The Engineer articles from June 2003

The Engineer archives from June 2003

Never mind quality, get in technology. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... Many politicians are, frankly, not that bright. Cunning, determined and ambitious, certainly, and in some oases even acting from the best of motives. But they rely on clever people to get things done. So when they notice some clever...

Good week. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... TEENAGERS: Girls are being encouraged to take an interest in science with a government campaign that includes the science of snogging. Hopefully it will be followed up with the science of contraception. BLACK: is not the new black. Neither...

Bad week. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... HYDROGEN: A study by the California Institute of Technology has found that just one nation's future hydrogen economy infrastructure would leak so much of the gas into the atmosphere that it would seriously damage the ozone layer. ...

Space: the final strike. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... LOCKHEED MARTIN has released images of a stealthy, supersonic bomber as part of studies for the US Air Force Research Laboratory's next-generation strike programme. The long-range strike aircraft is designed to deliver precision-guided...

Chipping away at euro fraud. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... TINY FORGERY-PROOF chips could be implanted in high-denomination euro notes in an effort to combat a six-fold increase in fraud. The European Central Bank has been holding talks with manufacturers of radio frequency identification chips,...

Grave developments for battle site. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... A SPANISH company has proposed the construction of the world's largest offshore wind farm on the site of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar in southwestern Spain. The area is one of the few sites in the country with waters whallow enough for the...

Red letter day. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... THE BEAGLE 2 lander, which was launched on 2 June as part of the Mars Express mission, has successfully cleared the first hurdle of its journey. Clamps were used to attach the lander to the spacecraft during launch and to prevent...

Hand that gets on your nerves. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... UK RESEARCHERS have designed a microchip to connect nerve endings directly into a prosthetic limb to give patients a higher level of manoeuvrability. Advanced Control Research in Plymouth uses myoelectric technology to interpret the electrical...

Nano tech under scrutiny. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... THE ROYAL Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering have been commissioned by the government to investigate the potential benefits and possible problems associated with nanotechnology. The independent study will include an assessment of how...

The key to home security. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... STUDENTS AT Heriot-Watt University have coma up with an ingenious home security idea: central locking for houses. A team of 15 undergraduates developed the concept as part of a course in enterprise and entrepreneurship. Just as with a car,...

Casting the net over the next US election. (This Week).
June 13, 2003... AN EXERCISE in internet registration and voting is underway in 11 states in the US in preparation for the 2004 Presidential election. The Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment, SERVE, is organised by the Federal Voting Assistance...

Powerful brake-through: engine that recycles braking energy into acceleration could cut emissions. (News).
June 13, 2003... AN ENGINE that recycles energy generated while braking to help power the vehicle could lower petrol use and reduce emissions during city driving, its inventors have claimed. The stored hydraulic energy propulsion (SHEP) system, which will...

Ford and PSA put graphite on the block. (News).
June 13, 2003... TWO OF THE world's biggest car companies are claiming an industry first by using compacted graphite iron (OGI) to build a new 'flagship' turbocharged diesel engine. According to Ford and PSA Peugeot-Citroen, the use of OGI for the engine...

Know with the flow: congestion monitoring system using cars as sensors to be tested in chaotic Athens. (News).
June 13, 2003... A SYSTEM for detecting and reporting road congestion that uses vehicles as sensors to monitor the flow of traffic will be employed on the streets of Athens during the 2004 Olympic games. The City Floating Car Data (CFCD) system, designed at...

Fuel cell on a chip: trials to go ahead on micro fuel cell small enough to be used in portable equipment. (News).
June 13, 2003... ITALIAN ENGINEERS are to begin tests on the world's smallest fuel cell, which has been produced on a silicon wafer using methods similar to microchip manufacture. Fuel cells promise higher energy output than a battery and higher efficiency...

Gasification of coal could provide clean energy. (News).
June 13, 2003... RESEARCHERS at Ohio University are developing 'coal-powered' fuel cells that they claim could provide a local clean, efficient energy source for many communities. While coal reserves are forecast to last another 250 years, natural gas from...

