The Engineer articles from February 2003

The Engineer archives from February 2003

Harsh realities.
February 7, 2003... It usually takes a tragedy for reality to puncture perception. In the case of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia, the perception was that manned space flight had become so routine as to be largely risk free. President Bush, mindful of...

Good. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... CHESS: Russian master Garry Kasparov is flying the flag for the human race in a tournament with the computer Jeep Junior. With four games played, each has won once and the computer has forced two draws, But can it play battleships? PIGS: A...

Bad. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... MOUNT EVEREST: Even the inaccessible slopes of the world's tallest mountain are no longer a haven from the modern world. An internet cafe is to be opened at 5,300m. Customers are not expected to have trouble finding a free PC. GLOBAL...

Move over, Michael Fish... there's a storm in space. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... THE US NATIONAL Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has completed successful tests of the GOES-12, an advanced environmental satellite that allows forecasters to predict solar flares before they reach the Earth's atmosphere. Radiation flares...

Robot manoeuvres in the park. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... ROBOT CARS could soon be used on the roads following recent successful tests. Three robot cars autonomously made intersection manoeuvres, overtook each other, and drove in single file while maintaining a set distance apart, in track tests in...

One man and his UAVs. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... THREE UNMANNED aerial vehicles performed co-ordinated reconnaissance and combat strike sorties while under the control of a single person, the US announced this week. Flight tests of the UAVs were carried out last month by the Office of...

Putting hospitals on their metal. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... A METAL detector is set to revolutionise the way hospitals find foreign objects in the human body. The handheld device, developed through a joint venture between Qinetiq and Melodi Technologies uses weak magnetic signals to detect items such as...

Net gets stamps of approval. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... ROYAL MAIL is to begin testing 'e-stamps' that can be bought over the internet and printed off by customers in their home or office. The new system, which is being developed for Royal Mail by Lockheed Martin, would use advanced encryption...

Colour-coded chemicals help emergency services. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... EMERGENCY WORKERS in the US are to be issued with chemical detection badges to alert them to the presence of chemicals such as chlorine, arsenic and ammonia. Florida-based Safety Solutions' HazMat Smart Strip consists of a reactive surface...

Facing up to the truth. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... UK RESEARCHERS have developed the Silent Talker, claimed to be the world's most sensitive lie detector. A team from the Manchester Metropolitan University used a system of two cameras and a computer to monitor the smallest movements and changes...

Nurse feelgood. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... MITSUBISHI HAS developed a robot that doubles as a house-sitter and nurse. The 1 m-high, wheel-mounted automaton has cameras in its head and is equipped with voice and face recognition capabilities. It can be programmed to send emergency...

First of the better wine. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... US RESEARCHERS have developed a filtration system designed to stop microscopic organisms ruining the taste of wine. The system, called QenoPure, aims to keep micro-organisms out of bottles during the final filtering process before the cork is...

Wi-fi goes terminal in London. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... TRAVELLERS PASSING through London's City Airport can now access the internet through their laptops and handheld computers after the building became the UK's first terminal-wide wireless zone. To subscribe to the service users simply switch...

UK agrees to Fylingdales' watching brief. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... THE UK has formally agreed to a US request to use Fylingdales Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire for its controversial Missile Defence System. The base has advanced radar that would track missiles launched by rogue states or terrorists from...

Flush with success. (This Week).
February 7, 2003... DISPOSABLE NAPPIES that can be safely flushed down the loo could soon become a reality, with the discovery of a water-absorbing resin. Japanese textiles firm Unitika says the substance is fully biodegradable, meaning items can be buried, burned...

Rail safety: more flaws revealed; The warning system designed to prevent tragedies is likely to cause crashes on slam-door trains. (News).
February 7, 2003... RAILTRACK BUNGLED the installation of the UK's new rail safety system, so that it now encourages train drivers to accelerate towards the buffers at terminus stations, The Engineer can reveal. The new Train Protection and Warning system...

