Engineering eye... August 2016

News, rumours and gossip from the world of engineering

While most football fans would have been watching the recent France versus Portugal Euro 2016 final, another, less auspicious, match was taking place in Chelmsford. HVAC manufacturer Ebm-papst issued a press release with a “daring challenge” to other major players in the industry to take on its football team. Lee Pentecost, H&V divisional manager at the company, said: “We’re the industry’s next Real Madrid, unbeaten since March 2016.” We have yet to find out whether their winning streak continues. 

A dog walker got quite a shock recently when she encountered a humanoid robot while out for a stroll in the woods. A group of engineers from Boston Dynamics were out testing the robot in real-world scenarios. Let’s hope they keep it on the leash for now! 

We’ve all heard of supersonic cars but how about supersonic cake? In what can only be described as a mean feat of culinary engineering, Dorret Conway, contestant in last year’s TV series of The Great British Bake Off, created a sponge cake replica of Bloodhound SSC to inspire kids into embarking on engineering careers. Let’s hope the real Bloodhound car moves faster than the cake, which took four people to carry into the school.

A US start-up has crowdfunded its smart luggage product Modobag. It’s said to be the world’s first motorised, rideable suitcase. Travellers can hop on it and ride through the airport at up to 8mph. Eye wonders whether  the hefty price tag of $995 could be worth it to never miss a flight again. 

• If you have any rumours or gossip, email pe@caspianmedia.com