Stratospheric setback: anomalies in the fuel cell system cut short Helios's first test flight. (News).
June 13, 2003... NASA'S ATTEMPTS to develop a solar and fuel cell-powered stratospheric communications platform suffered a setback this week, after engineers were unable to switch on back-up power during a test flight. Using airships or fixed-wing aircraft...

Hearing aid uses titanium implant for clearer sound. (News).
June 13, 2003... A NEW TYPE of hearing aid that uses a tiny precision-engineered tube to amplify Sound without blocking the user's ear passage is to make its debut in the UK. The device, called Retrox, integrates a igital hearing aid with a surgically implanted...

Battle for the planets: after Beagle 2, science minister wants more UK funding for planetary exploration. (News).
June 13, 2003... THE UK will spend more of its budget for European space cooperation on planetary exploration by robot it was revealed following the successful launch of the UK's Mars lander, Beagle 2. Minister for science Lord Sainsbury told The Engineer...

Network space: power of the computer grid to streamline ESA. (News).
June 13, 2003... THE EUROPEAN SPACE Agency will develop grid computing technology to aid research, overcome communication problems with its disparate centres and partner organisations, and reduce costs. The method combines the processing power of many...

Twisted logic: Kiwi researchers use ring laser technology to calculate how buildings move during earthquakes. (News).
June 13, 2003... RESEARCHERS in New Zealand have succeeded in measuring the twisting effects of earthquakes for the first time using ring laser technology. The discovery will allow structural engineers to calculate precisely how buildings move during...

Security habits: UK-developed system uses behaviour patterns to aid biometric identification. (News).
June 13, 2003... A SECURITY system that combines physical identification with predictions of a person's behaviour will improve the reliability of biometric analysis, its inventors claim. Both the UK and US governments are pushing the use of biometrics as a...

United we fly: research centre aims to integrate aerospace technologies to speed aircraft development. (News).
June 13, 2003... FUEL-EFFICIENT high-performance aircraft could be produced more quickly and at lower costs, thanks to UK research being funded by Bombardier Aerospace. Researchers at Queens University Belfast, led by Prof Srinivasan Raghunathan, are...

Rotor blade servo flap to cut helicopter vibration. (News).
June 13, 2003... EUROCOPTER will test the first full-scale rotor blade equipped with an active servo flap next year. The Franca-German company, which has introduced a range of new technologies to the helicopter over the last 10 years, hopes the latest...

Zytronic: an all-weather, vandal-proof touchscreen changes the fortunes of the optical filters specialist from the north-east. (Company Profile).
June 13, 2003... THE BEST kind of company results are those that are better than the chairman predicted. At Zytronic, developer of touchscreens and optical filter technologies, progress in the business was not expected to show in trading until the end of this...

Analysts warn BAE merger will be 'later rather than sooner'. (The Week).
June 13, 2003... A merger between BAE Systems and another defence and aerospace behemoth could take years to complete, some analysts have cautioned in an attempt to damp down the feverish speculation surrounding the future of the UK company. As The...

Motorola profits hit by SARS virus. (The Week).
June 13, 2003... As if things were not difficult enough for telecoms equipment giant Motorola. SARS and May's earthquake in Japan blew a hole in its financial forecasts. The virus that swept Asia led to reduced sales of mobile phones as consumers stayed at...

Cautious optimism from Deltron. (The Week).
June 13, 2003... Electromechanical systems distributor Deltron offered the faintest, most cautious indication of a revival in the electronics market after what it described as 'two years of unparalleled decline.' Announcing its half-year results, Deltron...

Image Scan looks to global security fears to boost sales. (The Week).
June 13, 2003... Image Scan, the UK 3D X-ray specialist, said it expected continuing global security fears to boost demand for its systems. The Leicestershire-based company provides advanced X-ray technology for security systems used at airports, and is...