How TPWS works. (News).
February 7, 2003... THE 1999 RAILWAY Safety Regulation requires TPWS to be fitted to all train lines by 1 January 2004. The technology combines a train stop system with a speed trap, which can be set up to 350m away from the signal. It requires no action from...

Take the heat out of brakes: US racing is to test a temperature-proof material. (News).
February 7, 2003... A UK FIRM developing advanced materials for car brakes that can withstand extremely high temperatures has received a boost after a US motor racing team became its first commercial customer. Surface Transforms will supply brake discs and pads...

NASA plans tile improvement: more heat-resistant materials could make future shuttles safer on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. (News).
February 7, 2003... GLUED-ON heat-resistant tiles, the focus of investigations into the cause of the Columbia shuttle disaster, could be replaced by tougher ceramics in the next generation of reusable launch vehicles, in research being supported by NASA. As...

US drops Shuttle diplomacy: as the US pledges to continue with manned space flight, Europe is snubbed over NASA's replacement programme. (News).
February 7, 2003... DISAGREEMENT over a possible war with Iraq, technical problems with the Ariane rocket and recent budget cuts mean Europe is unlikely to play any part in NASA's programme to replace the space Shuttle. Following last Saturday's loss of...

From thousands to hundreds: transmutation technology aims to reduce the radioactivity of toxic waste by thousands of years. (News).
February 7, 2003... A BID is underway to establish a European consortium to build a prototype transmutation reactor, which could reduce the radioactivity of nuclear waste from thousands of years to lust a few centuries. The Myrrha project, based at the Belgian...

High fibre data: laser technology designed to increase web transmission rates could offer improved encryption systems. (News).
February 7, 2003... RESEARCH designed to increase the speed of optical fibre communication could result in encryption systems able to transmit large amounts of secure information and improved skin cancer research (The Engineer, 24 August 2001). A laser...

DIY molecules: technique developed in Italy uses self-assembling molecules for greater capacity. (News).
February 7, 2003... DATA STORAGE devices capable of holding up to 100 gigabits of information per square inch could be grown from self-assembling molecules using a technique developed in Italy. Researchers at the Institute for the Study of Nanostructured...

Borne to detect: remote-control flying system to analyse and warn of chemical attack. (News).
February 7, 2003... AIRBORNE DRONES could soon be used to give early warnings of gas attacks on cities and military bases, say US researchers. The claim follows the development of a small, lightweight sensor and microprocessor system by the Sandia National...

Nanoscale research on steel could lead to cheaper electricity. (News).
February 7, 2003... ELECTRICITY BILLS could be reduced using steel alloys designed to allow power stations to generate energy more efficiently. Nanoscale modelling research being undertaken at Loughborough University and funded by the Engineering and Physical...

Screen saver: smaller handheld electronic devices offer high-quality images with less power. (News).
February 7, 2003... SMALLER AND LIGHTER handheld electronic devices could soon be available using display technology that uses significantly less power than existing screens. The passive matrix LCD display technology, developed by ZBD Displays, allows...

New clear resolution: microscopes capable of accurate imaging of individual atoms enable better disease analysis. (News).
February 7, 2003... EVER-SMALLER microchips and treatments for lung and liver diseases could be made possible using the world's most sensitive analytical microscopes installed at Daresbury Laboratory. SuperSTEMs, or Super Scanning Electron Microscopes, use a...

Infrared imager could replace video security cameras. (News).
February 7, 2003... THERMAL IMAGERS could be used as security 'cameras' in public places to count people and monitor their movement. Previously, thermal imagers have been used for finding individuals in a disaster zone or for manufacturing or military...

Driving flat out: US designers develop low-cost rotary motor by bending piezoelectric material. (News).
February 7, 2003... RESEARCHERS in the US have developed a low-cost rotary motor as flat and thin as a CD case, making it ideal for powering disk drives in ultra-thin laptops and other portable devices. The motor, designed by a team from Penn State University,...

