The Engineer articles from August 2003

The Engineer archives from August 2003

Oil prospects must be improved.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... Rumours that the world is about to run out of oil are a hit like reported sightings of Elvis. They are old fashioned end just a little dull, to say nothing of their accuracy. It is surprising then that some respected experts and elements...

By nuke, by Jupiter!(This Week)
August 8, 2003... BOEING IS TO develop a nuclear-powered probe that will travel to the moons of Jupiter. A contract to study deep space propulsion systems was awarded to a Boeing-led team by NASA. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) mission is hoped to be ready...

Good week.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... * SLOW MOTION: BOC launched its hydrogen-powered car this week. It is now out for the mpg record but may be some time, with a top speed of 15mph. * COMEBACKS: Sir Clive is back with the secret successor to his low-slung C5, once described...

Bad week.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... * OLD SUCKERS: Dysons gather the wrong sort of dust in the US, as Roomba robot cleaners become so popular that owners are naming them and taking them on holiday. * GERMAN DRIVERS: Pine martens are chewing through thousands of car engine...

Sail of the centenary.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... AN EXPERIMENTAL space sail blade is currently on show in New York to mark the centenary of powered flight. It is part of Cosmos 1, set to be the first 'sailing' spaceship later this year if the planned launch goes ahead. A team including...

All together now--sort of.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... PARTICIPANTS at the recent Earth Observation Summit in Washington pledged to develop an integrated system to monitor climate change and other environmental phenomena. The aim is to link existing land, sea and space-based observation...

Super laser could defend US warships.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... THE FIRST 10 kW free electron laser has been demonstrated, and may be used in future ship defence systems. It was developed by a team at the US Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News,...

UK train speeds are now only 112mph slower than French TGVs.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... A EUROSTAR TRAIN set the record last week for the UK's fastest rail journey when it reached 208mph, passing through the Kent countryside. It was travelling on the newly-completed first section of the high-speed rail link which will...

Touching concern over e-voting.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... A REPORT showing that electronic touch-screen voting systems are vulnerable to tampering has led to calls for improved regulation. The US National Association of Secretaries of State, whose members run state elections, is considering calling...

Stunning failure for Taser cops.(This Week)
August 8, 2003... A TASER STUN GUN has been used by the Metropolitan Police for the first time to deal with an armed man. However, it failed to deliver the 50,000V electric shock because the second barbed cable did not attach.

30 years on, UK re-enters the space race: film gets government cash boost to build low-cost, disposable rocket for placing microsatellites in orbit.(News)
August 8, 2003... THE UK'S FIRST satellite launcher in over 30 years could take off next year, the rocket developer at the centre of the project revealed this week. Cambridge-based Microlaunch Systems has received government funding to build an inexpensive...

Casual but smart: intelligent label being developed to stamp out designer clothes fakes.(News)
August 8, 2003... AN 'INTELLIGENT LABEL' that allows genuine designer clothing to be distinguished from high-quality counterfeits is being developed at Leeds University. Researchers at the university's Centre for Technical Textiles (CTT) plan to create a...

In-flight insight: Boeing heads project to develop sensor systems for monitoring of fuel cells in future aircraft.(News)
August 8, 2003... BOEING IS developing technologies to monitor the health of fuel cells during flight as part of its exploration of the technology's potential for use in future aircraft. The aerospace giant, which recently announced several international...

World at your fingertips: Cambridge firm to provide antennae for first mass-market all-frequency mobile phone system.(News)
August 8, 2003... UK ANTENNA technology is on course to underpin the world's first mass-market 'Quad-band' mobile phones able to operate anywhere in the world, its developers claimed this week. Cambridge-based Antenova, which builds antennae based on...

Light switches that could boost fibreoptic efficiency.(News)
August 8, 2003... GLASS PANES capable of steering light beams could be used to improve the efficiency of telecommunications networks, physicists in the US have claimed. Researchers at Harvard University are using liquid crystal droplets to create glass...

