Engineering news
Next year will be a big one for engineering, not least because it marks the ‘Year of Engineering’ initiative to get more people interested in a career in the industry. But there are a host of other exciting developments brewing. Here, we’ve looked at the stories that could make engineering headlines in 2018.
‘Crossrail carries its first passengers’
The tunnel-boring machines have munched their way through the heart of London, uncovering plague pits and coming within centimetres of buildings. In 2018, finally – after 40 years in the making – Transport for London’s £14.8bn Crossrail project will be ready to begin operation.
The central section of Elizabeth line is due to open between Paddington and Abbey Wood in December 2018, with the rest to follow the subsequent May. Now, how about Crossrail 2?
‘Bloodhound hits 500mph’
The ambitious Bloodhound project to break the land-speed record will run in the South African desert for the first time next Autumn, with plans to hit 500mph before the record attempt in 2019. The test will mark the first time that the car runs with its full 0.9m wheels, which are designed to rise up and ‘plane’ on the surface at high speeds like a speedboat on water.
‘Boeing opens UK factory’
US aerospace giant Boeing is building a new factory at Sheffield Business Park – its first production facility in Europe. The company broke ground on the 6200-square-metre site in September, and it’s due to open in late 2018, when it will manufacture actuation system components for Boeing’s Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aeroplanes.
‘Sony returns to robotics’
Japanese electronics giant Sony will return to the world of consumer robotics with a revived version of Aibo, it’s robotic pet dog which was first launched in 1999. The original Aibo, which cost $2000, was shelved in 2006 as part of cost-cutting measures, but retained a cult following. The new model will behave and move like a real dog, but also be able to respond to voice commands and interact with other devices – like the Amazon Echo or Google Home.
‘Emissions continue to rise’
After several years where they seemed to slow, carbon emissions were on the rise again in 2017 with an estimated increase of 2%, and experts are predicting more of the same in the twelve months to come. “That’s a real concern,” said Robert Jackson, an Earth scientist at Stanford University. “The global economy is picking up slowly. As GDP rises, we produce more goods, which by design produces more emissions.”
‘First students start at ‘re-imagined’ engineering university
The New Model in Technology and Engineering (NMiTE) university in Hereford will take on its first ‘development’ cohort of students in 2018, with a view to opening its doors fully in September 2020. The university has secured funding for a ‘reimagined and redesigned’ higher education experience with more of a focus on preparing graduates with the skills they need, and practical learning.
‘Construction begins on world’s biggest solar thermal plant’
A giant solar thermal power station will begin construction in South Australia next year. When finished, by 2020, it will be capable of generating 150 megawatts of electricity – enough to power around 5000 houses. The plant, which is being built by US firm SolarReserve, will use molten salt storage to even out electricity supply and reduce price volatility.
‘Supersonic commercial flight returns to the skies’
Boom Supersonic, a company backed by Richard Branson’s Virgin group, is hoping to bring faster than the speed of sound travel back to the skies for the first time since Concorde. The company is developing an aircraft that will, it claims, be capable of travelling at Mach 2.2 – faster than the now-retired British and French jet. Boom hopes to fly the XB-1 plane in 2018.
‘A big step towards nuclear fusion’
Nuclear fusion offers the tantalizing prospect of potentially unlimited clean power. It could take a big step closer in 2018, when Tokamak Energy will be testing it’s spherical tokamak (a device which contains the fusion reaction) at a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius. If successful, it will keep the firm on track to deliver electricity into the grid by 2030.
‘Man goes back to the Moon?’
Well, near it, anyway. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been a key driver of the growth in private and commercially funded space travel, and has plans to send two tourists on a flight around the moon in 2018. However, there are a number of challenges that would need to be overcome before that can happen – and updates have been thin on the ground since March. We might be waiting a while for this one.