Propeller research aims to improve ships' fuel efficiency. (News).
February 7, 2003... SHIPS could become more fuel efficient and comfortable for passengers with research being undertaken by Chalmers University of Technology for Rolls-Royce. Researchers at the Swedish university, led by Professor Lars Larsson, are using...

Travelling consultant: communications system linking paramedics, hospitals and emergency centres could improve survival odds. (News).
February 7, 2003... VICTIMS of accidents and sudden illness could be given a better chance of survival, with a communications system inking hospitals to emergency call centre workers and paramedics. The technology, developed by Qinetiq and Australian company...

ARM Holdings: The microprocessor specialist is investing heavily in R&D, a sign of a healthy company--albeit in difficult times. (Company Profile).
February 7, 2003... WHEN MOBILE phones came out of the blue to become the must-have consumer devices of the 1990s, no company was better placed to reap the rewards than ARM Holdings. The Cambridge-based microprocessor specialist had the right technology at the...

Sweet smell of success for Osmetech as it seals deal with Roche. (The Week).
February 7, 2003... Osmetech the UK develop of E-nose medical sensors, claimed to have stepped up a league in the diagnostic technology market following a deal with Swiss multinational Roche. Osmetech will pay Roche [pounds sterling]1.5m for its US-made Opt...

BAE leaves space sector and transfers Astrium shares to EADS. (The Week).
February 7, 2003... BAE Systems is poised to exit the space industry after agreeing to transfer its 25 per cent holding in Astrium--the satellite and space systems venture--to rival aerospace group EADS. After various sums of cash swap between the two sides,...

Sharp move as Imagination unveils major licensing agreement. (The Week).
February 7, 2003... Imagination Technologies the Hertfordshire based developer of silcon systems for advanced multimedia applications has unveiled a major licensing deal with Sharp. The consumer electronics giant will use intellectual property from three of...

Pheonix wins safety check contract for nuclear reactors. (The Week).
February 7, 2003... Testing specialist Phoenix Inspection Systems has been asked to develop new ways to carry out critical safety checks on the next generation of nuclear reactors. The European Fusion Engineering and Technology group has given the Warrington...

Bookham plans to break-even by Q4, but jobs and R&D spend to suffer. (The Week).
February 7, 2003... Optical networks group Bookham Technologies said it how hopes to break even in the fourth quarter of 2003 Oxfordshire based Bookham said the integration of the optical components businesses it bought from Nortel Networks late last year was...

Let's not be snowed under with irrelevancies: our transport infrastructure is creaking to a halt. But forget a few days of weather hell, says Fiona Harvey. We must address the real issues. (Comment).
February 7, 2003... IT'S FUNNY what a little snow can do. Throw it on the City of London and see grown-up bankers stop to build snowmen. Throw it over the road network and watch the whole country screech to a halt. The question on everyone's lips was how could...

In the firing line: President Bush's [pounds sterling]140bn Missile Defence System is the biggest defence project ever undertaken, and it will not work. Andrew Lee explains why. (Off Target).
February 7, 2003... IT CAME AS no surprise when defence secretary Geoff Hoon told MPs that his instinct was to grant a US request to upgrade the Fylingdales radar station in North Yorkshire as part of its Son of Star Wars missile defence programme. Opposition to...

Plain speaker: fence-sitting does not come naturally to the man whose firm, Linn Products, produces the world's finest hi-fi systems. Here he tells Andrew Lee what's holding back the UK technology sector. (Profile: Ivor Tiefenbrun).
February 7, 2003... IVOR TIEFENBRUN is living the engineer's dream: decide that you can build something better than anyone else, succeed and go on to create a multimillion-pound business. It helps if the product in question is related to something you care...

