The Engineer articles from June 2005

The Engineer archives from June 2005

Comment: Nuclear question time.
June 13, 2005... It's hard not to sympathise with Prof David Ball. He quit the government's think-tank on the future of nuclear waste storage in frustration at its lumbering progress towards what he described as 'the bleeding obvious' conclusion - that we're...

Mercedes fishes for inspiration.
June 13, 2005... Ultra-aerodynamic concept car takes its design from tropical boxfish Merecedes has unveiled a biomimetic concept car which has a tropical fish to thank for its unusual shape. Engineers at Mercedes-Benz used the aerodynamic properties...

Navy recruits robots for minesweeping missions.
June 13, 2005... The Royal Navy is to get 10 unmanned robots to detect underwater sea mines. The torpedo-shaped REMUS (Remote Environmental Monitoring Units) use sophisticated on-board sensors to pin-point mines before relaying the data back to their...

NASA's comet probe aims to make a big impact.
June 13, 2005... NASA is planning to collide a spacecraft with a comet in a bid to learn more about the objects. The Deep Impact experiment, scheduled to take place on 4 July, will provide the first chance to study the crust and interior of a comet when...

IN BRIEF: Bluetooth firm wins award.
June 13, 2005... Cambridge-based wireless silicon company CSR has won this year's Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for its single-chip BlueCore technology, which has fuelled the rise of Bluetooth devices. CSR has shipped 100 million of its chips,...

IN BRIEF: Farmers feed the plant.
June 13, 2005... Work will begin this year in Staffordshire on the UK's first major grass-fuelled power station, costing #6.5m. It is estimated that the bio-energy station will have the capacity to power 2,000 homes while saving one tonne of CO2 per hour...

IN BRIEF: Congestion may take its toll.
June 13, 2005... Transport secretary Alistair Darling has announced plans for 'pay-as- you-go' road-charging, to ease congestion and replace road tax and vehicle duty. Satellite tracking would be used to enforce the toll, with per-mile charges ranging from 2p...

IN BRIEF: Computer generated cosmos.
June 13, 2005... An international team of astrophysicists has presented the world's largest simulation of the universe, providing an accurate theoretical model for the growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes. The Millennium Run used supercomputers to...

Pipe cleaner.
June 13, 2005... Formula for unblocking oil and gas pipelines promises to 'save industry billions' A team from Heriot-Watt University has discovered a novel way to transport natural gas products and prevent expensive blockages that hold up production,...

Working under pressure.
June 13, 2005... EU project sets out to identify deep-sea bacteria that form methane gas A system for taking samples under pressure from deep within the sea bed could shed vital light on the formation of methane and methane hydrates, a potentially...

Cyber servant.
June 13, 2005... Robot acts as friendly interface with home digital products The notion of a computer with human attributes has long been standard sci-fi fodder. But now engineers from Philips in Germany aim to bring the concept into the home courtesy of...

Pure logix.
June 13, 2005... UK firm develops low-cost purifier to provide the developing world with low-cost, clean drinking water A purification system that is designed to remove viruses, bacteria, parasites, pesticides and heavy metals from water could provide...

Wing command.
June 13, 2005... Micro air vehicle prototype mimics insect flight with controllable flapping wings A team at Cranfield University developing tiny aircraft that fly using an insect-like flapping motion is to build a demonstrator with controllable wings....

UK materials teams join Napoleon's campaign.
June 13, 2005... UK UNIVERSITIES are investigating the use of nanoparticles to develop harder, stronger, more wear-resistant protective coatings, as part of a e7m (#4.7m) pan-European project. The Napoleon project, which will run for four years and...

Wind break.
June 13, 2005... Filtering device addresses air traffic problem of radar interference from wind farms BAE SYSTEMS HAS developed technology to filter out interference to air traffic control radar caused by wind turbine blades. The Advanced Digital...

Internal memos.
June 13, 2005... Imperial College team works on bio-sensors to monitor vital signs from within the body UK researchers are developing the next generation of implantable medical sensors, powered by body movement and miniaturised fuel cells, which will be...