AOT in the red to tune of [pounds sterling]400K. (The Week).
June 13, 2003... Applied Optical Technologies, developer of advanced anti-counterfeiting systems, ended its financial year in the red thanks to difficult conditions in some of its key markets. The company, whose major areas of activity include security and...

Still floundering at the bottom of the water table: water is set to be at the centre of worldwide politics in the future--and engineering must have a major part to play. (Comment).
June 13, 2003... LAST WEEKEND more than 70 people walked 3km through central London each carrying a large bowl of water. They were raising money for WorldWrite, a charity that campaigns for global equality and aims to challenge ideas that create barriers to...

Letters.
June 13, 2003... Modular motoring Some interesting points were raised by Mark Nairn in his comments about the benefits of motorbikes and scooters (Letters, May 30). Another underrated alternative form of transport is the bicycle. I have also wondered...

Identity crisis: after September 11 many have been touting biometric systems as the panacea for global security -- but experts doubt if they're really up to the job. (Biometric Security).
June 13, 2003... THE UK GOVERNMENT is urging the industrialised world to deploy biometric technologies in the fight against fraud, international terrorism and illegal immigration. Biometric systems use a unique human characteristic such as a face, voice or...

Water wizard. (Profile Ian Smout).
June 13, 2003... Ian Smout of the Water Engineering and Development Centre has directed his engineering skills towards improving the lives of people in developing countries through sustainable infrastructure projects. IAN SMOUT HAS not yet had the call from...

Long stop: Camcon could change the face of actuators with a low-energy device that is 20 times faster than any existing technologies, has already completed a million times the operations--and is still running. (Design News).
June 13, 2003... A LOW-ENERGY binary actuator capable of staggering speeds and with exceptional longevity could revolutionise the fluid control industries, its creator has claimed. Cambridge-based Camcon chief executive Wladyslaw Wygnanski said it could do...

Heading for a showdown: as pressure for functional component perfection mounts, RP giants start war of words. (Design News).
June 13, 2003... IN THE DRIVE TO to build systems capable of producing functional components, designers of rapid prototyping (RP) machines are under constant pressure to offer higher resolution, greater accuracy and more advanced materials. Israel's Objet...

Space... the final frontier. (Breakthrough).
June 13, 2003... Heavy machinery maker, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IH), has said that it will be the first Japanese company to sell a key rocket engine part to the oversees market. The company is selling a high-performance turbo fuel pump to US...

Chip makers fish for increase. (Breakthrough).
June 13, 2003... Japan's six leading semiconductor manufacturers have announced ambitious plans to boost their combined equipment investments this year by 55 per cent in line with growing demand for digital electronic appliances. Toshiba, NEC, Fujitsu,...

Nissan's CVT deal with Ford. (Breakthrough).
June 13, 2003... Nissan has announced that it will be supplying Ford Motor company in the US with continuously variable transmissions (CVT). Nissan's manufacturing subsidiary in Shizuoka Prefecture will begin manufacturing the advanced third-generation...

In a glass of its own: portable, solar-powered medical waste steriliser even works in the rain. (Design News).
June 13, 2003... ENGINEERS from the University of Sydney, Australia, have developed a solar-powered oven for sterilising medical waste that can work in cloudy or even rainy conditions. The ingenious autoclave, nicknamed Prometheus, recently scooped top...

Remote readout humidity indicator for barrier bags. (Tech Need Challenge).
June 13, 2003... Existing moisture barrier bags provide optical and electromagnetic shielding to electronic components, but can you provide a humidity indicator to operate inside the bag but be read remotely from outside? The bag can be opaque, and the...

Synthetic material with variable thermal conductance. (Tech Need Challenge).
June 13, 2003... Aluminum doors experience a significant temperature differential between the weather side and the building side, which produces warping, and makes the door difficult to open and close. Can you find a material whose thermal conductivity...

Vandal-proof mandrel. (Tech Need Challenge).
June 13, 2003... Mandrels are cylindrical forms used to create tubes and cores. Can you supply a non-metallic, material from which to make a mandrel that can withstand vary high bending and loading forces without deflection--even when the mandrel or shaft is of...

