Engineering news
Engineering predictions for 2021
Professional Engineering
Predicting the year ahead is always a complex task. There is perhaps more uncertainty than ever thanks to Brexit, Covid-19 and a shifting energy landscape – but here are some challenges and opportunities the year might have in store.
Electric cars show road ahead
Professional Engineering
The vital importance of electric cars to the future of UK automotive is clearer than ever after a “lost year” for the sector, manufacturers have said. Battery electric and hybrid cars were a solitary bright spark in 2020, which saw the new car market fall by almost a third (29.4%) according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Pineapple waste takes flight
E&T
Discarded pineapple leaves have been collected and reused by researchers in Malaysia, who converted the waste into a strong material for building drone frames. Aircraft made of the bio-composite material are reportedly stronger, cheaper and lighter than drones made of synthetic fibres.
’Dancing’ robots create order from chaos
Professional Engineering
‘Dancing’ robots that spontaneously self-organise into clear patterns without programmed interactions could aid the development of new robotic swarms or metamaterials, according to researchers at the Massachusetts and Georgia Institutes of Technology. The team tested its ‘active matter’ theory with flapping robots known as smarticles.
Airbus chief to lead High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC)
Business Live
Katherine Bennett, head of Airbus UK, will leave her role to become chief executive of the government’s HVMC later this year. Bennett will replace Dick Elsy, who had planned to retire in 2020 before putting it on hold to lead the Ventilator Challenge UK.
Printed fungus shows great potential as sound absorber and more
Professional Engineering
Eco-friendly sound absorbers made of fungus-based materials show great promise, their creators have said, and could lead to wider use of the natural materials. The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is developing the sound absorbers, which are made by 3D-printing materials including mycelium.
Lower temperature catalyst turns plastic waste into useful materials
Professional Engineering
A new catalyst can recycle common plastic found in everything from toys to supermarket bags into liquid fuels and wax, despite working at a lower temperature than other systems. The developers of the new system, from Osaka City University and Tohoku University in Japan, hope it could help tackle the world’s growing plastic waste problem while providing useful materials for other uses.
Micro mirror boosts autonomous car 3D vision
The Engineer
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed a new ‘microscanner’ mirror for Lidar systems on autonomous cars. The monocrystalline silicon mirror intensifies ranging lasers, allowing the system to calculate distances more accurately.
‘Morphing’ 3D printer nozzle enables complex new creations
Professional Engineering
A new shape-changing 3D printer nozzle could enable complex new creations with unique material properties, its creators have said. Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) created the ‘morphing’ nozzle, which offers new ways of printing fibre-filled composites. The materials are particularly suited to ‘4D printing’ – 3D printing of objects that can transform depending on their environment.
‘Smart’ contact lenses could monitor user health
Professional Engineering
An international team of researchers has developed a ‘breakthrough’ sensor system and manufacturing process for new ‘smart’ contact lenses. Engineers from the University of Surrey and other institutions around the world developed the ultra-thin system, which contains a multitude of sensors – a photodetector for receiving optical information, a temperature sensor for diagnosing potential corneal disease and a glucose sensor for directly monitoring glucose levels in tear fluid.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.