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  • Built for the Unknown: How the Apache Was Engineered for the Future

    On 30 September 1975, the prototype Boeing AH-64 Apache made its maiden flight, beginning the journey of what would become one of the most recognisable and enduring military aircraft of the modern era. More than five decades later, the Apache remains in service around the world, continually upgraded to meet new operational requirements. Its longevity is a story of aviation success and of engineering foresight. For engineers, the Apache is perhaps most interesting not because of what it does, but because of how it was designed. It represents an early and highly successful example of systems engineering, integrating aerodynamics, structures, materials, electronics, software and human factors into a single coherent platform. Engineering Beyond the Airframe By the 1970s, aircraft designers…

  • Water,Water Nowhere: The Utility We Can't Live Without

    The summer of 2026 brought record-breaking temperatures across the UK, with hosepipe bans affecting around 75% of the country. These conditions highlighted the growing importance of water as a precious resource. Yet despite its critical role in our daily lives and industrial processes, water is often taken for granted. We expect it to be available whenever we need it, rarely considering the infrastructure, energy, resilience, and cost required to ensure a continuous supply. Against this backdrop, the IET London Network's September Lecture explored one of industry's most essential but overlooked utilities: water. Presented by Aoife Kelly, Global Lead for Sustainable Design, Pharmaceuticals and Advanced Technology at Arcadis, and hosted by the Central London Network on 9 September 2026 at the…

  • This blog set alarm bells ringing!

    Guest blog by David Knights FIET David, a researcher and visitor to the IET Archives, has written this blog about an item he found in one of our collections. Having an interest in his locality and an engineering background, it was the perfect way to combine technical archives with local history. An online copy of the map provided the opportunity to take a better look at it alongside his own collection of images that include some of the fire call points shown on the map. The Borough of Acton One of the more unusual items in the IET Archives is a Map of the Borough of Acton showing the location of fire alarms and fire stations dated 1937. The collection also includes similar details of Oxford, Malden and Coombe, Eccles, Luton, Watford, and the British Empire Exhibition (1924/5). IET…

  • Brownfield Automation: How Do You Automate a Factory That Was Never Designed to Be Automated?

    Manufacturers are being encouraged to embrace connected, intelligent and increasingly autonomous production. Yet much of the world’s manufacturing capacity was installed long before those concepts existed. The challenge is therefore not simply how to build the factory of the future, but how to create it from the factory that already exists. The factory of the future may already have been built Walk through almost any long-established manufacturing facility and the reason quickly becomes apparent. A recently installed robotic cell may sit alongside a twenty-year-old CNC machining centre. Further down the line may be equipment controlled by an older PLC, a standalone inspection machine and processes that still depend heavily on manual intervention. These assets were installed at different…

  • Celebrating Excellence: Dr Walter Green Receives the Prestigious James N Kirby Award

    Engineering is often described as a profession built on innovation, problem-solving and a commitment to creating a better future. It is also a profession shaped by the people who dedicate their careers to advancing knowledge, supporting others and sharing expertise. For these reasons, it is particularly fitting to celebrate the achievements of Dr Walter Green FIET , who was recently presented with the prestigious James N Kirby Award, one of the highest honours awarded by the IET in the Australasian region. The award was presented on 2 July 2026 during a special technical event in Perth, Western Australia, hosted by the IET Western Australia Local Network Committee. The James N Kirby Award recognises individuals who have achieved outstanding eminence, distinction and public recognition within…

  • Risks to humans from advanced humanoid robots and AGI within an AI integrated battle group

    Am I a fantasist or am I looking into the future and seeing a possible threat to humanity? I recently enjoyed a night in front of the television, watching Arnold Schwarzenegger's ‘The Terminator’ and my thoughts started to wonder about life in the future and could the rise in technology actually be a threat to humanity. Then came my viewing on the internet of the recent robotic Olympics in China where humanoid robots competed in athletic events, and the constant technical media coverage of the ever-increasing evolution of AGI. The result was that I am becoming increasingly concerned for our species. Advanced autonomous humanoid robots and AI systems with Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) used within an AI-integrated military battle group possess physical capabilities and search, recognise…