Bit parts: as the world gets ever smaller the demand for mini electronic devices grows ever larger. Jon Excell reviews the techniques of the burgeoning micro-electronic components industry. (Mechanical Components).
June 13, 2003... IN THE 1949 film noir classic The Third Man, Orson Welles's character Harry Lime is famously disparaging about the Swiss. While warring nations have inspired all manner of useful developments, 500 years of Swiss democracy, peace and brotherly...

Electric avenue: are hydraulics and pneumatics being killed off by electric alternatives in motion-control applications? Ben Hargreaves finds that it's more a case of evolution than revolution. (Fluid Power).
June 13, 2003... ALL-ELECTRIC machines are fast becoming the fashion. If a company perceives itself as being at the cutting edge, it's more than likely to be going for electric systems in its factory. There are signs that hydraulic and pneumatic systems,...

CosmosWorks 2003 provides the model for easier design analysis. (Software).
June 13, 2003... The latest software package from SRAC is a user-friendly tool for testing designs at the conceptual stage, pre-empting the need for costly changes later on in the production process. FOR MANY years, finite element analysis was shrouded in...

You could win two tickets to Glasgow Science Centre. (Problem Page).
June 13, 2003... The contributor of next issue's published 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...

Space tortoise overtakes the hare.
June 27, 2003... As we know from the story of the hare and the tortoise, slow and steady gets there in the end. Persistence and a clear focus wins out against the vastly faster hare. The world space race is proving that the fable is readily applicable to the...

Good & Bad week. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... GOOD WEEK WOMEN: A handbag with an inside light that switches on when opened has been unveiled. The new reason for visiting the ladies' room in pairs will be changing the bulb. MEN: Finding the too in the night is now much easier,...

Concorde becomes a museum piece. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... BRITISH AIRWAYS plans to hand its fleet of Concorde aircraft to a select number of museums rather than accept a bid by Virgin to buy them and keep them flying. BA has drawn up a list of 12 sites, including the Smithsonian Museum in...

Hydrogen across the water in fuel cell R&D. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... THE EUROPEAN UNION and the US have agreed to collaborate on hydrogen fuel cell research, following a meeting between the US secretary of energy, Spencer Abraham, and European research commissioner Philippe Busquin. The Fuel Cell Annex will...

Jet set for doing wheelies. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... THE WORLD land speed record, currently held by the UK, could be; under threat from a team using a former jet plane on wheels. The North American Eagle group, based in Washington State, is working on a converted Lockheed F-104 Star fighter...

French polish up plans for combat UAV. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... FRANCE IS to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, UCAV, according to Flight magazine. Dassault will be the prime contractor for the demonstrator programme, worth [member of]300m ([pounds sterling]208m), and the first flight is planned for...

Every sock has a silver lining. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... SMELLY SOCKS could become nothing more than a lingering memory thanks to nanotechnology. Scientists in South Korea have discovered a way to impregnate silver particles 30 nanometres in size into polypropylene used in textiles. Silver...

Shaving the cost of scrapping lead waste at Harwell. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... THE UK Atomic Energy Authority said this week that it has sold 1,000 tonnes of lead, originally used as shielding at one of its nuclear facilities, on to the scrap metal market. The waste, from the post-irradiation examination facility at...

Computing put on the US roadmap. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... A ROADMAP for supercomputing's development up to 2010 is being drawn up by the US government. The National Science Foundation and partners, including the University of Tennessee and Microsoft, will publish a report in August. Earlier this year...

Testing times for Mars Express. (This Week).
June 27, 2003... REPORTS THAT mission controllers had lost contact with the Mars Express probe and its UK landing craft Beagle 2, were dismissed by the projects leader Prof Colin Pillinger this week. One of the instruments on-board the probe made an...

Sars wars: major airlines investigate UV technology to inhibit the circulation of contaminants on flights. (News).
June 27, 2003... THE SPREAD OF dangerous diseases such as Sars on international flights could be prevented by an air purification technology being developed in the UK. Airbus said this week that it is considering a photocatalysis system that uses ultraviolet...