Off the radar: cash boost for UK firms to develop world's first wind turbine blades that won't confuse radar systems.(News)
August 8, 2003... THE WORLD'S first wind turbine blades using materials found on the stealth bomber--to prevent the structures interfering with radar signals--will be developed in the UK. The DTI has awarded turbine blade manufacturer NOI Scotland and...

Keep taking the capsules: NASA must go for capsule option to keep space plane project on schedule, say manufacturers.(News)
August 8, 2003... A CAPSULE design for the Orbital Space Plane is the best option for achieving its new launch deadline of 2008, Boeing and Lockheed Martin have confirmed. NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe announced last month that the OSP programme should be...

Staying cool by getting plastered.(News)
August 8, 2003... A PARAFFIN-BASED wall coating material will prevent heat build-up in modern homes and offices, making them more pleasant places in which to live and work, researchers said this week. The material, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for...

Fire control: burner provides an economical way for industry to meet its clean air responsibilities.(News)
August 8, 2003... A GAS BURNER that produces less nitrogen emissions by between 10 and a 100 times over conventional systems will make it easier and more economical for industry to meet clean air requirements. Ultraclean low-swirl combustion (UCLSC)...

Taking the heat: a low-cost air conditioner using heat to power a cooling system could bring comfort to Tube travellers.(News)
August 8, 2003... A LOW-COST air conditioning system that uses heat to cool the surrounding environment could be the answer to London Underground's overheating problems in the summer, its developer has claimed. The system, based on an active layer of carbon...

Sick sense: a pill able to deliver a patient-specific dose of medication has been developed in Canada.(News)
August 8, 2003... A PILL THAT can analyse the body's chemistry to calculate and deliver the optimum dose of drugs could help to minimise the side effects of medication taken by sufferers of diseases such as cancer or AIDS. The Intelligent Pill or iPill,...

X-rays focus on the smallest nanoparticles.(News)
August 8, 2003... TAKING IMAGES of nanoparticles smaller than 100 atoms in size will be made possible with improved X-ray methods developed at the UK's Daresbury Laboratory. The ability to analyse particles of just a few atoms in size for quality control is...

EADS: aerospace and defence giant uses City to announce latest results and bang the drum for its UK operations.(Company Profile)
August 8, 2003... 'YOU MAY BE wondering why we have come to London.' These were the opening words of Rainer Hertrich, joint chief executive of EADS, to the press and City analysts assembled for the aerospace and defence giant's latest financial results. It...

Rolls-Royce profits up to 115m [pounds sterling] thanks to aftermarket revenues.(The Week)
August 8, 2003... Rolls-Royce, while by no means immune to the chill of the civil aviation downturn, can at least bask in the warm glow of its aftermarket. The UK engineering giant realised some time ago that while selling new aero-engines is good, the...

Mayflower energy arm cheered by government's wind farm pledge.(The Week)
August 8, 2003... Specialist engineer Mayflower Corporation said the government's decision to endorse a big growth in the number of wind farms operating offshore in the UK boded well for the fortunes of its fledgling energy operation. Mayflower Energy was...

Hawk order could be the saviour of BAE Systems' Brough facility.(The Week)
August 8, 2003... Fans of Geoff Hoon may currently be few and far between, but the defence secretary is the toast of BAE Systems and 2,000 of its staff at Brough, Humberside, after confirming an order for 20 new Hawk trainer aircraft for the RAF. An option far a...

Smiths Industries makes a 9m [pounds sterling] move into US airport security.(The Week)
August 8, 2003... Smiths Group has made further inroads into the burgeoning market for airport security technology with $15m (9.3 [pounds sterling]) worth of new contracts. The US Transportation Security Administration has ordered explosive detection systems...

Ultra boosts sales and profits, and pays 6m [pounds sterling] for UK rival Radamec.(The Week)
August 8, 2003... Ultra Electronics, the UK group specialising in a range of defence and electronics systems, including anti-submarine warfare, this week unveiled a robust half-year financial performance. Ultra boosted sales by 8 per cent to 136m [pounds...