New film offers magnetic performance.
June 13, 2005... A team at Sheffield University is developing magnetic film that could allow a range of micro sensors and switches to be built without the need for an electrostatic charge or wiring. The film would be used with magnetic...

Calling all cars.
June 13, 2005... DaimlerChrysler tests wireless system allowing cars to swap road traffic information DaimlerChrysler has developed a wireless car-to-car communications system that can relay warnings about road conditions, improving traffic flow and...

Early warning system sniffs out waste water hazards.
June 13, 2005... A diagnostic monitor designed to give engineers an early warning that hazardous untreated ammonia could seep into water supplies is to be commercialised this year. The N-Tox monitor, which warns of a failure in the nitrification process,...

FOCUS: Wasted words?
June 13, 2005... The question of how the UK will dispose of its nuclear waste has been brought into the spotlight once again after a top adviser resigned from the body set up to find a solution. Helen Knight reports The government has long faced criticism...

BUSINESS: Measuring up to the big boys.
June 13, 2005... After a year of strong growth, Millbrook doubles in size, announces a first-time profit and wins export award UK measurement specialist Millbrook Scientific claimed it has made the leap from small start-up to serious player in the...

BUSINESS: All change as Oxford Instruments plans for the future.
June 13, 2005... Leading instrumentation developer Oxford Instruments this week said nanotechnology would move to the heart of its corporate strategy. The company told shareholders its profits would be hit over the next two years as it invested for the...

BUSINESS: Inmarsat in major expansion plans.
June 13, 2005... Global satellite operator to use #400m flotation bounty to pursue broadband ambitions London-based global satellite operator Inmarsat has unveiled plans to raise #380m through a stock market flotation. The group, which offers advanced...

BUSINESS: Wagon still rolls.
June 13, 2005... Despite MG Rover collapse automotive systems company boasts record new orders and expansion plans Wagon, the UK-based automotive engineering group, said it is in good shape, despite the demise of MG Rover. The company, which supplies...

VIEWPOINT: Face up to wind power.
June 13, 2005... Following the latest row over wind farms in Cumbria, Phil Burge and Daniel Doncaster argue that they are vital for our health and wealth The recent furore over the positioning of wind farms in the Lake District has produced the predictable...

BOOK REVIEW: The Metamorphosis of Home Research.
June 13, 2005... The Metamorphosis of Home Research into the Future of Proactive Technologies in Home Environment Edited by Frans Mayra and Ilpo Koskinen Tampere University Press/e20 What would it mean to live in a proactive home one that actively...

Letter: Production lines.(Letter to the Editor)
June 13, 2005... With regard to S Charlton's observations on the decline of the UK's engineering and industrial base (Talking Point, 30 May), I frequently hear engineers like him wailing about the need `to produce things'. Two factors matter: first, that we...

Letter: Carbon's taxing.(Letter to the Editor)
June 13, 2005... I have a niggling worry about the plans to get rid of carbon by pumping carbon dioxide into old oil wells; how certain are we that it will stay there? Presumably if we pump in too much it will start to come out again. If it came out...

Letter: Zinc of a solution.(Letter to the Editor)
June 13, 2005... I was particularly interested in your recent article 'Driven to action' (Materials, 30 May). With regard to fuel tanks in particular the steel industry indeed has an opportunity. But your article did not make one important point clear: the...

Letter: Diesel beats hybrids.(Letter to the Editor)
June 13, 2005... Your article about hybrid car technology (Feature, 30 May) was very interesting. This subject deserves greater coverage due to the massive impact this technology can have on fossil fuel usage and global emissions. In my previous job I...

AERODYNAMIC TESTING: Wind of change.
June 13, 2005... UK engineers are taking aerodynamic research into areas where computer modelling cannot reach by using magnetic levitation to 'float' vehicles in wind tunnels. Helen Knight reports UK engineers are close to achieving a world first, by...

