Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • A brief history of the Sperry 1412 Computer

    Guest blog by Peter M Hills DipEE MSc CEng MIET The Sperry 1412 computer’s design was first postulated at Sperry Gyroscope’s Bracknell R & D department in 1967. The prototype appeared in 1968. Given that computer systems of the time were nearly the size of small houses, its applications were initially thought to be in the aerospace industry where a fast, general-purpose digital computer of shoebox dimensions and low weight would appeal to system designers. In fact, most applications were for the British and French Navies. Those applications were the Exocet MM38 missile pre-launch fire control system, operational in 1974 and its later upgrade MM40 operational in 1986, the Sea Archer GSA.7 gunfire control system for the Royal Navy, operational in 1983 and project Chevaline – a secret British…

  • Ambition vs Capability: Is the UK’s Space Vision Outpacing Its Engineering Talent?

    With growing investment in sovereign capability, resilient communications, and next-generation connectivity—including Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and advanced Satcom—the UK’s ambition is clear. However, ambition alone does not deliver capability. The real question is whether the nation’s engineering talent base is keeping pace with the scale and complexity of these aspirations. Across industry, there is increasing concern that the UK is not producing sufficient expertise in critical domains such as radio frequency (RF) and microwave engineering, FPGA development, and digital signal processing (DSP)—skills that underpin modern satellite and defence systems. Evidence suggests this gap is both structural and persistent. According to EngineeringUK, the UK requires approximately 173,000 new…

  • Henry Gantt and the Engineering of Time, Work and Delivery

    For practising engineers, few tools are as quietly influential as the Gantt chart. It appears in project reviews, capital programmes, system integrations and infrastructure upgrades across almost every engineering discipline. Yet its origins trace back to a single engineer born on 20 May 1861: Henry Laurence Gantt. On this day, it is worth revisiting not just the chart that bears his name, but the wider engineering problem Gantt was trying to solve, how to design work itself so that complex systems could be delivered reliably, humanely and at scale. The engineering context of Gantt’s era Gantt came of age during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when engineering was being transformed by industrialisation, electrification and mass production. Factories, shipyards and railways were…

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Latest IET EngX News

  • AI, Engineering Skills and Real‑World Challenges: May's highlights on EngX

    As we wrap up May, it has been another thoughtful and wide‑ranging month across the IET EngX community. From deep dives into engineering history and emerging technology challenges to open conversations around skills, wellbeing, and global impact, members have continued to share insight, experience and practical knowledge. Here are some of our top highlights from across EngX in May. Top Discussions This Month The forums have been as active as ever, with conversations spanning cutting‑edge technology, career development, and practical engineering challenges. A number of threads explored AI and digital transformation, including discussions such as Beyond hype: uncovering the critical research axes and future trajectories of AI‑driven digital transformation and Zero Trust was not built…

  • From Space Stories to Smart Systems: April on EngX

    April on EngX brought together a thoughtful mix of emerging technologies, industry insight and personal journeys. From a closer look at how 5G networks are evolving behind the scenes to fresh perspectives on the continuing influence of broadcast media, the blogs this month highlighted both the pace of change and the importance of understanding the fundamentals. Alongside these, inspiring career stories and reflections on the history of space exploration added a more human dimension, while discussions across the forums explored automation, energy systems and real‑world engineering trade‑offs. Here’s a look at some of the content that stood out this month: Blogs worth a read Massive MIMO: the brains behind 5G networks This detailed post from Soubhagya Ranjan Mohapatra explores how Massive…

    Lisa Miles
    Lisa Miles

  • March Highlights on EngX: AI Insights, Inclusive Voices and Engineering Impact

    March was a month packed with fresh technical thinking, practical guidance, and human‑centred stories across the EngX community. From deep dives into industrial AI to personal reflections from engineers shaping their workplaces, here’s your roundup of what captured attention and sparked conversation this month. AI in Manufacturing: Why So Many Initiatives Stall One of the most thought‑provoking reads this month came from Dr Paul Johnson , whose article AI in Manufacturing: Why Most Initiatives Fail & How to Deliver Real Engineering Value explores why organisations continue to struggle with turning AI investment into meaningful operational outcomes. Johnson illustrates this through a real‑world predictive maintenance example where an AI model successfully identified early warning signs…