Letters.
February 7, 2003... Nuclear reaction Congratulations on the excellent and well-founded article on the issues surrounding nuclear power in the context of the UK's future energy policy (Cover Story, 24 January). It was a breath of fresh air to read an...

The Man Who Knew Too Much. (Books).
February 7, 2003... Stephen Inwood Macmillan, [pounds sterling]18.99 ***** The Restoration was a period of great scientific and architectural progress, dominated by the genius of Isaac Newton and Christopher Wren. But alongside these two giants...

The Continuing Story of the International Space Station. (Books).
February 7, 2003... Peter Bond Springer Praxis Books, [pounds sterling]19.50 ***** The International Space Station has been a controversial and troubled project from its beginning and Bond's book deals with the issues comprehensively. It has chapters...

Vacuum Bazookas, Electric Rainbow Jelly and 27 other Saturday Science Projects. (Books).
February 7, 2003... Neil Downie Princeton, [pounds sterling]13.95 ***** Neil Downie came up with this little goldmine while trying to enthuse youngsters with the joys of engineering and science at a Saturday activity centre. Its 29...

Leonardo's dream machines. (TV).
February 7, 2003... Second part of the programme that follows the construction and testing of the flying machine and giant crossbow designed by da Vinci (pictured). The inspiration he gave to future experimenters and the often prophetic nature of his ideas are...

Private jets revealed. (TV).
February 7, 2003... This programme takes a behind-the-scenes look at the advanced technology and extreme luxury of some of the world's most expensive jets. Discovery Channel, Starts 23 Feb. 8pm

Exhibition.
February 7, 2003... Leonardo da Vinci: The Divine and the Grotesque Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, The Royal Collection holds the world's largest number of da Vinci's drawings, and 75 of the best will be on display. Until 30 March. Contact 0131...

Conference.
February 7, 2003... Solutions for Success Epsom Downs Racecourse. Surrey. Event designed to encourage technology transfer and co-operation between business, universities and research institutes. Includes seminars and an exhibition. 11 March. Contact...

Brain Teaser. (Problem Page).
February 7, 2003... A gang of 17 thieves steal a bag of gold coins. When they attempt to share the coins equally, there are three left over. In the ensuing fight over the remaining coins, one of the gang members is killed. In the next attempt to distribute the...

You could win a scientific mystery tour. (Problem Page).
February 7, 2003... The contributor of next issue's Brain Teaser wins a pair of tickets (worth [pounds sterling]13) to the Science Mall at Glasgow Science Centre. Housed in three stunning buildings at Pacific Quay on the Clyde, GSC brings science and...

Mowing it alone. (Patent of the Week).
February 7, 2003... Picture the scene. It's the middle of summer, you're back after a month trekking in the Amazon jungle and the garden looks like the wilderness you've just left. There was no one to cut the grass, and your prize-winning lawn is ruined. Suffer no...

Southern manufacturing stars. (Southern Manufacturing Show Preview).
February 7, 2003... IN 1997 Pace Worldwide embarked on improvements that culminated in the company being given World Class status in 2002 by the Maryland Department of Business and Economics Development. The firm replaced its batch and queue methods and high...

Top names reveal success secrets. (Southern Manufacturing Show Preview).
February 7, 2003... MANUFACTURING Networking 2003 is the region's biggest best-practice event of the year, aimed at manufacturers. How to sell more products, get the most from staff, maximise your finances and what to expect over the next five years are just some...

Essential for manufacturers. (Southern Manufacturing Show Preview).
February 7, 2003... THERE is no doubt that it is a challenging period for UK manufacturers. But the key to riding out such times is for companies to explore every avenue to improve productivity and plant efficiency. An early opportunity to do just that in 2003...

A healthy turnout for the medical devices sector. (Southern Manufacturing Show Preview).
February 7, 2003... THE medical device industry has escaped unscathed from the recent manufacturing downturn and is one of the UK's key manufacturing growth areas, according to recent research. The study, conducted among 105 leading UK medical device...

