Engineering News
Engineering – always newsworthy and often in the
headlines
Engineering developments or news about how engineering is
changing the world always make for a sit-up-and-listen story.
The stories below show engineering hitting the headlines in
recent months.
Researchers at the Department of Engineering at
Cambridge University have created a program that can build
3D models of textured objects in real time, using only a
standard computer and webcam.
Real-time 3D modelling
Trials of a digital ‘plaster’ wireless body
monitor have begun at University College London. The
disposable wireless plaster, designed by Toumaz Technology,
can be worn by a patient for up to three days. The company
claims it provides continuous monitoring of vital signs,
including temperature, heart rate and respiration, without
the need for patients to be continuously wired up to bulky
monitoring machines at their beds.
Digital 'Plaster' For Monitoring Vital Signs Undergoes
First Clinical Trials
Cars that drive themselves could be on the road within
ten years, according to the British engineering consultancy
Ricardo. The company has been selected by the European
Union (which is helping to fund the project) to develop and
test the so-called ‘road trains’.
Sartre puts EU on the road train to freedom
Researchers from the University of Missouri have
demonstrated a penny-sized ‘nuclear battery’
that holds a million times as much charge as standard
batteries. How will they come in useful? And isn’t
‘nuclear’ a bad thing?
Tiny
'nuclear batteries' unveiled
We already have touch-screen smartphones, and
they’re beginning to appear on personal computers too.
Soon we could have a 3D version – useful for engineers
and architects. How do they work, and what are the
difficulties involved in designing them?
Smart 'Lego' blocks take touch screens into
3D
Walking through metal detectors and being frisked by surly
airport staff could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to
new full-body imaging technology undergoing trials at
Manchester Airport. But is it an intrusion on our
privacy?
Airport tests full-body X-ray system
British industry is headed for the biggest shake up since
the Industrial Revolution, with the country set to be a
pioneer in video games, superfoods and robotics, according to
a new study.
UK industry predicted to put its best robotic foot forward -
The Guardian
Proposals have been made for Britain’s next
high-speed train line, which could be running at top speeds
of 250 mph - twice the maximum speed now allowed on
conventional tracks!
250 mph plan for High Speed Two - Railnews
Engineer Adam Wilson made global headlines by updating
Twitter using his brainwaves!
Innovation: Mind-reading headsets will change your brain -
New Scientist
An article looking at how many of the world’s major
issues such as climate change, lack of clean water provision
and economic recession will all need engineers to fix
them.
Engineers will play a vital role in our economic recovery -
The Independent
After years of being criticised by environmental
campaigners for their poor green credentials, the big phone
manufacturers were falling over each other at this week's
Mobile World Congress to proclaim their new green
manifestos.
Is the mobile phone industry really turning itself green? -
The Guardian
Japanese engineers have unveiled the world's first robotic
supermodel complete with facial expressions powered by tiny
motors. The robot has reaffirmed engineers' beliefs that we
will soon create working androids that are indistinguishable
from humans.
Life-like
walking female robot - BBC News
The Brit Insurance Designs of the Year exhibition has
brought together eccentric genius from all over the world.
Whether it’s architecture, furniture, fashion or
transport – it'll take a top team of engineers to turn
these ideas into mass-produced, affordable products.
Tomorrow's world: Crazy, odd, utterly brilliant... - The
Independent
Four of the country's leading green activists have
backtracked on a lifetime's opposition of nuclear power, to
warn of the dire consequences of not building more nuclear
power stations.
The Big Question: Does nuclear power now provide the answer
to Britain’s energy needs? - The Independent
Harvard University’s Dr Alex Wissner-Gross is
claiming that two Google searches produce as much carbon
dioxide as using the kettle to boil enough water for a cup of
tea. But is it a huge surprise that Google would rank as the
151st-biggest emitting country in the world?
Read the full article by The Guardian.
Related links:
An article by Dr Alex Wissner-Gross explaining how you can
help make the web greener:
How you can help reduce the footprint of the Web
Google’s standpoint on their own carbon emissions:
Powering a Google search
An aerospace engineering milestone, the Boeing 747
celebrates its 40th birthday. Find out what made the jumbo
jet unique and how it was such a key innovation for
affordable airline travel. Read the
full story from BBC News.
Related links:
Video clips from Boeing that tell the story of the 747:
Boeing
Commerical Airplanes
Researchers are working towards turning problematic
waste glycerol from biofuels into high-value hydrogen gas.
Read on to find out about engineers and scientists working
together to create a method for taking an unwanted waste
product and producing something incredibly useful!
Read the full article by the Guardian
Related Links:
A Biofuel Q & A – fuel of the future or can
they actually threaten the environment?
Q&A: Biofuels - The Guardian
Great animations from BP that take you through the biofuels
process from crop to car:
BP biofuels - a growing alterative - BP
Some of the biggest technological successes of the last
century were predicted to fail by some so-called industry
experts. Each advancement was made possible by the creative,
outside-the-box thinking from engineers.
Read the full article by The Independent.
Related links:
Discover what makes an ipod tick: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ipod2.htm
Learn about the huge range of Boeing Aeroplanes and other
products: http://www.boeing.com/product_list.html
Find out how different technologies and energy sources can
help curb climate change. This article looks at the viability
of wind power, solar energy, efficient homes and electrical
cars in helping to overcome climate change.
Read the full story from New Scientist.
Related links:
A guide to the basics of climate change to firm up your
knowledge; covering an explanation of the greenhouse effect,
the impact on people and the environment and potential
solutions:
Climate change: the basics - Science Museum
A Flash animation showing how wind power works:
Wind power: How it works - BP
Mobile phone giants like Nokia and Samsung are claiming
to be putting a multimedia computer in your pocket, as the
companies boast huge sales of 'converged devices', with
camera, MP3 and now GPS facilities. Sales of multimedia
mobile phones are set to overtake those of laptops within
the next 12–18 months.
The first phones powered by a chip running at 1 GHz will
hit the market later this year, only seven years after the
first desktop chip broke the gigahertz barrier! This
article investigates the breakneck speed at which this
technology has progressed, its possible future growth and
the impact it is set to have on world communications.
Why the
future is in your hands - BBC News
Related Links:
A great video round-up with a series of reports on the
pioneering technologies behind the mobile phone revolution:
Mobile's
future video roundup - BBC News
Visit this site to hear what the world leaders in mobile
phone technology say about the future: Mobile World Congress
2009
'Formula Student' gives budding student engineers the
unique opportunity to design, build and race Formula
One-style cars. This article focuses on 2008's new category,
Class 1A, which sees teams vying to design a vehicle which
uses low-carbon technology.
Engineering students provide fuel for thought - The
Independent
Related links:
Visit the Formula Student competition website for more
information, and details of how you could get involved
yourself: http://www.formulastudent.com/
Watch
video clips of the 2008 Silverstone event.
At last drivers are heeding the decades of warnings and
turning to greener motoring – UK demand for hybrid cars
is at an all-time high.
However, the world needs a stopgap, a solution which
doesn't mean we must send our existing motors to the
scrapheap and fork out for a new hi-tech hybrid – "Most
of the pollution associated with cars actually relates to
their construction".
This article explores the ways in which Engineers can
unlock the potential of hydrogen to drastically cut carbon
emissions in existing and new technologies.
Cars with a green conscience - Guardian
Related links:
Great section of the BBC site that shows you what actions
can have the biggest impact on your carbon emissions:
www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/
WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to
reduce waste and recycle more, helping to tackle climate
change: http://www.wrap.org.uk/