Time for us to follow our own star: the UK needs a space agency both for strategic investment and to develop the expertise we already have in the sector.(Comment)
August 8, 2003... JUST 100km from wherever you are is the very threshold of the 'final frontier.' Yet, despite our boundless fascination with all things sci-fi, when it comes to sci-reality, it's a different story. When we look into the night sky, we all...

Backing rail staff.(Letters)
August 8, 2003... The announcement regarding the prosecution of Network Rail staff over the Hatfield crash means the coming months will be a very difficult time for all in the rail industry, and especially so for those involved. I know that all of this will...

Road debate goes on.(Letters)
August 8, 2003... David Shaw is incorrect in stating that when cars travel faster the braking distance between them should correspondingly increase (Letters, 11 July). The very fact that they are going faster in fact reduces the number of vehicles that can...

Staying on message.(Advertising Technology)
August 8, 2003... Direct Hits (The Engineer. 25 July) paints a Minority Report-like picture of the future. However, the picture is somewhat bleaker than the reality. The advertising industry's downturn has resulted in agencies searching for ever-more innovative...

No space for shuttle.(Letters)
August 8, 2003... Once again NASA proposes to develop a new manned spaceship, the Orbital Space Plane, even though previous shuttle replacement programmes have all failed. The OSP doesn't even attempt to replace the shuttle, being defined as a pure...

In the pipeline? The future is not as gloomy as some would have us think--if only the industry would come up with new extraction techniques now.(Oil Change)
August 8, 2003... OIL DOOMSDAY, when the supplies run out and the fighting starts, is far from inevitable--but only if the global energy industry raises its game on the adoption of new technology, according to leading experts in the field. The oil industry needs...

Setting the pace: after a decade working for electronics specialist Pace, Roger Lambert is still set on transforming our viewing habits--TV will converge with the internet.(Interview: Roger Lambert)
August 8, 2003... ROGER LAMBERT of Pace Micro Technology is working hard to turn us all into square eyes, unable to resist the interactive delights of the digital TV revolution. General manager for technology at the West Yorkshire-based electronics...

Breathing space: ventilation systems work efficiently on Earth, but in space the rules change dramatically. Computational fluid dynamics helped Boeing engineers solve a tricky design challenge.(Design News)
August 8, 2003... BOEING ENGINEERS have made a simulation breakthrough that will enable them to make vital changes to the ventilation system of the International Space Station's cupola. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate the...

Jaguar takes a different track: technology transfer is usually from track to road. But in a break with tradition Jaguar racing is using techniques already proven on its road cars to tweak the design of next season's F1 model.(Design News)
August 8, 2003... FORMULA ONE has long been seen as a proving ground for technology that eventually filters through to production vehicles. However, in an unconventional twist on the idea of technology transfer, techniques used by Jaguar road car designers...

Smooth sensation: a sensor system claimed to outperform traditional alternatives could make surface detection across a range of industries more efficient.(Design News)
August 8, 2003... A SENSING technology that is claimed to outperform its traditional alternatives has been developed by Georgia spin-out company Qcept, which says the system will become an invaluable tool in the semiconductor industry. The Scanning Contact...

Hot number.(Tech Need Challenge)
August 8, 2003... Usually, a fire retardant, added to a composite works above 250[degrees]C and 50-90 per cent of the final material comprises the retardant component. One company however, seeks a composite for electrical equipment, that must contain 70-90 per...

Aerosol challenge.(Tech Need Challenge)
August 8, 2003... Aerosol cans are opaque: other than by shaking them, it's difficult: to tell how much content is left. Can you come up with a method that uses a label on the outside Of the can to show how much product is left Whatever the solution, it must be...

Reclaimable plastic foam.(Tech Needed Challenge)
August 8, 2003... Prototyping is often done with machinable wax, so that chips and obsolete objects can be melted and reused. This need is for a foam or plastic that can be used in the same way in an office environment. This is a consumer application, where...

