Engineering news
Budget boost for R&D
Professional Engineering
Coronavirus dominated the budget, but it also contained some big stories for UK engineering. Here are 5 of the most important, from an investment of over £900m to “lead the way” in high-potential sectors such as nuclear energy and space, and a plan to increase public R&D investment to £22bn per year by 2024-25.
Fast-charging quickly damages batteries
Professional Engineering
Fast-charging of electric batteries can ruin their capacity after just 25 charges, University of Califonia researchers said, after they ran experiments on batteries used in some popular electric cars. Fast-charging also led to increased risk of fire or explosion after 60 charging cycles. The researchers have applied for a patent on a charging algorithm which reacts to a battery’s internal resistance.
British Steel saved
BBC
More than 3,000 jobs were saved after Chinese company Jingye Group agreed a takeover deal for British Steel. Jingye reportedly offered £50m to buy the steelmaker, which has steelworks in Scunthorpe and Teesside. 450 people could still lose their jobs.
Self-driving car system is eagle-eyed
New Atlas
A self-driving car vision system developed by Waymo can reportedly spot pedestrians and road signs more than half a kilometre away. The Waymo Driver system also includes radar with an improved ability to ‘see’ through precipitation and fog to detect the speed and direction of moving objects, such as other road users.
Mars rover mission delayed
E&T
A mission to send a rover to Mars has been delayed for two years to allow further tests. The ExoMars project, from the European Space Agency and Russian agency Roscosmos, will use the time to ensure components are fit for use. Coronavirus also contributed to the delay, after the movement of international workers was restricted.
UK patent applications in Europe rise 'significantly'
Professional Engineering
European patent applications by UK companies rose “significantly” last year for the sixth consecutive year. According to the Patent Index 2019 report by the European Patent Office, applications originating in the UK rose by 6.9% to 6,156 in 2019, following an increase of 8.2% the previous year. Rolls-Royce was the top British applicant, filing 494 patent applications.
Mach Exhibition delayed
The Engineer
The UK’s largest manufacturing trade event has been postponed until 25-28 January 2021 due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Mach had been due to take place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in April.
Ultrasound could power internal biomedical devices
E&T
Ultrasound could be used to power biomedical devices within the human body, researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia said, preventing the need for invasive procedures to change batteries in devices. The technique, which was successfully tested in an experiment using meat from a cow, involves using hydrogels as electricity generators.
Nissan unveils £52m press line
The Engineer
Nissan has unveiled a £52m press line to build the Qashqai at its Sunderland facility. The system, which reportedly took 18 months to install, includes recycling to segregate and process scrap.
Transparent and flexible solar cells
Professional Engineering
A transparent and flexible new solar cell could harness the Sun’s energy while installed as car windows or on wearable devices, its creators have claimed. Researchers Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea developed the solar cell, which uses silicon microwire composites embedded in a polymer.
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