambition of becoming net carbon neutral city by 2030.

Successful Mars landings started with Viking 1 in 1976 and Viking 2 in 1977.
This talk is an appreciation of what is being achieved by the 5 Rovers now operational on Mars, and how it has been achieved. Published results so far and ‘mission simulation videos’ will be shown.
These Mars Landers really are a major success story and brilliant achievements.

The UK has ambitious targets to achieve net zero by 2050, but with an estimated 80% of buildings in 2050 already built achieving this task falls largely on retrofitting existing stock. Will there be unintended consequences, what is the embodied carbon cost and how long will this take to be paid back? Can we rely on technological innovation and the decarbonisation of the grid? These are questions that need answers, and in a changing landscape of policy and energy supply today’s answers might not be suitable tomorrow.