Fuelling about with hydrogen.
February 21, 2003... For years people have been led to believe that the future of energy lies in hydrogen production, Yet the promotion of this as an everlasting source of clean energy is a sham. Beneath the gloss presented by governments end industry, the current...

Sunbathers. (Good).
February 21, 2003... A Chilean designer is to make bikinis out of salmon skins. Will this giant leap forward spawn a new trend?

Rats. (Good).
February 21, 2003... Rodents in laboratory cages can now get some privacy with an automated observation system. Instead of being peered at by scientists the rats will be watched by computers that will record and analyse their behaviour.

Computer games. (Good).
February 21, 2003... Playing online is good for you when you do so with others, according to Chicago University researchers. This conclusion was drawn after the social scientists spent a year playing games. Clearly good for some -- and easy research as well then.

Parents. (Bad).
February 21, 2003... Move over Barbie. Young girls will now be nagging for a toy baby called Baby Bright Eyes whose eyes open, blink, close and look at its surroundings. Realistic or lust plain creepy?

Inland revenue. (Bad).
February 21, 2003... The IR has admitted losing a total of 500 computers over the past five years. Nothing like accounting for everything you own.

Snailing towards a neural frontier with a microchip.
February 21, 2003... SEMICONDUCTOR GIANT Infineon has unveiled microchip technology that can read the electrical impulses from living cells. The company has developed a biosensor array chip that successfully allowed electrical signals from the cells of a...

Boeing's missile lasers to miss out on Iraq.
February 21, 2003... BOEING 747 aircraft equipped with missile defence lasers will not be ready for deployment during any forthcoming attack on Iraq, the company has said. The system will use a megawatt-class oxygen-iodine chemical laser aboard the aircraft to...

Fuel cells run the houses of the rising sun.
February 21, 2003... JAPAN BECAME the latest country to trial fuel cells in homes with a Nippon Oil project in Yokohama. The year-long trial, which began las: week, will include the home of the Yokohama mayor, Hiroshi Nakada. The domestic power plants will burn...

Material to rebuild cartilage is the bee's knees for surgeons.
February 21, 2003... RESEARCHERS AT Leicester University aim to develop a polymer that can dramatically boost the effectiveness of knee surgery. The team plans to create a material that can form the 'scaffold' that supports new cartilage cells inserted into the...

Buildings are bomb-proof by dent of a concrete composite.
February 21, 2003... BUILDINGS THAT can withstand a 'typical terrorist bomb' are now possible with a concrete-steel composite designed by the Anglo-Dutch steel manufacturer Cows. The company is to unveil the Surefast civil engineering technology in two weeks' time,...

Defensive satellites swarm to their task.
February 21, 2003... QINETIQ HAS finalised plans for a swarm of mini-probes that could be sent into space to rendezvous with asteroids and investigate objects that could collide with the Earth. The plan is one of six proposals designed by companies and universities...

BA's office of air trading.
February 21, 2003... FIRST-CLASS and business passengers on British Airways transatlantic flights can tune into live television, radio and the internet during the trial of a new 'flying office'. Passengers can also send and receive e-mails, paying [pounds...

Eurofighter Typhoon flying fit in first trials.
February 21, 2003... THE FIRST Eurofighter Typhoon to roll off the UK production line had its maiden flight on 14 February. The aircraft took off from BAE System's site at Warton in Lancashire for a 21-minute flight. The Typhoon programme has been dogged by cost...

Heading for a realistic android.
February 21, 2003... K-BOT, claimed to be the most sophisticated robot head, was this week unveiled in the US. The android head has 24 mechanical muscles that manipulate its artificial skin to mimic a wide range of human expressions. The eyes contain cameras....

US overhaul of nuclear arsenal.
February 21, 2003... The US is planning to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons, according to reports this week. Pentagon documents leaked to a US nuclear watchdog are said to detail a wishlist of future weapons, including short-range, low-yield...

