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  • AI – The Closer You Look, The More Complicated It Is

    “Ask Kirsten about cat croissants, it will make her giggle”, said Dr Rachel Craddock. So, when I spoke to Kirsten McCormick, I did ask her about cat croissants, and she did giggle. “They are wonderful! We noticed them when we were putting together this presentation (next week’s webinar ‘Demystifying Artificial Intelligence ’) actually. We've done the webinar very much jointly, and we spit ball off each other quite a lot. We were searching common myths about AI, discussing how AI can be tricked by things that look very similar. We found loads of pictures, some were of croissants and some were of ginger cats or kittens in the shape of a croissant. And we got very distracted by that.” This illustrates an issue with AI, how to tell one thing from another when they look alike. A photograph…

  • Building A Quantum Computer Using Silicon Chips (IET Central London Network)

    “When a computer can manipulate the state efficiently, it can start doing a lot more” explained John Morton, co-founder, and CTO of Quantum Motion at the January 2023, IET Central London Network evening lecture at IET Savoy Place, hosted by Dr Mathew Davies. He spoke about the journey of quantum computing, including how the Colossus computer first built in Dollis Hill, London, 1943 used vacuum-tubes to control electric current flow in high vacuums between electrodes. He highlighted the journey of ‘Physical Resources per Bit’ - from Mechanical and Vacuum technology that need room-size space, through to Silicon transistors, that became as small as 12mm2. He moved on to talk about the differences between classical computers vs quantum computers in terms of processing speeds from days into seconds…

  • Methodus Geometrica – a real work of art

    With the arts gaining importance in the teaching of STEM subjects (now abbreviated to STEAM) it is prudent to remember that historically visual art worked alongside and complimented many scientific compositions. The teaching of the arts in STEM subjects has the benefit of nurturing creativity when looking at problem-solving. Visual arts can also help with the understanding of complex theories. Beautiful and elaborate illustrations that are integral to the scientific texts have become magnificent works of art in their own right. One such publication in our rare books collection, Methodus Geometrica, combines the theories of geometry, mathematics and cartography with the beauty of pictorial art. Methodus Geometrica is a 16th century early printed, hand coloured treatise on geometry and surveying…

  • Autonomous Vehicles and Robots are not necessarily the Terminator

    We have the opportunity to make autonomous vehicles reflect our ethical best, not our nightmares, says Dr Asaf Degani In the coming years, we will witness the first manifestation of a robot in the public space. This robot, otherwise called ‘an Autonomous Vehicle,’ can be a boon in terms of effectiveness and efficiency – but it can also present a deadly serious quagmire: ‘how should it behave when driving on public roads, how should it relate to peoples wants and desires? What if these wants are conflicted with other people needs, what if it is safety related?’ We can’t say to these robots as we would to people -- “do what you think is virtuous to do”, we have to say precisely what we want it to do, because, frankly, it’s only a robot. We can’t also consult Isaac Asimov’s famous robotic…

  • Medical Information Processing and Security: Techniques and applications - Ebook

    Congratulations to Book Editors, Amit Kumar Singh and Huiyu Zhou and to all the chapter contributors on the publication of this new IET Book: Medical Information Processing and Security: Techniques and applications. About the Book Smart healthcare systems, made up of advanced wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) technologies and mobile internet connectivity, allow significant medical information to be easily and regularly transmitted over public networks. Personal patient information and clinical records are stored on hospitals and healthcare centres and can be accessed remotely by healthcare workers. Due to the widespread increase in the sheer volume of medical data being collected and created all the time, it has never been more important to ensure that such information is collected…

  • Lubrication in Harsh Conditions Webinar

    Colleagues at Surface Ventures would like to extend an invitation to join them on their next webinar. Lubrication in Harsh Conditions Thursday, 26 January 2023 at 09.00hrs GMT. Friction and wear control under harsh operating conditions is a challenge in many industrial applications. In metal working applications, tribology plays a crucial role for the robustness and efficiency of the process. An optimum friction level is important as it influences the tolerances, final geometry, and quality of the produced component. Minimising wear of expensive tooling is necessary to ensure low production costs and reduced process downtime due to maintenance. For conventional metal working operations, efficient lubrication solutions exist. However, in case of demanding applications such as forming…