WEATHER SIMULATOR STORMS AHEAD.
June 13, 2005... In a gigantic empty building in Canada, UK researchers are developing the world's largest-ever wind simulator, designed to accurately model, for the first time, the effects of weather exposure on low-rise houses. Nicknamed 'Three Little...

INTERVIEW - JIM BENSON: Starring role.
June 13, 2005... Jim Benson's plans for a private low-orbit craft may seem ambitious, but his firm SpaceDev is already beating bigger players to US aerospace contracts. Niall Firth reports With the WARS in Afghanistan and Iraq putting a combined financial...

DESIGN ENGINEERING: Razor-sharp operation.
June 13, 2005... Manufacturing a heatshield for the Joint Strike Fighter required a rare feat of engineering accuracy in machining a titanium panel tapering to a fraction of an inch. Christopher Sell reports Engineers at BAE Systems have hailed the design...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - SOFTWARE: Data selection act.
June 13, 2005... Major engineering software vendors are challenging native CAD data files with their own lightweight 'open' publishing formats for both 2D drawings and 3D models. Charles Clarke reviews some of them In today's `write-once/read-maybe'...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - POWER TRANSMISSION: Meeting demands.
June 13, 2005... Rugged equipment in tough environments, from multi-terrain vehicles to water taxis, requires strong, durable and versatile transmission technology. Mark Venables reports Mining and quarrying equipment, amphibious and multi-terrain...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - HYDRAULICS: Controlling power.
June 13, 2005... Lighter and longer extendable booms means they become increasingly difficult to control. Mark Venables reports on the radical approach to technology in the hydraulic systems and load control valve design Increased pressure in the European...

DESIGN ENGINEERING - MATERIALS: Glazed new world.
June 13, 2005... Global collaboration into glass technology is opening up new areas of application and aims to make the material a fashionable area of research. George Coupe reports One material that can be found sitting quietly and unremarked across the...

Comment: Basic truths.
June 27, 2005... Think too long about the challenges facing the UK's basic infrastructure - our roads, railways, water supplies and power networks - and you could end up with a headache. While engineers are good at applying practical technology to solve...

Indian summer in Paris.
June 27, 2005... Airbus A380 steals the show as developing economies vie with US and Europe for aircraft orders Even when surrounded by the very latest and most impressive in aerospace technology, it was impossible to stop the Airbus A380 from stealing the...

Green cars get a sporting chance.
June 27, 2005... What is claimed to be the world's first 'green' sports car is to be designed by a UK engineering and technology consortium. The fuel cell-powered LIFECar, a #1.9m project that is part-funded by the DTI, will be built by a partnership...

A fish called robot.
June 27, 2005... A robot that swims like a fish has gone on show at the Expo 2005 world fair in Aichi, Japan. The golden Kinshachi Robot may have comical bulging eyes, but it also has a serious purpose. According to Hiroshima-based designers Ryomei...

IN BRIEF: Supersonic successor could rise from Concorde's ashes.
June 27, 2005... Japanese and French aerospace industry groups have signed an agreement that could lead to the development of a new supersonic transport aircraft as a successor to Concorde. Each country will commit more than #500,000 of annual private-sector...

IN BRIEF: On track for Swedish biogas train.
June 27, 2005... Sweden has unveiled the world's first biogas-powered passenger train. Biogas is produced by decomposing organic material and emits far less CO2 than fossil fuels. The #650,000 locomotive is fitted with two biogas bus engines and can carry up...

IN BRIEF: Project buries carbon dioxide in unworkable coal beds.
June 27, 2005... An international team has stored CO2 in European coal beds. The project aimed to store CO2 in coal seams in the Silesian Basin of Poland, which cannot be mined as they are too deep or unsuitable. Researchers hope the CO2 can displace methane...

IN BRIEF: Japan rumoured to be giving France ITER fusion reactor deal.
June 27, 2005... The Japanese science ministry this week denied reports that the country is to drop its bid to host ITER, the world's first nuclear fusion reactor. A source claimed Japan had agreed to building ITER in France in return for favourable...