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Latest Partner News

  • Josie Harries discusses how Domino is working to increase support for women in the workplace

    Encouraging women to choose careers in STEM subjects has been top of the agenda for many years – but what fresh ideas can you introduce within the workplace to attract and support female employees? At Domino, we are committed to improving the gender ratio in leadership roles within a business to 40% by 2030. This target, endorsed from Board level down, now stands at 25%, from a starting figure of 18%. Support networks Recently we re-launched our Women@Domino global network to promote inclusion within the business and facilitate the sharing of ideas and experiences, as well as networking, mentoring, events and training. Gender was also one of three key areas in our new Inclusion & Diversity strategy. The network is not limited to female employees; male colleagues are encouraged to participate…

  • Road to Engineering event introduces children to the world of engineering

    BAE System's Submarines Academy for Skills and Knowledge (SASK), Barrow-in-Furness successfully hosted the 6th Road to Engineering event which took place over three action-packed days. Over 200 children from the Furness area participated in the event which aims to inspire future careers in Engineering. This year's theme was 'Adapt and Change' following the British Science week theme. Supporting the event were the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Barrow District of Associate Engineers and the Royal Institute of Naval Architects who contributed valuable insight, merchandise and STEM packs for schools. Stephen Rowe, Project Director of Engineering Transformation said, "It was a privilege to attend the Road to Engineering event and…

  • H&MV Engineering appointed as principal designer and contractor for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

    H&MV Engineering has been appointed as principal designer and contractor for the delivery of the 400 kV grid connection and electrical infrastructure for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – the largest of its kind in the UK and among the largest in Europe. This landmark project, led by Fidra Energy and backed by major investment from EIG and the UK Government’s National Wealth Fund (NWF), has now reached financial close with construction commencing immediately. Located on the site of the former Thorpe Marsh coal-fired power station in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, the 1,400MW / 3,100MWh facility will be capable of exporting over 2 million MWh annually, supplying clean energy to approximately 785,000 homes. Once operational in mid-2027, it will be three times larger than…

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Latest articles from E+T Magazine

  • Waymo to turn retired robotaxi batteries into grid storage

    Waymo has said it will repurpose expired batteries from its electric vehicles (EVs) for grid storage. The driverless car firm, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, said that battery storage was “critical” to sustaining the growth of renewables in the US. Standard consumer EV batteries can be expected to last up to 15 years before they are depleted enough to require replacement – but because Waymo operates a commercial fleet, its vehicles are on the road for far longer than typical consumer vehicles, meaning the batteries need to be replaced sooner. EV batteries can be used effectively in stationary settings such as grid storage facilities, even at 70% capacity. Waymo has signed a deal with B2U Storage Solutions to ensure that the batteries in its Jaguar I-PACE fleet will…

  • Prototype supersonic passenger jet under development in Russia

    The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has revealed that Russia is currently building a prototype supersonic passenger jet. According to Russian news agency TASS, majority state-owned Russian aerospace and defence conglomerate the UAC has said that the country will be bringing supersonic passenger travel back to the skies. In an interview with the news agency, Vadim Badekha, CEO of UAC, said: “Yes, such work is underway at the Zhukovsky Research Centre [a Russian national research centre for aviation based in Moscow], and we are actively assisting. “The work is no longer confined to paper – it is already being carried out in hardware. A prototype of such an aircraft is under development, and we believe the Zhukovsky Research Centre will successfully complete this work.” TASS also reported…

  • Offshore wind farms could cover 11% of North Sea by 2050

    Offshore wind developments could cover 58,500km2, or 11%, of the North Sea by 2050, according to a new study. Led by Heriot‑Watt University, the study examined both operational offshore wind farms and projects already in national development pipelines across all seven countries with North Sea waters: the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Norway and France. Hypothetical wind farms were added to bring each country’s total capacity in line with its stated commitments. Dr Simon Waldman, assistant professor of energy technologies at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, said: “Our scenario shows the scale that we would be looking at if every country were to build the amount of offshore wind capacity that they have promised.” “It…

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