Engineering news
‘£50,000 a minute’: devastating predicted cost of no-deal Brexit for automotive sector
Professional Engineering
Border delays triggered by a ‘no-deal’ Brexit could cost the UK automotive sector a staggering £50,000 per minute, an industry report claimed – equivalent to £3m every hour or £72m each day. Combined with World Trade Organisation tariffs, which amount to £4.5bn every year, the delays “would deliver a knockout blow to the sector’s competitiveness, undermining a decade of extraordinary growth,” said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
A Titanic task: NASA's nuclear drone to search for life on Titan
The Engineer
NASA has unveiled another flying rover concept, following other designs such as the Mars Helicopter and the floating-walking Ballet. The latest concept is the Dragonfly, which will use nuclear energy and eight rotors to fly above the surface of Saturn moon Titan. Expected to reach the moon in 2034, it will search dunes and craters for signs of life.
£26m to capture carbon
The Engineer
The government has awarded £26m of funding to nine carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects. The schemes, touted as a vital element of future efforts to limit climate change, include a facility at Tata Chemicals Europe in Cheshire that could capture 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – 100 times more than the UK's biggest facility at the moment.
The nuclear option
Energy Live News
Nuclear energy will also be a vital element in the UK's efforts to reduce carbon emissions, said the Confederation of British Industry in a letter to energy secretary Greg Clark this week. It called on the government to back technology such as small modular reactors, which could offer more efficient and cost-effective nuclear energy.
A chute in the arm
New Atlas
The Boeing CST-100 capsule came closer to its first manned missions this week with successful high-altitude testing of its parachutes. Half of its six chutes were deliberately sabotaged to test redundancy before it was dropped from 12,200m, but it nonetheless landed safely in the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico after four minutes. The spacecraft could carry the first astronauts launched from the US since 2011.
Magnetic nanoparticles heat and kill cancer cells
The Engineer
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed 'nanoclusters' of magnetic nanoparticles, which can be injected and heated above body temperature using alternating magnetic fields to kill cancer cells. The work built on previous research by using more efficient clusters of the nanoparticles. The clusters are reportedly "hexagon-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles doped with cobalt and manganese and loaded into biodegradable nanocarriers", and they could target hard-to-reach cancers such as those in the ovaries.
Inspiring engineering gives disabled users independence
Professional Engineering
A young tricyclist can safely go off-road, a stroke survivor can get out of the house and a young boy can speak to his friends at school thanks to some inspiring engineering from charity volunteers. A national charity that provides bespoke, often ingenious, equipment for disabled people, Remap, held its annual awards ceremony near King’s Cross in London yesterday. Projects that resulted in awards for volunteers included the wheelchair turntable by Philip Watts, a volunteer inspired by his previous experience working on the railways, and a voice amplifier for James, a young boy with paralysed vocal cords.
The solar-powered Robobee
New Atlas
Inspired by insects and weighing less than a paper clip, the Robobee has flown without external power for the first time. Created by researchers at Harvard, the miniature robot uses tiny solar panels to power its four wings. Tiny flying robots could be useful for surveillance or search-and-rescue applications.
University 4.0
Process Engineering
Siemens is collaborating with five universities to add more Industry 4.0 teaching to the curriculum. The Connected Curriculum will be run in collaboration with Newcastle, Middlesex, Manchester Metropolitan, Liverpool John Moores and Sheffield universities.
The fastest tractor in the world
Road and Track
How fast is the world's fastest tractor? 40mph? 50mph? As of this week the real answer is 103.6mph (166.7km/h). Motorcycle legend and TV presenter Guy Martin achieved the average speed over two runs in a modified JCB 4000 Fastrac. The record-breaking machine has a 7.2-litre diesel engine, upgraded valve seats and auxiliary piston cooling. Williams Advanced Engineering helped improve the tractor's aerodynamics to shave off drag before the record attempt.
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