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Autonomous hydrogen lorry, plane-blimp and rock energy: 10 top stories of the week

Professional Engineering

The Nikola Motor Tre autonomous hydrogen-electric lorry (Credit: Nikola Motor)
The Nikola Motor Tre autonomous hydrogen-electric lorry (Credit: Nikola Motor)

Our round-up of the week's biggest stories in engineering that you might have missed.

Boeing issues sensor warning after tragedy

The Verge

Following the Lion Air crash in which 189 people died off the coast of Indonesia, Boeing and the Federal Aviation Authority have warned airlines that 'angle of attack' sensor errors on the Boeing 737 Max aircraft could cause serious issues during flights, leading to potential nosedives. 

Risk of fossil fuel fightback after latest blow to UK nuclear...

Professional Engineering

Fossil fuels could claw back more of the UK energy mix after Toshiba announced its withdrawal from the Moorside nuclear power station project, an expert has warned. It was just the latest setback for nuclear capacity in the UK, which also faces ongoing decommissioning.

... but not in Tilbury

Energy Live News

A huge 2.5GW gas plant and energy storage project in Essex was cancelled by German utility RWE. Gas is likely to be the UK's dominant fossil fuel to handle demand during renewable downtime. 

Manufacturers sitting on goldmine

The Manufacturer

Mid-sized manufacturers have more than £250bn in assets that could help them grow, new analysis from Wyelands Bank found. 

Bombardier cuts thousands of jobs

Aerospace Manufacturing

Canadian aerospace and rail multinational Bombardier will cut 5,000 jobs over the next year-and-a-half. 3,000 roles will go in Canada but no details were given for the remainder, leaving workers in Northern Ireland and England potentially at risk. 

Rocking out

The Guardian

Work has begun on the UK's deepest ever boreholes in Cornwall, where Geothermal Engineering hopes to tap the natural heat of rocks 4.5km underground to boil water and run turbines above ground. 

Could plane-blimp take off?

New Atlas

Egan Airships has unveiled plans for a 51.5m-long plane-blimp hybrid potentially capable of carrying 10 people. There will be several challenges to overcome before it ever takes off – but whatever happens, it won't be cheap...

The autonomous, hydrogen-powered lorry

Tech Crunch

Tesla rival Nikola Motor unveiled a hydrogen-electric lorry with high levels of autonomy. The Nikola Tre is destined for European roads.

Flexible device reveals oxygen under the skin

The Engineer

A wearable 'oximeter' developed at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals the oxygen content of blood with different shades of light. It could help check healing rates around the body after operations.

Dog noses could inspire better explosive detection

Professional Engineering

Dogs’ noses could protect billions of air passengers each year thanks to a fascinating feature that engineers at Smiths Group are investigating. Mimicking their shape could help detection machines ‘inhale’ many more molecules, checking luggage for drugs or explosives more thoroughly.


Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
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