Engineering news
Cambridge Consultants has showcased technology, product design and innovative development at its Innovation Day 2016.
The event included an eclectic mix of technology demonstrations in sectors such as healthcare and smart systems, as well as seminars and speeches highlighting the progress of technological innovation.
Emphasis was made on disruption in technology causing change and creating opportunity, and how it motivates innovation.
Alan Richardson, chief executive of Cambridge Consultants, said: “Disruption is about all investments made today being useless tomorrow. Disruptions can be made opportunities and used for change. All industries at this showcase have been disrupted by technology.
“We have a broad range of participants from a range of industries that will see how technology can be adapted to their needs.”
BT promoted purposeful innovation in communications technology. The company spoke at length about optical fibre systems being the backbone of communication infrastructure in today’s “information hungry society” and will prevent any capacity crunch in the UK. BT also confirmed that its G.fast broadband, with an average speed of 300Mbps, would be available in 12 million premises by 2020. BT is also working on ‘smart parking’ that will guide vehicles to available parking spaces so that driving can be more fuel efficient and traffic avoided.
Hitachi focused on the challenge of culture change between industries in different countries by adjusting dynamics and implementing intuitive leadership. The company highlighted the need for multidisciplinary teams in industry, and for senior leadership to set stretch targets and reward failure to boost morale.
Ocado spoke about its plan to eventually venture into driverless deliveries, as well as continuing to develop robotics for packaging and maintenance that will mimic actions of warehouse employees. Ocado will also be implementing its autonomous robots to operate the arrangement of plastic totes in warehouses. It also plans to use AI to adapt user interfaces to familiarise with its customers and monitor demands.
Cambridge Consultants also had demonstrations of innovative technology throughout the day. This included an augmented reality system for the human anatomy that can be used for training purposes in the surgical sector. A continuous manufacturing process for microencapsulated materials was on display, which allowed for a better control on parameters, as well as reducing waste that is produced from traditional large reactor tanks.
A robot developed for cataract surgery was showcased that aims to improve precision required. The miniature robotic appendages are made from high performance polyethylene that is both strong and light with self-lubricating properties that provides a rolling friction instead of sliding friction, with sensor fibres embedded. The tips of the appendages are operated by the surgeon through controls with mounted cameras during surgery, preventing tremors and perforation of the lens.
A seminar regarding synthetic biology took place, “designing biological systems to meet needs quickly, economically and safely”. The technology was said to be pivotal in shaping the coming years to meet the market need for food for the global population, managing waste, manufacturing chemicals and materials at a low cost, managing diseases, and sustaining energy. The technical solution is to genetically edit nucleic acid sequences and using advanced computing and data analysis, combining engineering methods and biological systems. Statistics shown claimed that there had been a 20% growth rate in biotech revenue in the US since 2008.
Cambridge Consultants launched Innovation Day in 2012.