All quiet on the airport front: UK-US project aims to further reduce noise on jets. (News).
June 27, 2003... UK AND US researchers are to co-operate on a project to design the world's quietest passenger jet. Aircraft noise is now a major concern for the aerospace industry as more international airports impose local noise restrictions. The number...

Geometry lesson: spacecraft heat shields based on dry stone wall technique could also be used for buildings in quake areas. (News).
June 27, 2003... A TILING SYSTEM based on ancient dry stone walling techniques could provide a fall-safe way of fitting protective heat-resistant tiles to space shuttles, its developers claim. Following the destruction of columbia in February, space...

Squeals on wheels: US researchers use piezoelectric system to suppress vibrations that cause noisy brakes. (News).
June 27, 2003... A SYSTEM that cancels out brake squeal could save car manufacturers millions of pounds in unnecessary repairs each year, engineers in the US have claimed. In disc brakes, squeal occurs when the pads are in contact with the brake disc while...

Criminal identification given a human face. (News).
June 27, 2003... CRIME SUSPECTS could be identified by witnesses using technology that 'breeds' faces together, in UK police tests to be held later this year. The software, the brainchild of Dr Chris Solomon and his team at the University of Kent, presents...

Ship-shape: US researchers design skin to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. (News).
June 27, 2003... RESEARCHERS at the University of California in San Diego are working with the US Navy to develop a flexible surface that will greatly reduce submarine noise and enable ships to travel faster and use less fuel. The compliant coating, known...

Anti-terrorist shipping forecast. (News).
June 27, 2003... AN UNDERWATER sonar system capable of detecting a single diver carrying explosives has been developed to counter the terrorist threat to ships and harbours. The Al-Qaeda bomb attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, which killed 17 crew,...

Galileo satellite gets nod: UK firm beats European consortium for contract. (News).
June 27, 2003... THE UK'S Surrey Satellites has won a [pounds sterling]21 m contract to build the demonstrator satellite for the initial constellation of Europe's Galileo system. EU member states last month finally reached agreement over Galileo, Europe's...

Drive towards home refuelling: energy giant in deal to develop electrolysis-based hydrogen refuelling unit that could be used at home. (News).
June 27, 2003... SHELL IS investigating the potential for car owners to fill up their vehicles with hydrogen while parked in their drives. The energy company's hydrogen business has formed a partnership with Belgian firm Vandenborre Technologies to develop...

Positively arresting: DNA purification system using magnetic separation could speed up criminal investigations. (News).
June 27, 2003... A DNA PURIFICATION technique based on magnetic separation could help forensic scientists and police to speed up criminal investigations, its UK developer has claimed. Kent-based DRI said its Charge Switch Technology (CST), which uses...

Civil UAV-iation: European consortium to develop unmanned airships due to undergo UK trials next month. (News).
June 27, 2003... ROBOT AIRSHIPS capable of operating as flying security guards, environmental sensors and communications platforms are due to undergo flight tests in the UK next month. The unmanned airships, which will operate automatically without a...

Chunnel rail link test team has UK speed record in sight. (News).
June 27, 2003... DAYLIGHT train tests will begin next month on the first section of the Channel Tunnel rail link. The engineering team working on the rail link section, which runs between the Tunnel and Fawkham Junction in north Kent, aims to break the...

Astrium: Mars Express and Galileo should provide a much-needed financial boost for the UK space technology company. (Company Profile).
June 27, 2003... THERE IS nothing space technology companies like more than being involved in high-profile missions -- and the recent launch of Mars Express fitted the bill perfectly for Astrium. Its role as key technology provider for Europe's first voyage...

Wi-fi networks could become dotcom disaster warns researcher. (The Week).
June 27, 2003... Wi-fi wireless networks are in danger of turning into a dotcom-style commercial disaster a major technology research group has warned. Forrester Research claimed a larget proportion of the cash currently being spent to build networks of...

