Confusing finance jargon and Audi's flying headlights: 10 top stories of the week

Inspired cashflow, CHOCCS… financial jargon puts manufacturers off

Process Engineering

More than two thirds of small- and medium-sized manufacturers said there is too much confusing and inconsistent terminology in finance, according to a new report by Wyelands Bank. 51% of those surveyed said the business speak had stopped them from getting the financial services they need.

Touchy-feely robots get sensitivity from artificial nervous system

Professional Engineering

A stretchy ‘optical lace’ similar to the human body’s nervous system could give biomedical and manufacturing robots of the future a sense of touch – and the ability to sensitively adjust their actions. Developed by PhD student Patricia Xu at Cornell University’s Organics Robotics Lab in New York State, the new synthetic material creates a ‘linked sensory network’ to enable soft robots to sense how they interact with their environment.

Welsh firm catches the wave

Energy Live News

The EU has awarded Swansea company Marine Power Systems £12m to develop and launch its WaveSub. The electricity generator will be submerged beneath the water to exploit waves’ high power density.

Droning on: high-altitude aircraft could fly for a year

Professional Engineering

A new high-altitude drone could fly for up to one year thanks to highly efficient solar panels and long-life batteries, BAE Systems has claimed. Designed for a variety of tasks including ‘persistent surveillance’ and providing 5G networks, the Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft 35 (Phasa-35) is being developed by the British multinational and partner Prismatic.

Prosthetic leg gets sense of touch

New Atlas

Researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Freiburg in Germany and Swiss start-up SensArs have restored a sense of touch to amputee’s prosthetic legs, helping them to walk with less effort. The team added tactile sensors to an artificial leg from Össur and implanted connected temporary electrodes into patients’ legs, letting them feel their steps.

Forget headlights – why not use drones?

The Verge

A new concept vehicle revealed by Audi, the AI:Trail, includes five drones with LED lights instead of headlights. Although the design may never be built, the carmaker said it could one day be an efficient way to light the road ahead and maybe even transmit video to the driver.

The gliding cargo drone

New Atlas

Gliders are quiet and efficient, and can be useful tools in wartime. American company Yates Electrospace Corporation has unveiled a gliding cargo drone to exploit those properties. The Silent Arrow GD-2000 could be released from aeroplanes or dropped from tethers beneath helicopters.

'Emotional responses to advanced manufacturing'

Professional Engineering

The renowned Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) is planning a new facility in Liverpool, focusing on areas including improving product development and measuring emotional responses to advanced manufacturing processes. Intended to support manufacturing growth and innovation in the North West, the MTC’s new 441.29m2 centre will have more than 60 staff at Liverpool Science Park.

Babcock sets sail

The Engineer

Babcock has won a £1.25bn order to build five warships for the Royal Navy. The Type 31 frigates will be assembled at Rosyth shipyard, and are expected to secure 1,250 direct jobs at the height of the project.

Chameleon-style colour-changing skin

Professional Engineering

Colour-changing artificial skins for camouflage, anti-counterfeiting and a potentially wide range of other stealthy applications have come a step closer after a chameleon-inspired breakthrough. Researcher Yixiao Dong from Emory University in Georgia state was watching videos of the lizards when he was struck by a potential solution to a major problem with colour-changing skins.

The creation – known as strain-accommodating smart skin (Sass) – changed colour but maintained a near-constant size. Chemist Dong also tested the material in sunlight. Fish- and leaf-shaped Sass films shifted from orange to green over 10 minutes.