Linear actuator like a servo.(Tech Needed Challenge)
August 8, 2003... What is needed is a compact linear actuator that acts like a servo. Size must be no larger than 1 in outside diameter, ideally under 2in long having double-ended stroke with the total stroke length of 1 in. The device must be able to operate...

Seeing the future now: following a four-year research project, augmented reality systems could be just months away from making their industrial debut.(Design News)
August 8, 2003... WITH THE completion last month of Arvika, a four-year long collaborative research project carried out by a consortium of 18 industrial partners into industrial applications of augmented reality (AR), all partners agreed that the technology...

Can't talk, I'm on the TV.(Japanese Breakthroughs)
August 8, 2003... Electronics giant NEC has develop a prototype mobile shone capable of receiving terrestrial digital TV broadcasts. However, consumers may have to wait for a while before they can tune in the television. While terrestrial digital...

All aboard the magnetic motorway.(Japanese Breakthroughs)
August 8, 2003... A futuristic public transport system will make its debut ferrying visitors around the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, central Japan. Toyota's Intelligent Multimode Transit System (IMTS] is a train-like but rail-less set of vehicles that move in...

Material gains.(Japanese Breakthroughs)
August 8, 2003... Researchers at Hiroshima University claim to have developed an allay that can store three times more hydrogen than existing ones. A spokesperson for the group said that the achievement is expected to be useful in developing fuel...

Gridlocked for speed.(Japanese Breakthroughs)
August 8, 2003... The Japanese government has joined forces with industry and academia to develop one of the world's fastest supercomputers by linking smaller computers around the country in a grid. The National Research Grid Initiative (Naregi) plan hopes...

Light under the bonnet: with composites appearing more and more frequently in cars, will we ever see a 100 per cent plastic engine? Roger Brownlie reviews the move away from metal.(Materials)
August 8, 2003... SINCE THE FIRST mass-produced V-8 engine hit the roads in 1932 the basics of the internal combustion engine have not really changed all that much. This clearly points to both the staying power of what is a classic piece of engineering...

Virtually yours: computers are not merely the province of the design and manufacturing process--they are also having a major impact on the planning, and even the running of our factories.(The Digital Factory)
August 8, 2003... CAD, CFD, CAM, PLM... the list of acronyms goes on. Software tools to aid in product design and manufacture are now ubiquitous--forming an essential part of the knowledge base of engineers and designers. As hardware power increases, and...

Shock tactics: an inexpensive, easy-to-install shock absorber offers designers of vehicle damping systems an ingenious solution to the perennial trade-off between comfort and roadholding.(Mechanical Components)
August 8, 2003... ONE OF THE BIGGEST challenges when designing a vehicle damping system is the trade-off between roadholding and comfort. Conventional shock absorbers have one fixed characteristic. To achieve a high level of roadholding you need a very stiff...

Web Source.
August 8, 2003... ACTUATORS DRIVES INTERNATIONAL-www.dil-actuators.co.uk POWER JACKS GROUP-www.powerjacks.com AUTOMATION PENNY & GILES--www.pgcontrols.com SEW AUTODRIVE--www.sew-eurodrive.com BATTERIES YUASA...

Update.
August 8, 2003... To advertise your announcement in this section call Jon Pyser on 020 7970 4490 Valves A sterile valve from Schubert SCHUBERT & 201 & Salzer created great SALZER interest at...

Brain Teaser.(Problem Page)
August 8, 2003... If you tie a piece of string round the Earth's surface on the equator, and then place a second piece of string round the Earth a metre above ground level, how much longer is the second piece of string than the first? Solution next issue....

Win tickets to the experience of a lifetime.(Problem Page)
August 8, 2003... The Falkirk Wheel, standing at 35m high, links the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal above it, carrying four boats at a time in each of its two 'gondolas' and replacing a flight of 11 locks. Next issue's published Brain Teaser wins...

Which year was it?(Problem Page)
August 8, 2003... Born this year Stephen Heilman Co inventor of the automatic implantable defibrillator, a device that detects and corrects heart arrhythmias in patients who could otherwise die from sudden cardiac death Heinrich Rohrer Inventor of...