  • Powering the impossible: engineering the future of adaptive all-terrain adventure - a talk from Disabled Adventurer, Nick Wilson

    As part of our ongoing work into supporting disabled engineers and technologists, we're exploring how emerging and existing assistive technologies are supporting people in today's world, from completing daily tasks to taking on multi-terrain adventures. Someone who is no stranger to this is Disabled Adventurer and speaker, Nick Wilson, and we're delighted to invite our Members, Volunteers and Colleagues to attend a virtual talk where he'll be sharing details of his own adventures, as well as where inclusive engineering is heading, and what's holding back progress. Nick's talk will be taking place on Wednesday 30 September, 11:30am-12:30pm via MS Teams, please click here to register: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b0eec48d-54c7-4111-9609-c7d17aa80e74@37f807ba-aa39-43e3-8018-abddb6f7781c…

  • The Five-Step Loop Beneath Every Project That Actually Delivers

    Ask ten project people what "control" means, and you'll get ten different answers, most involving spreadsheets and a bit of dread. The Teal Book, the UK government's code of practice for project delivery, puts it more usefully: control is any action taken to increase the likelihood that objectives are achieved. Look at what that leaves out. Nothing about status reports, RAG ratings, or steering packs. Those are outputs. Control is the action you take. Everything else just exists to make that action better. Underneath it is a loop of five steps. Plan, do the work, track progress, assess, take action. Then round again. It looks too simple to matter, and that's the trap. In over 15 years of extensive experience delivering challenging and complex projects in highly regulated industries, I've…

    Ahmed Elfaraskoury
    Ahmed Elfaraskoury

  • Strategy Formulation Methodologies for Aerospace Companies Leveraging IVHM Enabled Service Delivery Systems

    Introduction The growing demand for affordable, reliable, and environmentally sustainable aerospace transport emphasises the need to extend the lifetime of costly equipment while ensuring operational safety. In this context, Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM, the collection and analysis of on-board data, and the use of a digital twins, enables aerospace companies to propose and deliver IVHM enabled services and solutions. Such services and solutions delivery constitute a strategic objective for companies operating in the sector. This article describes a collection of complementary methodologies for formulating strategies for IVHM enabled aerospace service and solution delivery (Feiler et al., 2010) (Feiler et al., 2010; Wibowo et al., 2016). The European Commission Flight Safety…

  • In-Building and Private 5G Networks: Investment Considerations

    Investment decisions for in-building connectivity and private 5G begin with a practical question: what service or operational need must the network meet? My 18 years of experience in telecommunications span radio network planning, infrastructure investment planning, and implementation coordination for in-building and transportation connectivity projects. This experience has shaped my interest in how technical requirements, delivery constraints and long-term costs come together in an investment decision. As part of my continuing professional development, I explored selected publications on private-network economics and feasibility. Below, I distinguish their findings from my own interpretation of how they can inform engineering practice. Define the service requirement first In-building…

  • IBC2026: What to expect in Amsterdam, from AI and trust … to the future of TV?

    The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) is once again serving as a global meeting point for the industry, bringing together the creative, technology and business communities to turn ideas into action, connections into partnerships and innovation into real-world business outcomes. The world’s leading broadcasters, content owners, rights holders and solution providers are converging in Amsterdam from 11 – 14 September 2026 for focused conversations, active collaboration and deal-making. IBC2026 will bring together more than 44,000 attendees from over 170 countries to explore innovations from more than 1,200 exhibitors across 14 halls, with more than 600 speakers delivering insights across the conference programme. IBC is owned and run by six professional organisations, two of which…

  • Powering Discovery: How Particle Accelerator Engineering is Shaping Our Future

    Particle accelerators are often associated with groundbreaking scientific discoveries and large-scale research facilities, but their impact extends far beyond the walls of laboratories. Today, accelerator technologies are driving innovation in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, energy research, national security and space exploration. As engineering challenges become increasingly complex, the role of accelerator engineering has never been more important. This theme sits at the heart of the upcoming Powering Discovery: The Future of Particle Accelerating event, hosted by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and supported by the IET Particle Accelerator Engineering Network (PAEN). Bringing together engineers, scientists, technicians and industry leaders, the event will showcase…

