Engineering news
Drone makes medical deliveries to Isle of Wight
E&T
A drone that was designed and built at the University of Southampton has been delivering urgently-needed medical supplies from the mainland to the Isle of Wight. The project is the first of its kind in the UK after successful application in remote areas of countries including Rwanda. The technique is much faster than ferry trips and reportedly “significantly” cheaper than other methods of flight.
Engineering collaboration creates ‘shield’ for NHS staff
Professional Engineering
Partners including Rolls-Royce, the Manufacturing Technology Centre and Barts Health in London have teamed up to develop and test a ‘shield’ to protect NHS staff treating Covid-19 patients. The Aerosol Generating Procedure shield is a clear box placed around the upper half of patients, with access for a suction tube. It prevents 90% of coronavirus particles from reaching staff, lowering the ‘viral load’.
Musk reopens Tesla factory
Financial Times
Tesla has controversially restarted production at its factory in Alameda County, California. The county had previously denied permission for the facility to reopen, with Elon Musk tweeting “If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.” The company was given a tentative go-ahead, as long as it conformed with social distancing measures.
Manufacturers welcome furlough scheme extension
Professional Engineering
In the UK, manufacturers welcomed the extension of the Job Retention Scheme, with Make UK saying it “avoids a looming cliff edge” of redundancies. The organisation, which represents UK manufacturers, previously said manufacturing is forecast to contract by 2.1% in 2020. Exports were already hit by Brexit uncertainty before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and companies expect volatility for months to come.
Government gives safe working guidance
The Manufacturer
The government published guidelines for safe working as it began to ease the Covid-19 lockdown. Measures include carrying out risk assessments and maintaining 2m social distancing where possible.
Galileo satellite alternative could be scrapped
E&T
The UK’s proposed homegrown alternative to the European Galileo satellite navigation system could be scrapped, with civil servants reportedly urging ministers to cancel it. The project was delayed by at least six months in March, and faces spiralling estimated costs of over £5bn.
’Urgent need’ for autonomous vehicle cyber-protection
Professional Engineering
The UK “urgently needs” a transport cybersecurity programme if it hopes to safely introduce connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) to the roads, according to the leaders of the pioneering ResiCAV project. Potential threats include cyber attacks against cars’ perception sensors, which could trick vehicles into ‘seeing’ something that is not there – or not seeing something that is. Hackers might also try to manipulate vehicles through data connections.
Hydrogen flames behave in 'unexpected' way
Professional Engineering
Hydrogen flames can survive in more extreme conditions than previously thought, new research has found. The work, which has safety implications for the development of hydrogen fuel cells for transport, identified “unexpected” behaviour as hydrogen burns. The study, led by researchers at the University Carlos III de Madrid, found the flames can propagate with very little fuel, within surprisingly narrow gaps and can extend into fractal patterns.
Work continues on ‘world’s largest concentrated solar plant’
Energy Live News
Work has continued on a $4.4bn project to build the world’s largest concentrated solar plant despite the Covid-19 pandemic. It is predicted to increase the amount of clean energy in Dubai’s grid to 25% by 2030.
A 3D-printed nuclear reactor core
New Atlas
A team at the US Department of Energy has used 3D printing to build a prototype nuclear reactor core. Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Programme hopes to lower the costs and speed up the development of new nuclear power stations.
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