X-rayted music.(Patent of the Week)
August 8, 2003... Imagine being able to store your entire music collection on one CD. Although it would depend on the size of your collection, replacing a CD player's optical laser with an X-ray one would allow about 80,000 songs to be recorded, writes Julia...

Risk robots, not lives.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... The US will continue to risk the lives of its citizens by sending them into space for no reason other than the belief that the country must have a manned space programme. This ultimately is the massage from the Columbia accident...

The last call for Concorde.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... Richard Branson is launching a final bid to keep Concorde flying. He is writing to the British Airways chairman Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge offering to set up a charitable trust and with an invitation to supply an equal amount of funding....

One SMART step to the moon.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... THE LAUNCH of the European Space Agency's lunar SMART-1 probe next week could lead to a manned moon base in 20 years. Bernard Foing, project manager for the spacecraft, has claimed that the technology will soon exist to make a manned outpost on...

Tags look to secure future.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... THREE BIOSENSOR manufacturers in the US will next month apply for Homeland Security antiterrorism technology designation. They hope to outflank opposition to radio tags inserted in consumer goods by making them part of the war against...

Druids.(Good Week)
August 29, 2003... * DRUIDS: Austrian druids have reduced an accident black spot death toll to zero by erecting white quartz pillars, which 'restore the natural flow of earth energy'. Or' maybe drivers are just slowing down to look at them?

Anglers.(Good Week)
August 29, 2003... * ANGLERS: UK worms are coming to the rescue of US fishermen who can't get enough bait. A hightech university spin-off company can produce 150 tonnes of worms a year.

Mars.(Bad Week)
August 29, 2003... * MARS: Germans have been mistaking the red planet, on its closest approach for 60,000 years, for a UFO. A German UFO organisation has been inundated with reports of a red disk following the moon.

ATMs.(Bad Week)
August 29, 2003... * ATMs: New Zealanders living in remote areas could be provided with solar powered cash machines. Just don't expect to get any money after dark.

Car that parks itself is gearing up for the road.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... TOYOTA will next month unveil a car that is able to park itself. A special gear that allows for perfect automatic parallel parking is to be an optional extra on the hybrid petrol-electric Prius model. A rear-mounted camera is linked to a...

Spent-fuel plant is.... spent.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... THE THERMAL oxide reprocessing plant (Thorp) at Sellafield, which opened only nine years ago, is to close By 2010. Despite claims at the time of the 1.8bn [pounds sterling] facility's opening in 1994 that the plant would be able to provide...

Green cab is just the ticket.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... ULTRA, the eco-friendly driverless taxi, developed by Advanced Transport Systems, is closer to hitting the road following a 125,000 [pounds sterling] grant from NESTA. The taxi (The Engineer, 10 January) has recently completed successful...

UAV to fly in US civilian airspace.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... AN UNMANNED aerial vehicle has for the first time been given permission to operate in civilian airspace in the US to aid homeland defence. The RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high altitude reconnaissance UAV, has been granted a national certificate of...

Disaster for Brazil's space aims.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... BRAZIL'S emerging space programme was dealt a severe blow last weekend when a rocket set for a mission to put two satellites in orbit exploded killing 21 people. All were experts and technicians performing final tests a few clays before...

Convertible with a difference.(This Week)
August 29, 2003... UK COMPANY Gibbs Technologies is to launch a high-speed amphibious vehicle next week. The Warwickshire-based company claims the vehicle will be capable of performing like a high-performance car on and and a fast boat on water. Gibbs has filed...

Watered down? Cost cuts may compromise the design of the Navy's new aircraft carriers, their chief architect warns.(News)
August 29, 2003... THE CHIEF naval architect on the UK's fleet of new aircraft carriers has warned that the vessels will be 'pared' down as the result of a cost trade-off process in progress with the MoD. In an exclusive interview with The Engineer, Simon...