Critical decision.
June 27, 2005... DTI-backed study looks to supercritical boilers to cut CO2 emissions The UK energy sector is likely to be urged to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on supercritical boiler technology in a bid to cut pollution from the nation's ageing...

Hybrid heating.
June 27, 2005... Battery waste system for in-car heating being developed A system that uses waste heat from the batteries of hybrid and electric vehicles to power a car's climate control system is under development by a UK project team. Zytek...

Emotional issue.
June 27, 2005... BT may use technology to gauge customers' moods AN emotion-sensitive computer system that can detect customers' anger or frustration and react accordingly could be used in BT call centres. The UK telecoms giant is a partner in the...

Hot properties.
June 27, 2005... Oxford University spin-out to develop sensors for applications up to 1,000 degrees New sensor technology will enable engineers to accurately measure the position, speed and motion of materials at temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees,...

A sense of chemistry.
June 27, 2005... A sensor that can detect tiny levels of anthrax molecules in the air is being developed by a new company spun out of Oxford University's chemistry department. Oxford NanoLabs will concentrate on identifying the deadly virus during...

Powering AHED.
June 27, 2005... US group aims hybrid-electric armoured vehicle at UK's future land combat fleet Defence group General Dynamics has unveiled the track-less, hybrid- electric armoured vehicle that it hopes will form the basis of the UK's future land...

FRES: MOBILE, FLEXIBLE AND PURE 21ST CENTURY.
June 27, 2005... The FRES programme was launched by the MoD last year to provide the Army with a new range of medium-weight, network-capable armoured vehicles for a variety of battlefield roles. FRES will replace the UK's existing fleet of Saxons and other...

Breath of fresh air.
June 27, 2005... Diving technology could dispense with oxygen tanks by mimicking the way fish breathe An Israeli engineer has developed a breathing device that he claims will allow divers to dispense with oxygen tanks. It could also be used to supply...

Keeping an ear to the sky.
June 27, 2005... An air traffic control system that uses acoustic sensor technology to 'hear' aircraft as they take off and land is ready for full-scale testing. The EU-funded Safe-Airport project uses acoustic sensors that are claimed to be able to...

First aider.
June 27, 2005... Crash victims could be 40 per cent more likely to survive with in-car emergency services alert A project team including Fiat and DaimlerChrysler has developed an in- car system that alerts emergency services when a vehicle is involved in...

A load off your engine.
June 27, 2005... A lightweight magnesium-based engine that its developers claim could significantly improve vehicle efficiency has completed 65,000km of trouble-free operation. The three-cylinder diesel engine is more than 70 per cent lighter than...

FOCUS: Warning shot.
June 27, 2005... BAE Systems used the Paris Air Show to argue its case as a 'prime integrator' that can keep the UK at the technology top table. Andrew Lee reports Visitors from the UK have plenty of reasons to feel at home in the midst of the frantic,...

BUSINESS: Star performer.
June 27, 2005... Hi-tech specialist e2v celebrates first year as public company with #100m-plus sales This week e2v Technologies confirmed its status as a major player in hi- tech electronic components and sub-systems when it passed #100m in group sales...

BUSINESS: Alkane makes the connection.
June 27, 2005... Renewable energy company Alkane revealed this week that it has completed the connection of two methane-powered generation plants to the electricity supply grid. Fuelled by methane captured from abandoned coal mines, the two sites, at...

BUSINESS: An eye on visualisation.
June 27, 2005... Gyrus in #275m swoop for US medical device firm ACMI UK-based surgical technology specialist Gyrus Group is set to double in size following news that it plans to buy US medical device company ACMI for #275m. Gyrus - whose key...

Despite Rover crash, navigation specialist Trafficmaster stays upbeat.
June 27, 2005... Satellite navigation and digital traffic information specialist Trafficmaster claimed it is on course to meet its 2005 objectives, despite soft market conditions in the new car sales sector. The company admitted that the collapse of MG...