  • Because every mission builds a skill for life

    What happens when young people are given the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges, work as a team, and put their STEM skills to the test? As one group of students from George Stephenson High School discovered, the results can be truly life changing. Through the IET's FIRST ® LEGO® League programme, pupils don't just learn coding, robotics and engineering. They develop confidence, resilience, communication skills and leadership qualities that will support them throughout their lives. With the support of sponsors such as Sage, these opportunities are made accessible to schools that might otherwise be unable to participate. In this inspiring story, Curriculum Leader Natalie Fenn shares how her all-girls team, Mission Possible, progressed from an idea on paper to winning a national Core…

  • The bit between the diagrams

    When I started in the electrical trade in 1996, I thought learning the job meant learning how to install things correctly. Nearly three decades later, I still believe the technical foundations matter enormously, but I have also learned that some of the most valuable knowledge sits between the drawing and the finished installation. It is the judgement to notice when something does not add up, the confidence to ask a question, and the discipline to test rather than assume. My work has taken me through domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural settings: houses, factories, farms, swimming pools and larger plant installations. More recently it has expanded into solar PV, battery storage, EV charging, heat pumps, MVHR, design review and project coordination. The equipment and technology…

  • Exploring Electromagnetics

    Have you ever stopped to think about just how much of our daily lives relies on electromagnetics? From mobile communications and wireless technologies to power systems, transport and consumer electronics, electromagnetics sits behind many of the technologies we depend on every day. Yet it's such a broad field that it can sometimes be easy to overlook just how much is happening across the discipline. That's where the IET Electromagnetics Technical Network comes in. The network brings together engineers, researchers and industry professionals with a shared interest in electromagnetics, creating opportunities to learn, share knowledge and explore the latest developments across the sector. Led by Chair, Alex Gavrilakis, and supported by a committee of IET member volunteers from around the…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Evona Teh

    For Evona Teh, becoming a Professional Registration Interviewer felt like a natural next step after achieving Chartered Engineer status in 2019. She found herself reflecting less on the title and more on the experience behind it. What stayed with her most was the interview itself. It was not just an assessment, but a genuine conversation where someone took the time to engage with her engineering story. That moment left a lasting impression and shaped her decision to volunteer. “I wanted to be that person for others” By then, she had built experience across technical engineering, corporate strategy, academia and leadership. It felt like the right time to give back, offering candidates more than a checklist and creating space for meaningful discussions about their work and impact. Underpinning…

  • “How to Apply for CEng: From Application to the Interview”

    From “What is CEng?” to “How do I actually apply?” Today, I had the pleasure of co-delivering a practical workshop with Dr Andrew Hutchinson “How to Apply for CEng: From Application to the interview” The workshop was deliberately focused on application rather than definition. We took participants step by step through the CEng application process, with particular emphasis on the IET route, the required documentation, and—most importantly—how to prepare a Verified UK-SPEC Assessment Summary and demonstrate evidence against the UK-SPEC competencies. We used real examples and application scenarios relevant to both academic and industrial backgrounds, helping participants relate the requirements to their own professional experience. The feedback was extremely encouraging. Participants highlighted…

    Mahmoud Masoud
    Mahmoud Masoud

  • The Threat of Artificial Intelligence to the UK Manufacturing Sector: An Empirical and Policy-Oriented Assessment

    Introduction: Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses an intrinsic threat to the UK manufacturing sector. The UK and particularly, the manufacturing sector, needs to understand AI's impact on productivity, employment, skills, and international competitiveness. This needs to happen in an empirical framework to govern the actionable, descriptive measure of employability demanded by AI adoption in manufacturing. The most relevant, applicable literature on the theme is thus surveyed to construct an empirical and policy-oriented assessment. The key questions to explore are: How will AI affect the UK manufacturing sector in the future? Will productivity be enhanced leading to international competitiveness? Will there be a net displacement or creation of jobs? What skills will be required in the future…