On the case: a probe used in metals analysis holds the key to detecting fingerprints on fired bullets.(News)
August 29, 2003... FINGERPRINTS could be obtained from fired cartridge casings or detonated grenades using a device capable of detecting electrochemical changes to metal--even after intense heat. As global terrorism spreads and UK gun crime increases, police...

Bomb-proof bin liners in fight against terrorism.(News)
August 29, 2003... COMPOSITE MATERIALS designed to reduce the impact of bomb blasts in public areas are to be developed at Liverpool University. Engineers and materials technologists at the university's Impact Research Centre aim to create a flexible,...

Tubular cells: London's Underground could benefit from US project to develop a hydrogen-cell locomotive.(News)
August 29, 2003... HYDROGEN could be used to power London Underground trains following a US-led project to develop a fuel cell locomotive. An international consortium, led by Vehicle Projects LLC of Denver in the US, is developing the world's largest fuel...

The bigger picture: UK specialist gets government funding to build giant screens using custom-developed optical system.(News)
August 29, 2003... A UK DISPLAY technology specialist is to build a production prototype of an 'unlimited size' video screen. Screen Technology plans to use its custom-developed optical system, called ITrans, to produce screens for use in applications such as...

Magnetic bead system could speed up bacterial analysis.(News)
August 29, 2003... THE ENGINEERS behind a tiny testing system that uses magnetic bead technology to isolate and identify harmful food-borne bacteria hope to begin full-scale production soon. Welsh instruments manufacturer Picosorb, which developed the...

Starting to change: an integrated starter-generator system is set to boost economy and cut emissions in town driving.(News)
August 29, 2003... TECHNOLOGY developed for future hybrid vehicles has been adapted by Visteon to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions during town driving. The SpeedStart 12 uses an integrated starter-generator (ISG) to shut down the engine when the...

Two-speed Europe: dual clutch gearboxes could become the European norm.(News)
August 29, 2003... DUAL CLUTCH SYSTEMS, such as that recently introduced on the Audi TT 3.2, are set to take a significant share of the European market over the next few years, as drivers opt for automatic--or automated manual--transmissions in far greater...

Direct drive: a motor on each wheel will power tomorrow's hybrid cars, says GM.(News)
August 29, 2003... ELECTRIC MOTORS attached directly to each wheel hub could provide propulsion and control for hybrid oars by the end of the decade, General Motors has claimed. The automotive giant is developing the motors for improved fuel efficiency,...

Quantum theory: researchers have a new theory to block the cascades of errors quantum computers are prone to.(News)
August 29, 2003... RESEARCHERS may have to limit the number of operations carried out by quantum computers to prevent a cascade of errors making the technology utterly useless. Quantum computers could lead to faster signal processing, database searching,...

Intercepting the chatroom paedophiles.(News)
August 29, 2003... PARENTS COULD receive e-mail alerts warning them that their children are being asked to meet strangers in internet chatrooms, using an anti-grooming system developed in the UK. The system, created by UK software firm Nostrad, identifies key...

Priced out of the market: imported natural gas will make UK's first gasified coal power station uncompetitive, warns expert.(News)
August 29, 2003... THE UK'S first gasified coal power station will be unable to compete with the price of imported natural gas, a senior consulting engineer working on the project warned this week. The station--to be built by the firm Coalpower at a site near...

AgustaWestland: European aerospace giant, keen to break into lucrative US market, makes Bush's presidential chopper a priority.(Company Profile)
August 29, 2003... IMAGINE THE QUEEN being chauffeured around in a Cadillac and you have some idea of the coup AgustaWestland is trying to pull off across the Atlantic. The Anglo-Italian helicopter group hopes to supply up to 20 new aircraft to Marine One,...

Rolls-Royce spends 11m [pounds sterling] on VT Controls to expand marine division.(The Week)
August 29, 2003... Rolls-Royce has spent 11m [pounds sterling] to purchase VT Controls, a marine electrical systems business, from former owner VT Group. The Portsmouth-based operation has a strong track record of providing power and automation systems for...