Soundbites
Although now in everyday use, I still find GPS to be amazing technology. Whether its development shows amazing foresight and significant risked capital, or whether it was just developed on the back of existing equipment looking for a job, I think it makes a really significant impact to our lives every day.
Richard Pearce, London
The fax telephone for every home. It was a technical success let down by commercial short-sightedness. Twentieth-century manufacturers did not imagine consumers sending letters, messages and drawings to friends and family, instantly, ready to collect whenever they wanted. It could have been a replacement postal service for every home. But no, promoted for business it never reached its consumer potential. Maybe this makes it worthy of a Missed It award?
Peter Williams, Beverley, East Yorkshire
It is a sorry state for the profession when we are reduced to giving achievement awards for design of what is really a toy however good and beneficial to society it may be. I wish we could make awards for the design of the hardware and software we need as engineers.
Richard Tomlins, Farnham, Surrey
Concorde because it so obviously drew its design features from paper-dart technology. However, the skill required to make it work without rubber bands was only possible through the dedication of engineers.
Robert Falk, London
I would like to see the International Space Station getting some recognition. It’s an unparalleled engineering accomplishment, and probably the most expensive object ever built. Sadly it has been all but forgotten by the general public, and with the retirement of the space shuttle the space station could do with a bit of positive PR.
Richard Anderson, Stocksfield, Northumberland
Depends what you mean by recent, but the winner has got to be the explosion of the internet. Imagine trying to work and live without it now. Could we go back to fax machines instead of email?
Tony Eccleston, Newcastle
I’d like to nominate the rubber duck. Highly reliable and inherently safe, it has been fulfilling its function since the late 19th century. Revel in its robustness and delight in its durability – a true pioneer that has never been surpassed or become obsolete (you can’t see that being said about the Kinect in 100 years’ time!).
Taimore Afzal, Birmingham
The King Lives – the restoration of an ex-Great Western Railway King Class locomotive at the Great Western Society museum in Didcot in Oxfordshire. An outstanding engineering achievement largely carried out by volunteers.
Richard Bossom, Poole, Dorset
Maybe British politicians have been going after their own engineering award. After all, they have emphatically “engineered” the demise of our manufacturing and engineering industry over the course of many years.
Richard Charles, Warrington
The quest for abundant energy by nuclear fusion is one of the most important current engineering/scientific projects. The process is intrinsically much safer than nuclear fission and uses abundant materials; if it can be made commercially viable, mankind will no longer be reliant on fossil fuels with all the attendant problems.
Ted Boller, Halesowen, West Midlands
Never having used a Kinect Xbox, I can only guess at how wonderful it might be. Deciding what might be its equal taxed me tremendously but suddenly I had an epiphany – it has to be the soft-close toilet seat. Both products seem to be equally indispensable to the modern engineer and are equally worthy of (some form of) recognition.
Russell Birnie, Sawley, Derbyshire
I was pleased to see the gaming industry get some recognition. It employs a lot of talented engineers, but this is something that is often overlooked. Living in north London, I still marvel at the engineering improvements at St Pancras station, and the high-speed rail link that can whisk you away to Paris in style and comfort. It’s a wonderful improvement to what went before.
Adam Harpin, London
- Leave us your Soundbite by commenting below