Engineering news
Dyson heads to Singapore...
The Guardian
The quality-conscious British household technology firm will build its hotly-anticipated electric car in Singapore, ending more than a year of speculation. The company, founded by Brexit-backing chief engineer James Dyson, aims to compete with Tesla, the established frontrunner in the top range electric vehicle market.
... but Boeing comes to Sheffield
Professional Engineering
11,000km from Singapore, Boeing showed faith in the British business landscape post-Brexit as it opened its first European factory near Sheffield. The opening created more than 50 new roles.
Foreign manufacturers in UK twice as productive as domestic firms
The Manufacturer
Boeing might expect a highly productive new facility, as the EEF revealed this week that foreign-owned manufacturers are twice as productive as British-owned. According to The Manufacturer, reasons include "poor management practices, under-investment in capital and labour, and weak access to finance."
Micro-drones, mega-strength
The Verge
Ever want a squad of flying robo-butlers, opening doors and passing water to you? Your dream is a step closer to reality – you might just have to be patient while they work.
Researchers from Stanford University in the US and EPFL in Switzerland created the lifting, pulling micro-drones.
An explosive move
Professional Engineering
These robots might not be so altruistic. Australian-American firm Aquabotix is planning to add explosives to its 'swarming' surface and underwater machines, which it claimed could "overwhelm" boats.
Bridge over troubled water
The Guardian
China and Hong Kong might have slightly drifted apart – metaphorically speaking – in recent years, but they are now firmly linked by the world's longest sea bridge. The $20bn, 55km structure reportedly includes high-tech features such as blood pressure checks and 'yawn cams'.
The £215m Catapult investment
Business Green
Advanced mobility is also a key focus of government investment in the UK. The Future Cities and Transport Systems R&D 'Catapults' will merge and BEIS will invest a further £215m in the innovation centres, Business Green reported.
Charge it up: infrastructure needed for electric car boom
Network
With the Catapults spending millions on electric car innovation, all those new vehicles will need somewhere to charge. Infrastructure is already struggling to keep pace with a boom in UK ownership, a PwC report found.
Trains roll back the years
Rail Engineer
The average age of UK trains has fallen for the first time in 13 years, according to the Office of Rail and Road. The average age is 19.6 years.
Solving the 'trolley problem'
MIT Technology Review
The trolley problem – roughly summarised as a controller having to decide if a runaway train should stay on track to hit five people, or switch to hit one – is a key issue for the future of self-driving cars. Researchers put different combinations of the problem, including aspects such as young and old people, to respondents around the world. The answers could inform autonomous development.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.