Engineering news
How Bloodhound hit 500mph, according to its engineering director
Professional Engineering
The Bloodhound project’s engineering director has spoken to Professional Engineering after the potential land speed record-breaking car hit 500mph for the first time. Challenges included the heat, wind – and a harsh stream of debris that peeled back the vehicle’s ‘rear deltas’.
Small modular investment
The Engineer
A consortium creating a standardised design for small modular reactors (SMRs) will receive £18m funding from UK Research and Innovation, matching industry investment. The technology has great potential – more efficient assembly could cut costs and construction times compared to larger power stations. Consortium leader Rolls-Royce said a fleet of 16 SMRs by 2050 could add £52bn to the economy and create 40,000 jobs.
NASA showcases electric aircraft…
E&T
NASA has unveiled its experimental X-57 Maxwell aeroplane. The agency hopes the aircraft could encourage and enable commercial electric flight. Adapted from a Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, the Maxwell could fly in late 2020.
and tests electric propulsion system
New Atlas
Working with Aerojet Rocketdyne, this week NASA also completed the first full-power test of its Advanced Electric Propulsion System thruster. The engine, which uses a Xenon Hall thruster, power processing unit and Xenon flow controller, is designed for the Gateway outpost in lunar orbit and unmanned deep space missions.
Tiny chip could extend IoT device battery life
Professional Engineering
A tiny ‘wake-up’ chip could significantly extend the life of batteries in Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The chip wakes up devices only when they need to communicate and perform their function, letting them stay dormant the rest of the time and reducing power use. The technology could be useful for applications that do not always need to be transmitting data, like wearable health monitors that take readings several times a day.
There’s something fishy about this ‘plastic’…
The Engineer
A biodegradable plastic-like material made from fish waste and agar has secured its inventor the international James Dyson Award. MarinaTex is manufactured at temperatures lower than 100ºC and biodegrades in just over a month. The material could replace some plastic used for packaging.
Spray device 'paints' bandages and medicine straight onto wounds
Professional Engineering
A new handheld device can spray bandages and medicine directly on to wounds, potentially providing immediate, flexible medical care for those who need it. Created by researchers at Montana Technological University, the machine is a portable ‘electrospinning’ device which can reportedly safely deposit fibre bandages and drugs directly onto biological surfaces.
Adapt or perish: IMechE-backed report reveals stark truth about skills
Professional Engineering
The growing trend towards multidisciplinary engineering teams was the top challenge identified in new research done on behalf of the IMechE. The trend towards multidisciplinary working creates the need for engineers to become ‘technically fluent’ in a wider range of areas, and emphasises collaboration and problem-solving skills. This means that, in order to develop a sustainable career, engineers will be required to have broader expertise and the ability to move between fields.
Governments need to step up coastal flooding plans
IMechE
Governments around the world must step up their preparations for a minimum sea level rise of 1m this century and be planning for up to 3m, according to a new report from the IMechE. Technical, logistical and economic factors mean that much of our infrastructure is located on the coast or on tidal estuaries, including power stations, oil refineries, gas processing plants, pharmaceuticals manufacturing and food processing plants as well as water and wastewater plants. When coastal flooding happens at these types of facilities, the supplies of energy, food, medicines, goods and services are put at risk.
A new hand in just 10 hours
New Atlas
A new prosthetic hand with powered moving parts could be 3D-printed and ready to deliver in just 10 hours, its creators have said. The Impact hand is being developed by Iterate Design and Innovation, the WMG at the University of Warwick and others. Inspired by a similar device that Ambionics’ Ben Ryan built for his son, the bionic hand includes an articulated thumb.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.