  • Distinguished scientist, famous inventor and suffragist: mourning Hertha Ayrton in 1923

    Graeme Gooday, University of Leeds Her many friends, scattered in various places on their summer holiday, were shocked to read in their newspapers, one morning, that she had passed away on August 26, 1923, at the age of sixty-nine, leaving uncompleted much that she meant to do, but having accomplished very much more than most of us are content even to begin.’ Evelyn Sharp, Hertha Ayrton: A Memoir , 1926. p.299. [i] On Sunday August 26 1923, there was sad and shocking news from a village in Sussex: the celebrated Hertha Ayrton was no more. [ii] Two days after her death, Britain’s pre-eminent newspaper, the Times , recognised her in unprecedented terms as ‘a distinguished woman scientist’. To substantiate this the editorial noted that Mrs Ayrton (as she was conventionally known) had…

  • Digital Twins: From Concept to Critical Infrastructure

    The term "digital twin" has been around for some time, but its role in engineering and industry has changed significantly over the last few years. What was once considered an emerging technology is increasingly becoming a practical tool for solving real operational challenges across sectors as diverse as manufacturing, energy, transport, healthcare, and smart cities. As organisations continue to balance efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and cost pressures, digital twins are helping bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. By creating dynamic virtual representations of physical assets, processes, or entire systems, engineers can gain a deeper understanding of performance, predict future outcomes, and make better-informed decisions before implementing changes in the real…

    Garima Satija
    Garima Satija

  • The IET Technical Networks and the Impact of Active Engagement on Committees - A Personal Reflection

    Prior to stepping down as Chairman of the IET Project Controls Technical Network, I had been a member of the Project Controls TN for many years. I stepped down at the end of 2025 with a view of taking a short sabbatical whilst I reset and calibrated by emerging research interests which focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how this emerging technology can be leveraged in the fields of Quality, Governance, and Assurance in the fields of manufacturing, projects, and decommissioning within the UK Military and Civil Nuclear sectors. This article presents my personal reflections and opinions relative to being active in the IET’s TNs. So what are the IET TNs? The IET Technical Networks comprise of specialist groups that facilitate technical and professional engagement among IET members with…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Sumeet Shah

    Supporting confidence, growth and professional success through mentoring. For Sumeet Shah, engineering has never just been a career. It's been part of his life from the very beginning. A lifelong passion for engineering Growing up in a family involved in manufacturing and engineering, some of his earliest memories are of designing and building projects at his uncle's metal fabrication factory. Inspired by childhood favourites such as Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , a young Sumeet set about creating his own model aeroplane and even a pair of nunchakus. A few years later, while still at secondary school, he spent a summer helping to commission new plastic recycling equipment at his late father's factory as part of a move towards more sustainable manufacturing. Alongside…

  • The Gap Between Seeing a Problem and Fixing It

    Not by everyone, and not in full. But someone noticed. The trend that kept slipping. The number that never quite reconciled. The supplier update that felt a little too smooth. The signal was in the room. What wasn't there was a system for turning that signal into action while action still mattered. That's the gap. Not a failure to know, but a failure to act. And it's where project controls either earns its place or quietly fails to. Plenty of control functions live on the wrong side of it: measuring everything, catching problems late, producing immaculate reports on disasters they never stopped. So here are three ideas worth sitting with. Control is not monitoring. Monitoring is watching. Control is action taken to make objectives more likely to be met. Say that back to your own function…

  • Café Conversations: Navigating a Career in Aerospace

    Are you excited about a new engineering role, thinking about your next move, or simply curious about where a career in aerospace could take you? The September edition of the IET Aerospace TN’s Café is for you. Bring your career questions, share experiences, discuss challenges together, and connect. Exploring the breadth of aerospace careers Aerospace engineering offers a diverse range of career opportunities, from design and manufacturing to systems integration and emerging technologies. Yet for many engineers, understanding what these roles involve can be hard. The Aerospace TN’s Café helps bridge that gap. It's a space to hear about the skills engineers use in their work across different roles. As one attendee shared: “There are so many different areas within engineering that…

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