The Engineer articles from July 2005

The Engineer archives from July 2005

COMMENT: Olympian challenge for UK engineers.
July 11, 2005... In all the excitement of the successful London Olympic bid, much attention has understandably been focused on the potential to boost sport in the UK. Quite right too, and if the prospect of the greatest show in sport pitching up on our...

Vive la fusion.
July 11, 2005... South-of-France site is picked to house #6.6bn experimental nuclear fusion reactor After years of deliberation and months of argument, a decision has finally been made to site the #6.6bn ITER nuclear fusion reactor at Cadarache in France....

Anklebot does the legwork.
July 11, 2005... Researchers at MIT in the US are building a 'robotic gym' designed to improve movement in stroke patients' legs. Clinical trials have already shown that therapeutic robotic arms attached to patients' arms can help them recover faster. ...

A new drive into the Antarctic.
July 11, 2005... An environmentally friendly, lightweight concept vehicle for use in the Antarctic has been unveiled. Ninety Degrees South was designed by James Moon of the Royal College of Art, along with experts from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)....

IN BRIEF: Power plant cleans up.
July 11, 2005... The first industrial-scale power plant to generate clean electricity from hydrogen is to be built in Scotland. The 350MW, #330m plant will be built in Peterhead by BP and partners ConocoPhillips, Shell and Scottish & Southern Energy. It will...

IN BRIEF: Bird watching breakthrough.
July 11, 2005... BAE Systems' Advanced Technology Centre is developing an artificial bird to test aircraft for bird strikes. The company is part of the International Bird Strike Research Group, with partners including Rolls- Royce and Qinetiq. Birds inflict...

IN BRIEF: LA test for hydrogen car.
July 11, 2005... A Los Angeles family has taken delivery of a Honda FCX, the only zero- emission fuel cell vehicle certified for daily use by the US Environmental Protection Agency and California's regulators. The state urgently needs clean vehicles to hit...

IN BRIEF: Shuttle back in service.
July 11, 2005... The space shuttle Discovery is due to lift off as early as Wednesday, the first day of a three-week long launch window. This will be NASA's first manned mission since the loss of Columbia in February 2003. The crew will test a host of new...

NEWS: Landslide victory.
July 11, 2005... New fibre-optic sensors that read the composition of soil will help warn of landslips Rugged fibre optic sensors that will help detect landslides and accurately monitor soil movement under railway and bridge embankments are being developed...

NEWS: Weather eye.
July 11, 2005... Grid computing to predict floods and monitor ice caps University of Southampton researchers are using grid computing to analyse real-time data from Essex riverbeds that could be used to predict floods. The team from the university's...

NEWS: Spirited talk.
July 11, 2005... Japanese develop micro-fuel cell powered by methanol A new methanol fuel cell for use in mobile phones will allow 3G handset users up to eight hours of continuous talk time, its Japanese developers said this week. The power system has been...

NEWS: Air-sea breakthrough.
July 11, 2005... Unmanned vehicle completes first controlled flight from Royal Navy warship AN UNMANNED aerial vehicle has been successfully controlled from a UK warship for the first time, according to defence systems specialist Thales. The trials...

NEWS: Sight for space 'eyes'.
July 11, 2005... Nottingham University researchers develop optical sensors to help spacecraft manoeuvre more easily A UK team is working on advanced optical sensors that could enable future space vehicles to 'see' each other in 3D during missions, helping...

NEWS: Laser-sharp operator.
July 11, 2005... A surgical laser that uses a novel type of glass optical fibre has been used to destroy stones in the salivary ducts of patients, potentially opening the way for a range of new medical applications. The device, which has been developed by...

NEWS: A better image.
July 11, 2005... Magnetic particle imaging could improve medical scanning technology Philips is claiming a breakthrough in medical technology with a high resolution scan using magnetic particle imaging. MPI is potentially a useful complementary...

NEWS: Open-hearted effort.
July 11, 2005... The government is backing a Cambridge company's efforts to develop micro-mechanical medical devices that could unblock arteries using less traumatic surgical procedures than heart bypass surgery. Cambridge Design Partnership will use a...

NEWS: Waving goodbye to touch screens.
July 11, 2005... Next-generation screens to be activated by sensors that trace users' finger movements Devices equipped with a new generation of touch-free interfaces could appear on the market by the end of next year, according to a US display...