  • Computer Vision & Robotics Meet Retail

    The Robotics & Mechatronics Technical Network and the Vision & Imaging Technical Network are delighted to be joining forces on a duo of webinars for early 2023. Computer Vision & Robotics Meet Retail Nowadays, retail needs more power to be at the level that customers want with shopping patterns changing radically, especially during and after the recent pandemic. We are in the era where AI, CV and robotics are converging and solving problems. These 2 webinars will explore advanced existing technologies already part of the common retailing/shopping experience, how AI and robotics has been integrated in stores and the results of different types of pretraining when doing recognition of packaged products in images. Join us to hear from a fantastic line up of international speakers sharing…

  • IET Robotics Community – '22 "rear cam view”

    Words from the Robotics Rocking Chair (2 min read) This was my first year chairing the Robotics executive committee. Thanks to earlier, current members & Gemma Hadley our IET community manager for making sure we didn’t break anything. Although the covid restrictions have lifted we kept our committee meetings virtual. To help this along we increased the frequency to fortnightly and used a Kanban board to keep track of tasks needed for each interval, which was “kind’a’agile”. Looking at the rear cam view, we hosted a “Robotics in Action series” with presentations from Kuka, ABB, UR & Eiratech Robotics on recent installations in a time of lockdown. Thankfully robots don’t get covid. That said, many thanks to; Brian Cooney, Shane Loughran and Mark Gray for sharing advances in their product lines…

  • Performance in the Built Environment: Apollo Protocol – The Performance Hack

    Here’s a summary of some of the outcomes of our second Apollo Protocol Hack and information about how you can join the next one. As we gathered at the AMTC for the in-person hack day, it was perhaps ironic that a digital twin helped us get there. Snow had caused major disruption overnight, and without the near real-time evidence provided by Google Maps’ live traffic feature, many of our delegates would not have had the confidence to set out to join us. As it turned out, we still had healthy numbers, further boosted by attendance at the online hack three days later. Google Maps’ live traffic feature is a digital twin. Source: Hertfordshire Highways 12 December 2022 The Performance Theme Performance is evaluating whether what we intended to happen, is happening. This theme is so…

  • IET West Yorkshire Ferrybridge energy-to-waste visit

    IET West Yorshire have worked with enfinium to organise a visit to Ferrybridge 1 & 2 waste-to-energy power generating facility: https://enfinium.co.uk/facilities/ferrybridge-1-and-2/ This will take place Tuesday 7th February 5.30 until 8.30pm. There are 30 spaces available which includes dinner, these can be booked through the link below: https://events.theiet.org/events/technical-visit-energy-from-waste-at-ferrybridge/ This visit will start with a presentation for questions along with a buffet, before we break off into 3 groups of 10 for a tour around the facility. All PPE will be provided, the only requirement is to wear sensible closed toe shoes. Ferrybridge power stations were initially opened up in 1927 as a series of three coal-fired power stations until 2016. Ferrybridge…

  • How Satellites Enable Aviation’s Sustainable Future

    Join the Aerospace and Satellite Technical Networks for their next joint webinar. How Satellites Enable Aviation’s Sustainable Future 16 March 2023 – 12.00hrs GMT Inmarsat and easyJet are pioneering new satellite communications technologies to bring real-time digital connectivity to the flight deck, and together with space-based surveillance data pioneered by NATS and Aireon, new options become available to make best of direct routings and reduce airborne stack hold delays. Hear from the experts behind these new technologies and operating concepts, and how digitalisation of aviation is unlocking a more sustainable future. Speakers: Anthony Spouncer, FRAeS, Senior Director, Inmarsat Khouloud Keating, Technical Architect, Aircraft Communication and Safety, easyJet Andy Smith, Head of…

  • Energy Systems & Storage in Transport – considering Hydrogen

    The IET Automotive & Road Transport Technical Network, together with the IET Hong Kong Local Network, Railway & Transporation Section would like to invite you to join them at their next webinar. Energy Systems & Storage in Transport – considering Hydrogen 16 February 2023 at 10.30hrs GMT The move to decarbonise our transportation networks requires a considerable change to our existing systems and way of implementation, the adoption of new and possibly disruptive technologies and, importantly, a need for more / new engineers to make the changes a reality. While the move to battery electric vehicles is accelerating, the range restrictions and recharge limitations of current electric vehicle battery technologies is fostering greater interest in fuel cell and fuel cell - battery hybrids,…

  • Looking for information or some light reading over the festive break? The Library can help with that!