High-speed roller-coaster.
February 21, 2003... UK ENGINEERS are designing a trimaran for the US Navy capable of launching a range of unmanned aerial, surface and submarine vehicles. The coastal waters vessel would have roll-on roll-off cargo facilities and be capable of carrying marine...

Blast from the past: NASA plans return to Apollo-like capsule to service the ISS beyond 2010.
February 21, 2003... NASA is to revive the Apollo space capsule design to serve the International Space Station as a crew return vehicle. The US space agency is under obligation to provide a crew return vehicle (CRV) for the ISS by 2006, and at the same time...

Fast parts breakthrough: Rolls-Royce develops technique to cut component production time and halve costs. (News).
February 21, 2003... AEROSPACE and automotive components, and even replacement hip joints, could be made in a fraction of the time and for half the cost using a technique developed by Rolls-Royce and Nottingham University. Researchers at Folls-Royce's...

A buffer to CJD: filter technology could allow diagnosis of the fatal brain disease from blood tests. (News).
February 21, 2003... AN AUSTRALIAN company has developed a membrane filter to prevent the transmission of human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob brain disease through blood products. The technology promises to revolutionise testing for vCJD in humans and BSE in...

Flow chart: battery-monitoring chip could improve standby power supplies to important buildings. (News).
February 21, 2003... A MICROCHIP designed to prevent potentially catastrophic failures of back-up power supplies is poised for commercial launch, according to its UK developer. The chip, produced by Guardian Link, will incorporate new battery-testing technology...

The Royal Society backs The Engineer's call for new nuclear build. (News).
February 21, 2003... BOTH THE Royal Society and the Institute of Physics support our call to build more nuclear stations in the UK (Letters, page 34). The government intends to close down all the UK's existing nuclear power stations once they come to the end of...

Portable medic: blood test could give on-the-spot diagnosis of the extent of brain damage. (News).
February 21, 2003... A DEVICE the size of a handheld computer could provide Army medics and emergency workers with an instant assessment of the severity of a brain injury. The test would enable them to make life-or-death judgments concerning appropriate...

Block tactics: aircraft are to be fitted with system to protect against heat-seeking missiles. (News).
February 21, 2003... AUSTRALIAN, UK and US aircraft could soon be protected against heat-seeking missile attack by a laser that jams' the incoming rocket's infrared sensors. The surface-to-ai missile used in the al-Qaeda attack on an Israeli airliner taking...

Thermoglazed glass shields to protect ancient artefacts. (News).
February 21, 2003... PROTECTIVE shields designed to prevent archaeological discoveries suffering damage through public display and long-term exposure to air are being developed as part of a European project. Artifacts such as China's terracotta army are under...

Walk on the warm side: spacesuit uses coils of water to keep astronauts snug during emergency work. (News).
February 21, 2003... A SPACE SUIT design that uses coils of water to recycle the body's warmth will allow astronauts to carry out emergency engineering work outside their capsules with greater ease. By using human survival and heat control responses, the...

Smoother operator: discharge plasma technique claims to provide purer friction-reducing coatings. (News).
February 21, 2003... PURER AND SMOOTHER coatings to reduce friction between mechanical components could help the tooling, textiles and microelectronics industries. Coatings are used in devices such as reading and writing heads on PC hard drives or machine...

US researcher grows nerve cells to repair injury. (News).
February 21, 2003... A RESEARCHER in Iowa has successfully regrown damaged nerve cells using micro-scale channels etched into a thin biodegradable polymer. The technique could treat paralysis and might one day be used to connect a damaged optic nerve with a...

Dressed to live: bandage based on body's clotting agent could save gunshot victims' lives and minimise blood loss. (News).
February 21, 2003... A NANOFIBRE bandage based on the body's own blood clotting agent could save the lives of gunshot and knife wound victims and reduce the length of operations, its US developers claim. The bandage, which is spun from nano-sized strands of the...