NEWS: Thinking outside the box.
July 11, 2005... German telematics specialists have developed a cargo transport container that can monitor its own contents and location using RF technology. The Smart Box is a prototype system developed by Fraunhofer Institute researchers and telematics...

FOCUS: Digital deficit.
July 11, 2005... Developing countries need communications technology to boost their economies, but opinion is divided over how to provide it. Julia Pierce reports With the G8 summit and Live 8 dominating the news, the divide between advanced economies and...

BUSINESS: Rolls' fleet footwork.
July 11, 2005... Long-term service agreement strategy for engines is paying dividends as business soars UK engineering giant Rolls-Royce expects its civil aero-engine fleet to grow sharply by the end of the decade, with a record number of customers...

BUSINESS: BNFL under attack over Westinghouse sale.
July 11, 2005... BNFL has announced the sale of its US-based subsidiary Westinghouse, the nuclear power station construction and services business. While the sale is likely to raise around #1bn for the taxpayer, it has been criticised by some in the...

VIEWPOINT: Trust no one.
July 11, 2005... Intellectual property is what gives a company the edge, yet most firms leave unguarded their most valuable IP assets, says Mark Wheeler Trust no one. It was one of the most overused phrases of the last decade but seems to have been...

Book Review: Red Atom.
July 11, 2005... Red Atom Russia's Nuclear Power Programme from Stalin to Today Paul Josephson University of Pittsburgh Press/#14.50 In the 1950s Soviet leaders and scientists dreamt of a utopian energy solution where reactors would generate cheap...

LETTER: Promises, promises.(Letter to the Editor)
July 11, 2005... Having just completed a sizeable contract for a food manufacturing company as a project engineer I am now in between jobs. As a contractor - or mercenary as my profession is often described - this period of not knowing, and waiting to get...

LETTER: Seabed solution.(Letter to the Editor)
July 11, 2005... I agree with your recent leader [Comment, 13 June] on the need to stop talking and get moving over the problem of disposing of our nuclear waste. But the disposal problem is a global one, and the UK is not the only country scratching...

LETTER: Home-making is best.(Letter to the Editor)
July 11, 2005... I read John Urwin's letter 'Production lines' (Talking Point, 13 June) three times to make sure I was not missing his point. It is amazing how naive the general public is about the manufacturing industry and what it really offers the UK....

LETTER: Mission control?(Letter to the Editor)
July 11, 2005... In reply to Andy Glachan's letter 'Controlling interest' (Talking Point, June 27) it is the government's role - in a democracy - to invest in matters of the common good. I can only say I hope Mr Glachan has someone controlling his every...

INTELLIGENT STRUCTURES: Structural healing.
July 11, 2005... The use of technology to monitor and limit damage to buildings and bridges heralds a new era in construction. Jon Excell reports Intelligent structures that can sense damage, actively cancel out vibrations and even 'heal' themselves are...

INTELLIGENT STRUCTURES: Proving Ground for Smart ideas.
July 11, 2005... While active materials are still poised to make their presence felt in large civil structures, other more traditionally hi-tech areas of engineering are a valuable proving ground for these technologies. Unconstrained by the cost concerns and...

INTERVIEW: Sound proposition.
July 11, 2005... Hi-fi entrepreneur Allan Hendry's loudspeakers garner high praise from music buffs, but he set up his niche business MonoPulse more to satisfy engineering curiosity than as an audiophile. Andrew Lee reports Any hi-fi buffs among The...

DESIGN ENGINEERING: Pedal power.
July 11, 2005... 3D sensor converts car's accelerator movement into an electrical signal, making the whole system more accurate, cheaper and lighter than conventional systems. Christopher Sell reports German researchers have developed a sensor that...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - VEHICLE SAFETY: Not so dummy.
July 11, 2005... A virtual crash test dummy, using complex computer modelling to predict physical impact damage more accurately, could aid the design of safer vehicles. Christopher Sell reports Japanese work on a new breed of crash test dummy is the...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - VEHICLE SAFETY: Brief history of crash test dummy.
July 11, 2005... The crash test dummy, or anthropomorphic test device as it was originally known, has evolved significantly since its inception at the end of the 1940s. While at first nothing more than a mannequin-style figure, today it is a highly advanced...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - SOFTWARE: Windchill factor.
July 11, 2005... PTC, which has recently been playing the PLM giants at their own game, is from the purist's point of view responsible for CAD/CAM's 'modern movement'. Charles Clarke explains IBM and UGS have been grabbing the PLM headlines recently to...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - MACHINE BUILDING: Tough language.
July 11, 2005... Automation and Java may not make obvious bedfellows, but the programming language offers cost and security benefits. Paul Gay looks at some recent developments Although Java is one of the world's most widely used open programming...