    The Library and Archives reading rooms in London may be closed between Christmas and New Year, but members can still read books, find journal articles and discover more about the weird and wonderful history of engineering with our online resources. So what is available and how can you find it? I want to read technical books Browse our selection of full-text eBooks available via Knovel or search our EBSCO eBooks I want to search for the latest journal articles Search the IET Virtual Library or the IET's open access journals I want to update my knowledge on specific subjects Check out our reading lists on topics such as renewable energy , leadership and management and engineering mathematics I'm interested in engineering history Browse the IET Archives blog for articles on peculiar…

  • What boots do Tribologists wear in the winter time?

    Sounds like the start of one of those cheesy Christmas cracker jokes doesn't it? But no… I'm serious! I’d really like to know! Talking to a colleague this morning about engineering (which you quite often do when you work for the Institution of Engineering and Technology) and we were discussing the various ways that both engineering and technology play a part in our everyday lives. Often in ways that are not immediately obvious. I’ve worked for the IET for almost 20 years now and come across my fair share of engineering disciplines. I’ve aided numerous groups of volunteers (our Local Networks) across the world from the USA, UK and Europe, the Middle East and across South East Asia and over to Japan to organise engineering events, as well as our Technical Networks covering the Built Environment…

  • EBook: Explainable Artificial Intelligence in Medical Decision Support Systems

    Congratulations to Book Editors, Agbotiname Imoize, Jude Hemanth, Dinh-Thuan Do and Samarendra Nath Sur, PhD and to all the chapter contributors on the publication of this new IET Book: Explainable Artificial Intelligence in Medical Decision Support Systems. About the Book Medical decision support systems (MDSS) are computer-based programs that analyse data within a patient's healthcare records to provide questions, prompts, or reminders to assist clinicians at the point of care. Inputting a patient's data, symptoms, or current treatment regimens into an MDSS, clinicians are assisted with the identification or elimination of the most likely potential medical causes, which can enable faster discovery of a set of appropriate diagnoses or treatment plans. Explainable AI (XAI) is a "white box…

  • The 4th UK Robot Manipulation Workshop

    The IET Robotics and Mechatronics Technical Network is delighted to be sponsoring The 4th UK Robot Manipulation Workshop. 'The UK Robot Manipulation Workshop has been held regularly since 2016, with past workshops at the University of Birmingham (February 2016), Imperial College London (July 2017), and the University of Leeds (April 2019). On each occasion, the two-day workshop has brought together around 100 members of the UK's robot manipulation community, from both academia and industry, for a range of talks, tutorials, poster sessions, lab tours, and networking events. The workshops are designed around community building, and so due to the pandemic, we decided to delay the next workshop rather than hold virtual workshops during the pandemic. And so finally, we are now very excited…

  • IET Cambridge Events

    IET Cambridge have talks in December and January that may be of interest. Both talks are at the Cambridge University Engineering Department in Cambridge. 1.The Spac e Age: An introduction to modern nanosatellies - 8 December 2022 at 1830 Hours. Space and satellite applications are among the biggest emerging markets for engineering today. In this talk, Peter will explore some parts of the life cycle of a satellite from conception and requirements through to design and testing, before discussing operations and end-of-life. Along the way, he will explore some of the broader issues in the space industry today including space debris, radio licensing and the impact of geopolitical change. The talk will be given by Peter Christopher who is a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge…

  • Value is a Network: Apollo Protocol - The Value Hack

    Here’s a summary of some of the outcomes of our first Apollo Protocol Hack and information about how you can join the next one. Why are we talking about Value? Aligning the Value Chain is the first theme that The Apollo Forum discussed. All our activities as professionals are linked to the value we place in them, and to create any change in our activities we must address value as a core factor. Companies provide value that is seen in discrete parts and locked-up between processes. However, reducing the scope of value into these small segments inhibits our ability to articulate value generated across organisations and supply chains. In The Apollo Protocol White Paper, we set out the challenge of identifying a single value chain of data and information management. Both manufacturing…