AEA upbeat over prospects in two new core areas, despite [pounds sterling]5m loss. (The Week).
June 27, 2003... AEA Technology the former UK nuclear technology group now focusing on railway and environmental systems claimed its prospects were good despite ending its financial year in the red. The Oxfordshire based group lost [pounds sterling]5.4m...

The 600 Group blames ravaged Western markets for [pounds sterling]1m slump. (The Week).
June 27, 2003... UK machine tool giant The 600 Group gave an insight into the dramatically changing shape of global manufacturing as it explained a slip into the red. The company, which lost [pounds sterling]1.4m last year is redirecting its efforts...

Rolls-Royce buoyant as Paris Air Show swells its order book. (The Week).
June 27, 2003... Rolls Royce wrapped up more than $2bn ([pounds sterling]1.2m) worth of new business during the Paris Air Show, thanks to a bumper crop of orders for Airbus airliners, powered by the engineering giant's engines. Emirates Qatar Airways and...

Compact Power poised to invest another [pounds sterling]1m in thermal waste plant. (The Week).
June 27, 2003... Compact Power, the UK company developing new thermal waste-to-energy technology said it was poised to invest another [pounds sterling]1m in its flagship Avonmouth plant. The company, which uses pyrolysis and gasification to recycle a wide...

Measuring up to a wider industrial role: The National Physical Laboratory aims to forge better links with UK industry by offering its facilities for research. (Comment).
June 27, 2003... MOST PEOPLE IN this country must be unaware of its existence, let alone aware that they are paying for it. But the UK's National Physical Laboratory is a national treasure. The NPL is the UK's national standards laboratory, funded by the...

Letters.
June 27, 2003... Braking the mould Julia Pierce's item 'Powerful brake-through' about energy storage braking (News, 13 June) was very interesting, but can you please explain how the energy is stored in the 'hydraulic tank'? Hydraulic accumulators use...

Eastern promise: for the next generation of space technology, forget the nations usually associated with planetary exploration. The East is about to make its mark and Japan in particular is setting its sights high. (Space Race).
June 27, 2003... WHILE NASA REELS from the shock of the Colombia disaster and Europe surveys the smouldering ruins of the last Ariane launch, those keen to see the next big developments in space technology would do well to look east. Not to Russia, whose space...

Lightening the GI's load: as director of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Dr Edwin Thomas's mission is to make army packs lighter and save lives. (Interview: Edwin Thomas).
June 27, 2003... WATCHING young soldiers struggling through the Louisiana mud while preparing for the war in Iraq, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology realised the importance of their work. 'When you see US Marines getting off planes in...

Behind the hype: as biometrics are offered as the foolproof way to identify terrorists and prevent crime, are we missing vital opportunities based on existing proven technologies? (Security).
June 27, 2003... THERE IS no more poignant moment than when technology that promises to protect us from crime -- or at least deliver justice after the event -- fails to do so. The desperate effort by Surrey Police, with the help of FBI experts, to enhance...

Raising skill levels is essential for raising competitiveness. (Careers).
June 27, 2003... IN THE increasingly competitive global market, where fortunes will turn more and more on successful deployment of knowledge and talent, it is crucial for businesses to invest in the training and development of their workforce. The...

Brain teaser. (Problem Page).
June 27, 2003... Is it better (drier) if you run in the rain, or walk? Assume for simplicity of analysis that the rain is even, continuous, and falling vertically, and that you are an upright rectangular solid. Solution next issue. Sent in by Chris...

You could win a passport to relive a bygone era. (Problem Page).
June 27, 2003... Blists Hill Victorian Town is an open-air living history museum, one of the Ironbridge Gorge Trust's 10 sites, where life over 100 years ago is re-enacted in the authentic shops, workshops and pub. New for 2003 will be Craft Weeks, when...

The really fast show. (Patent of the Week).
June 27, 2003... It can be said with a degree of certainty that this invention, a type of radio, will not catch on in the foreseeable future, writes Julia Brown. The reason is that its theoretical basis has yet to be accounted for, relying as it does on...