COMMENT: Learning to talk the language of money.
July 25, 2005... The UK is delicately poised between emerging as a global technology powerhouse and a less appealing future as an also-ran, if a new study from Deloitte is to be believed (see Business, page 16). There are plenty of grounds for optimism in...

Salvage operation goes down a storm.
July 25, 2005... BP oil platform swept on its side by hurricane is righted in Gulf of Mexico A massive engineering operation has righted BP's Thunder Horse oil platform, which was left listing after Hurricane Dennis swept the Gulf of Mexico. The rig,...

Halley VI skis into service.
July 25, 2005... The British Antarctic Survey has chosen an environmentally friendly portable design for its new Halley VI research station. The modular station, created by engineering group Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects, will be built on...

Ghost ship sails into port.
July 25, 2005... This is Ghost Ship, a hand-built replica of a traditional 28ft Shetland sailing boat that hides a very 21st-century secret: the vessel is packed with experimental technology that allows it to sail itself without the need for a crew. Part...

IN BRIEF: South Germany looks on the sunny side for its electricity.
July 25, 2005... The world's largest solar electric power generation system has begun operating in Germany. Bavaria Solarpark consists of 57,600 solar panels with a capacity of 10MW spread across three sites. Each panel tracks the sun as it moves across the...

IN BRIEF: Intercepting the IT interceptors.
July 25, 2005... University of Toronto researchers have created a method that is claimed to reveal attempts to intercept quantum-encrypted data before secure messages are sent. Quantum cryptography uses particles of light to share secret encryption keys...

Cross purpose.
July 25, 2005... Safety system to be developed to detect obstacles at rail level crossings Obstacle detection technology designed to prevent collisions at level crossings will soon be used on the UK railway network, the government body responsible for...

Re-user friendly.
July 25, 2005... UK breakthrough in car component recycling could help manufacturers meet EU's tough new regulations A UK team claims to have perfected a new method of producing polypropylene vehicle components that are strong, lightweight and easy to...

Beaming in on methane gas leaks.
July 25, 2005... Technology that uses a tunable laser to detect small quantities of methane gas will allow gas leaks to be identified more quickly and accurately, according to its developers. The Vogue project, which includes researchers from Siemens and...

Situation in hand.
July 25, 2005... Tracking system to go on trial to give police detailed real-time information in emergencies A UK police force is to test advanced location technology that would allow control rooms to track the movements of individual officers to within...

GALILEO WILL BOOST GNSS APPLICATIONS TO NEW HEIGHTS.
July 25, 2005... Security applications that use global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are developing quickly and the imminent launch of Europe's Galileo satellites will offer even greater coverage and reliability. A conference organised by Pinpoint...

Fighting fit.
July 25, 2005... Credit card-sized UK unit monitors soldiers' health in the battlefield A small UK electronics company is claiming a major coup after signing a deal to supply the US Army with miniature bio-sensor technology that monitors soldiers' health...

Weighting for a cosmic radiation breakthrough.
July 25, 2005... An advanced material originally developed to shield medical staff from harmful levels of radiation could be used to cut the weight of space vehicles and aircraft, claims its developer. The material, formulated by researchers at Germany's...

Cleaning solution.
July 25, 2005... Supercritical water generator could enable clean and simple disposal of hazardous materials A portable, microwave-based device that could destroy chemical warfare agents and other hazardous materials is being developed by a UK...

FOCUS: Changing minds.
July 25, 2005... Already showing promise as a treatment for depression, transcranial magnetic stimulation is poised to take the battle against addiction to the brain itself. Andrew Lee reports A government think-tank's attempt to peer 20 years into the...

BUSINESS: Cashing in on chips.
July 25, 2005... Better links between UK technology firms and business are needed, claims report The UK needs a better dialogue between innovators and the world of business if it is to stay in the premier league of the global technology economy, it was...

BUSINESS: Pace accelerates as international strategy pays off.
July 25, 2005... Pace, the UK television set-top box developer, gave its investors an upbeat view of its prospects in the light of a three-year contract with US broadcasting giant Comcast. Believed to be worth between $375m and $550m (#214m-#315m), the...