  • Ethics & Safety in Connected & Autonomous Vehicles

    Over the last few years, new cars have increasingly been gaining automated driving features to support the human driver and it is widely accepted that in the not-too-distant future cars will be fully self-driving. For a vehicle to recognise the various features of its environment so as to safely travel down the road, the vehicle’s software is required to make perceptive decisions - which are easy for a human to make but much less so for a computer. This free to attend webinar on 25 January 2023 at 12.00 - 13.30 GMT intends to give engineers a better appreciation and understanding of the ISO 39003 standard that gives guidance on ethical considerations with regards to road traffic safety of autonomous vehicles. The newly developed standard: ISO/DIS 39003 Road Traffic Safety (RTS) — Guidance…

  • The history of Philip Vassar Hunter and the Hunter Memorial Lecture

    Phillip Vassar Hunter ‘An Electrical Engineer whose design and development work created a generic blueprint for HV cable design’ P V Hunter was the IEE’s President in 1933 and was also made an Honorary Fellow of the IEE in 1951. The IEE recorded a film of him in 1951 and the film script reveals his experiences working in the Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division in WWI. His story, extracted from that script, is as follows: “During the latter part of the 1914-1918 war, I was loaned to the Naval Staff as Chief Engineer of the Experiments and Research Section of the Anti-Submarine Division, engaged on developing new methods and devices for anti-submarine warfare. Captain W W Fisher RN was Head of the Division and Professor W H Bragg was Chief Scientific Officer. We three formed a Committee under…

    Julie
    Julie

  • Santa’s STEM Workshop – fun activities for families this Christmas

    It’s almost that time of year again and to get into the Christmas spirit and spread a little festive cheer, the IET Education team are taking you on a journey deep into the snow. Follow us to Santa’s STEM Workshop to bring a bit of Christmas magic to the whole family with our fun, Christmas-themed STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) activities. Santa’s STEM workshop is packed full of inspiring ideas for families to do together in the lead up to and over the festive holiday season. Children can join Santa and his helpers to make, create, imagine and discover this Christmas. Our fun craft ideas, recipes, hands-on experiments and resources provide STEM inspired learning through play and will certainly get everyone in the festive spirit. Crafts From glittery slime to making…

  • Tell us about your hobbies this International Men's Day!

    International Men’s Day is celebrated on 19 November each year and is an opportunity to highlight inspiring male role models across the globe. It’s also a time to reflect on what we can all do to support men’s mental health in the workplace and beyond. This year, we want to highlight the exciting range of hobbies held by our male members, volunteers and colleagues, which help boost their wellbeing and mood. Whether it’s cooking up a storm, getting your hands green in the garden or painting a masterpiece, we want to hear from you! . We don’t just want to hear from male members, either – if you know a man with a hobby they’re passionate about, we want to hear all about it. Comment below and tell us all about your hobby to get involved! To learn more about International Men’s Day, click…

  • The IET Young Professionals Summit 2022 - Attending the IET's biggest ever gathering of young professional engineers from all over the world

    “This generation is bright, passionate and skilled to face society-based challenges of the future, and the IET is here to support them” explained Ed Almond CEO & Secretary at the IET, during the opening remarks of the IET Young Professional Summit, evening celebration, held at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London on Saturday 12th November 2022. It was an opportunity to celebrate success and get energised by some keynote speakers and winners of the #PresentIn10 and the Global YP Hackathon competitions, and as always, an opportunity to network, with the YP Summit conference delegates, award winners and other guests from around London. Sophie Harker, who in 2018, was the winner of the IET’s Young Women Engineer of the Year Award, hosted the event. The #PresentIn10 IET finalists were; …

  • SMPTE UK celebrates... Young Innovators and Emerging Talent

    Join the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers SMPTE UK as they celebrate the achievements of young innovators and emerging talent and encourage them onwards in their careers. Monday, 5 December 2022 - Sky Central Cinema, Grant Way, Isleworth, London Doors open 18:00. Talk starts at 19:00. Event ends at 21:30. Open to existing professionals and students alike, this event will be a great opportunity to spot who’s new to the sector and to get an understanding of the pathways and experiences of those who are currently entering these disciplines for the first time. You’ll hear from a selection of recent entrants into the industry, who will deliver a series of lightening talks on their areas of knowledge, followed by a fire-side chat - led by Emily Bergun. SMPTE are thrilled…

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