OPT in three-way agreement to develop French wave-power station.
June 27, 2005... The European subsidiary of Ocean Power Technologies has signed an agreement with energy giant Total and Spanish utility Iberdrola for the development of a wave-power station in France. Encouraged by the EU's promotion of the energy source, the...

Following technology division's record results, TRL chases US market.
June 27, 2005... Specialist defence electronics group TRL has announced record results for its technology and innovation division, with turnover up 161 per cent to #8.7m. This represents 39 per cent of the group's sales and was buoyed by the #9.4m...

ABB makes good start to Q1 and 'may go on the acquisition trail'.
June 27, 2005... ABB's chief executive Fred Kindle told the German press that the company is likely to post a profit this year. Following a good start to the first quarter and the possible conclusion to asbestos litigation, Kindle said ABB may look to...

Ringprop boosts IP portfolio with #77,000 propeller technology patent.
June 27, 2005... UK marine propulsion developer Ringprop has boosted its intellectual property portfolio following the announcement that it has acquired a further patent application for ringed propeller technology from Saturn Marine. The company will pay...

VIEWPOINT: Growth industry.
June 27, 2005... Advanced biofuels could become cheaper due to conversion technologies which aim to make better use of the entire plant, says Lew Fulton The main question facing the future of biofuels is not whether they can work, but how they might be...

Book Review: UNCERTAIN SCIENCE - UNCERTAIN WORLD.
June 27, 2005... UNCERTAIN SCIENCE... UNCERTAIN WORLD Henry H Pollack Cambridge University Press/#12.99 How should the BSE and foot-and-mouth crises have been dealt with? What could science do in the face of a biochemical attack? Why can't...

Letter: Hostage to fortune.(Letter to the Editor)
June 27, 2005... Mike Antonis (Letters, 13 June) may well be right about the possibilities of semi-hybrid technology - but to dismiss the Prius out of hand is a little premature. Using the spectre of reported stalling is also underhand, even if true - how...

Letter: TALKING POINT - Controlling interest.(Letter to the Editor)
June 27, 2005... As a committed reader of The Engineer, I often find myself confused that there seems to be a lot of people like your correspondent S Charlton who believe the government should assist manufacturing (Talking Point, 30 May). It is the...

Letter: Percentage point.(Letter to the Editor)
June 27, 2005... John Urwin (Talking Point, 13 June) may have a point when he says that 20 per cent of GDP is all we spend on imports. But what he omits to mention is that nearly 70 per cent of that figure is earned by the UK exporting manufactured goods....

WATER CRISIS: Running dry.
June 27, 2005... As parts of the UK face their first hosepipe ban for nearly a decade water firms must produce technical solutions that look 25 years ahead. Julia Pierce examines how they will cope with an escalating problem As the summer of 2005...

INTERVIEW - DAVID SHEMMANS: Engine house.
June 27, 2005... Automotive consultant Ricardo was founded on cutting-edge engine R&D, and 'technology roadmapping' is very much at the heart of incoming chief executive David Shemmans' plans. Helen Knight reports The unveiling of an English Heritage...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING: Pinpoint accuracy.
June 27, 2005... UK company develops tooling technology that claims to dramatically improve time to market, and cut manufacturing costs. Christopher Sell reports A UK-developed production technology claims to drastically improve tooling time and cost, with...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION: Make my spray.
June 27, 2005... BAE signals significant leap forward for Eurofighter Typhoon programme with paint technologies at Warton Facility. Christopher Sell reports BAE Systems has unveiled details of two spray technologies designed to aid production and testing...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - MANUFACTURING SOFTWARE: Planning ahead.
June 27, 2005... The pressure on IT departments to cut infrastructure costs while increasing revenue makes application reliability crucial for any business. Mark Venables explains the values of ERP IT organisations are being asked to reduce operational...

PRODUCTION ENGINEERING - PRECISION ENGINEERING: Rest easy.
June 27, 2005... UK manufacturing may be under threat from low-cost economies, but success in high-value engineering - from violin parts to aerospace - is still possible. Mark Venables reports With the UK under increased threat from low-cost manufacturing...