VIEWPOINT: Safety first.
July 25, 2005... Security will be a priority for the London Olympics and technology developers must be involved from an early stage, says Bill Mawer In 1972 the Munich Olympics was the setting for the massacre of 11 Israelis. Ever since then the Olympic...

Book Review: SPACE TOURISM.
July 25, 2005... SPACE TOURISM ADVENTURES IN EARTH ORBIT AND BEYOND Michael Van Pelt Springer/#19 Michael Van Pelt believes that, following a number of false dawns, space tourism is closer than it has ever been. And with ventures like the...

Letter: Want and need.(Letter to the Editor)
July 25, 2005... I read your article 'Digital deficit' (Focus, 11 July) with interest. I am amazed at the pricing that may be possible for PCs and am sure this will help the march of computer technology into new areas - including developing countries. I also...

Letter - TALKING POINT: Rings of confidence.
July 25, 2005... Securing the 2012 Olympic Games is an amazing economic, tourism and sporting coup in its own right, but we should also recognise it as a valuable opportunity for engineering. The UK used to be world leader in aspects of engineering...

Letter: Art of noise.(Letter to the Editor)
July 25, 2005... Allan Hendry's comment (Interview, 11 July) - that a European composer once said, 'The English don't like music, they just like the sound it makes' - should in fact be attributed to Sir Thomas Beecham. The conductor actually said we 'like...

Letter: Down the drain.(Letter to the Editor)
July 25, 2005... Sustainable drainage as offered by the Tarmac product mentioned in your feature (Cover Story, 27 June) is nothing new. Coventry University and others have hosted seminars on the subject over many years and there are several products similar...

Letter: High achievers.(Letter to the Editor)
July 25, 2005... Here at The Planetary Society we are feeling energised. The support for our solar-sail project so far exceeded our expectations that there is no way the Cosmos 1 mission can be called a failure. We are, however, disappointed we never got...

VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Boat show.
July 25, 2005... The Volvo Ocean Race is one of yachting's most challenging events, pitting raceboats against the elements for nine months. Andrew Hurst looks at technical developments within the fleet The Volvo Ocean Race is the premier fully crewed...

THE F1 ENDURANCE TEST OF YACHTING: 32,700 MILES AT SEA OVER NINE MONTHS.
July 25, 2005... This event, formerly known as the Whitbread Round The World Race, is one of yachting's most epic challenges. Over nine months and nine legs, seven teams will do battle for 32,700 miles that will take them from Vigo in northern Spain to...

CANTING KEELS: AN ENGINEER'S VIEW.
July 25, 2005... Canting (or movable) keel systems are now being used extensively in a variety of yacht types. At one extreme the 6.5m Mini Transat designs have keels canted by rope and tackle, while at the other the 140ft Atlantic record holder Mari Cha IV...

INTERVIEW - BUZZ ALDRIN: Still buzzing.
July 25, 2005... It is 36 years since Buzz Aldrin went to the Moon but the first man in space with an engineering PhD continues to work tirelessly for manned space travel. Julia Pierce reports On 20 July 1969 Edward Eugene Aldrin Junior - otherwise known...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING: Killer driller.
July 25, 2005... A laser-based spiral drilling machine makes circular drill holes with far more accuracy than alternative laser cutting methods. Christopher Sell reports German engineers have developed a laser-based spiral drilling machine that is...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - LASERS: On the right lines.
July 25, 2005... Virtek combines laser-projection technology with indoor GPS for greater flexibility on the assembly line. Christopher Sell reports A portable laser-projection system that can be used to help in the accurate alignment and assembly of...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - NANOTECHNOLOGY: Small is beautiful.
July 25, 2005... With the doubling of R&D funding, unstoppable and momentous growth is forecast for nanotechnology as it moves into serious commercial applications. Andrew Lee reports Oxford Instruments' recent pledge to put nanotechnology at the heart...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: Remote control.
July 25, 2005... Whether employed for refurbishment or new build, today's control systems rely heavily on newer technologies such as the internet and global positioning. Paul Gay reports The cost-conscious manufacturer is always looking for more...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - HEALTH AND SAFETY: Fighting fit.
July 25, 2005... Spending a little on managing health and safety properly can make a substantial difference to a company's bottom line. Mark Venables reports If you view expenditure on health and safety as a necessary evil, don't worry - you are probably...