Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • Dead on Arrival: Why Fresh Produce Needs a Digital Brain, Not Just a GPS

    Over a third of all fresh produce never reaches a consumer. Cold chain intelligence, digital twins, and predictive AI are the engineering solution, and the industry is only just waking up to it. Key Takeaways ✓ According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN), FAO, around one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted — for fresh produce, farm-to-fork losses range from 25% to 50% depending on commodity and region. ✓ Current supply chain systems track movement (location, ETA, temperature) but not condition (remaining shelf life, spoilage probability, commercial value). ✓ Perishability intelligence platforms use digital twins, IoT cold chain sensors, and ML-based shelf life prediction to close that gap in real time. ✓ The architecture scales from a single airport node…

    Dr. Mohammad Harris
    Dr. Mohammad Harris

  • Decarbonising in Energy Intensive Industries: Engineering Pathways Under Real-World Constraints

    Why energy intensive industries present a unique challenge The drive towards net zero has accelerated investment in renewable energy, electrification, and low-carbon technologies across many sectors of the economy. While significant progress has been made in areas such as power generation and transport, energy intensive industries (EIIs) continue to present some of the most complex decarbonisation challenges. Industries including steel, cement, chemicals, oil and gas, glass, and automotive manufacturing play a critical role in modern economies. They provide the materials, products, and infrastructure that underpin society, but they also account for a substantial proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Steel and cement production alone are responsible for approximately 14–16% of global…

    Dr Paul Johnson
    Dr Paul Johnson

  • North Devon Robotics Challenge 2026

    The fourth North Devon Robotics Challenge took place on Wednesday 18 th March 2026 at North Devon College in Barnstaple, Devon. Teams of Year 7 students from schools in Devon had been given a set of challenges at the start of February to work on in their schools, before presenting their work in a spirit of friendly competition at North Devon College. The teams worked in pairs on four challenges; three involving programming Edison robots to meet engineering specifications, and a fourth challenge to design a conceptual robot. Since North Devon College are working with Maritime South-West this year on maritime projects based in Devon, the conceptual robot was required to perform some task related to the maritime industry in Devon. The aim of the competition, sponsored by the Institution…

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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

  • Octopus enters home battery market with own product range

    Octopus Energy has launched the 2kWh and 5kWh ‘Nook’ home battery range to “help people tap into the cheapest energy possible”. The announcement was made by the energy supplier’s founder and CEO Greg Jackson (above) at an event held as part of London Climate Action Week. Consisting of two different sizes depending on the size of property, the batteries will charge when electricity on the grid is cheapest and then discharge the power into the home when electricity is at its most expensive. “Home batteries are a brilliant piece of tech and one of the smartest ways to cut energy bills right now. Offering Octopus batteries to our customers is a big step in our mission to help people to tap into the cheapest energy possible,” said Jackson. The smaller of the two – Nook Cube – is a shoebox…

  • Plasma process turns spent coffee grounds into solid carbon fuel

    A “world-first” plasma technology rapidly transforms wet organic waste into a valuable energy resource without any need for pre-drying, according to a study. Researchers at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) in South Korea have developed a “world-first” flame plasma pyrolysis (FPP) technology to rapidly convert wet spent coffee grounds into usable biochar, a carbon-rich form of charcoal. Coffee is a popular drink worldwide and one that generates an enormous amount of waste. Once coffee is brewed, its spent wet grounds often end up thrown away and in landfill or incinerated, where it contributes to carbon emissions. For many years research has been undertaken as to how to convert this vast waste resource into fuel or carbon products. But to do so requires the…

  • Ukraine’s nuclear plants to receive UK-made uranium fuel supplies through loan

    The UK will provide a £210m loan to Ukraine to enable it to purchase enriched uranium for its fleet of nuclear power plants. The country has faced relentless attacks on its energy infrastructure since the start of the war with Russia in 2022. A report by Eurelectric in February estimated that approximately 50% of Ukraine’s total energy infrastructure and production capacity has been destroyed during the war, with over 67% of thermal generation capacity lost. The country has four long-standing nuclear power plants, although Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station has been under Russian control since 2022. The remaining three lie deep within Ukraine’s territory and are reliable energy generators for a country that faces challenges trying to meet the electricity demand of its people in the face…

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