The Engineer
David Wilson Editorial
David Wilson writes for The Engineer and Engineeringtalk
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Taking a cut
7 Jul 2011
The consortium of medium-sized engineering companies and their partners in academia were thrilled when they were awarded a grant from a government body to undertake a research project to discover if it might be possible to develop a novel means to manufacture components.
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Schaeffler differential holds promise for OEMs
4 July 2011
A new reduced-weight spur differential could dramatically increase the fuel economy of passenger cars.
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Building the Big Society
29 Jun 2011
The trees in my garden always produce a lot of apples in the autumn — so many, in fact, that it’s difficult to know what to do with them all.
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Loughborough team helps pioneer ultrasonic additive process
20 June 2011
An ultrasound-based production process could enable engineers to ’print’ active devices.
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WELD-IT software estimates fabrication costs
20 June 2011
A novel software tool could enable small and medium-sized enterprises in the welding sector to compete on the international stage.
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A day in the museum
17 Jun 2011
National Instruments’ Aerospace and Defence Forum at the Royal Air Force Museum in London provided a valuable insight into the lifecycle issues involved in developing sophisticated test systems.
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Made in China
16 Jun 2011
The design engineering team at the multinational conglomerate was justifiably proud of its new electronic subsystem. Having taken it from a concept through an exhausting prototyping and testing phase, the new product was now ready to start rolling off the production line in volume at its Eastern European manufacturing facility.
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Levelling the playing field
9 Jun 2011
The young student truly believed that the more qualifications he obtained, the more successful he would be in life.
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Oxford team exploits properties of metamaterials
6 June 2011
The unique magnetic properties of metamaterials could benefit the design of transformers and electric motors.
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Cambridge engineers investigate propellant-free aerosols
6 June 2011
A novel concept based around the use of superhydrophobic materials could lead to the development of propellant-free impact aerosols.
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Making switches
1 Jun 2011
The large automation equipment supplier had built an enviable reputation in the marketplace supporting its OEM customers. But things changed when it decided to refocus its marketing efforts…
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Still on the bottle
26 May 2011
The tap water where I live tastes horrid. While it might be good for washing clothes and watering the garden, drinking it is not an option — at least not one that I would consider.
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Power of piezoceramics
23 May 2011
A process for manufacturing high-frequency ultrasound transducers could enable a new breed of imaging devices.
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Bristol uni pioneers composite bridge technique
23 May 2011
Novel research into composites could enable engineers to build more durable bridges in a fraction of the time it currently takes.
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Dry response
19 May 2011
Eighteen months ago, I invested in a rather splendid washer dryer and it has proved to be a most valuable piece of equipment.
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Managing the garden
11 May 2011
The managing director of the small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) had a rather large back garden. Sadly, though, it had become fairly neglected over the winter months and, as a result, the trees, shrubs and lawn all needed a lot of attention. So one bank-holiday weekend, he decided to do something about it.
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Cambridge consultants helps develop innovative inhaler
9 May 2011
A new inhalation device uses an innovative mechanism to ensure that patients receive the correct drug dosage every time.
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Test case
9 May 2011
Scientists have redeveloped HDPE for use in biochemical applications such as DNA analysis.
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Design for life
5 May 2011
Because she lived through the exigencies of rationing during the Second World War, my mother threw away very little during her long lifetime. Indeed, many of her possessions are still tucked away in a variety of nooks and crannies in the house where I now live.
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Dangerous waters
27 Apr 2011
In their younger and more vulnerable years, my children loved playing games on their Nintendo Gamecube. More specifically, the games that really took their fancy were the sorts of strategy games that demanded care and skill, as well as a great deal of problem solving.
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BAE's titanium parts facility
25 Apr 2011
BAE’s new titanium parts facility will help keep F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft production on track.
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Cascade unveils laser based detection system
25 April 2011
A system designed for use on aerosol production lines uses a mirrored cell and infrared lasers to detect leaking canisters.
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The pot-bound engineer
21 Apr 2011
After leaving a small engineering firm, Jack Robinson took up a new role as the manager of a design group within a larger company. Now, he finds himself back in a smaller design environment again with enough experience to recognise its benefits.
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It takes two
13 Apr 2011
Business was booming at the small to medium-sized engineering firm. In fact, orders for new products were coming in so thick and fast that the engineering team was having trouble keeping up with them. So the engineering manager approached his managing director to see if he could hire a couple of new recruits to help out.
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Argento unveils handheld diagnostic platform
11 April 2011
A handheld unit could be used to create bespoke diagnostic systems for medical professionals.
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Engineers to the Launch Pad!
6 Apr 2011
Many companies in the private sector encourage their employees to suggest innovative ways in which the performance of their businesses might be improved, whether it’s through simple suggestion boxes or more formal brainstorming sessions.
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The lost souls
31 Mar 2011
Just the other day, I found an old photograph of my late father. The black-and-white picture was taken in the early 1920s when he was just a little lad, and shows a typical family pose with him sitting with his father, mother and older brother.
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Inviso imaging system inspired by the brain
28 March 2011
An image processor inspired by the human visual system could open up a host of industrial applications.
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Shearline champions Thixotropic moulding process
28 March 2011
The thixotropic process is gaining ground for its ability to create strong yet light magnesium parts for a range of applications. Dave Wilson reports
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A spring bouquet
23 Mar 2011
There’s nothing worse than computer failure, especially if you are faced with meeting an imminent deadline.
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Nothing without marketing
16 Mar 2011
Just months before he was due to graduate with a masters degree in electronic engineering and computer science, the young student paid his old father a visit.
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Phone box
14 March 2011
A high-tech kiosk that pays consumers for old mobile phones begins trials in the US as its developers gear up for mass production. Dave Wilson reports
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Resonant renaissance
14 March 2011
A new concept in resonant inductive position sensing aims to give the technology a cost-effective revival.
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Apple is not the only technological fruit
10 Mar 2011
Despite the fact that he has taken indefinite medical leave from Apple Computer, last week Steve Jobs took the stage in San Francisco to take the wraps off the iPad2, the company’s new tablet computer.
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The mysterious case of the disappearing Jack
3 Mar 2011
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jack Robinson was one of the most valued members of staff at the Small to Medium Sized engineering company.
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Warwick Analytics pioneers manufacturing fault finder software
28 February 2011
A suite of software tools could help manufacturers to address the root causes of ’no defect found’ problems.
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Oxford spin-out develops new display production method
28 February 2011
Solution-based manufacturing processes could change the face of the electronics industry.
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What's in a brand?
17 Feb 2011
More years ago than I care to remember, I was invited to a factory to witness the production of cans of fizzy drinks.
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US engineer develops cost effective wave generator for harsh environments
14 February 2011
A new cycloidal wave energy converter could be resilient enough to cope with severe ocean storms claims its inventor
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Calypso radiotherapy device could help reduce damage to surrounding tissue
14 February 2011
A technique used to map breathing patterns could track movement of organs during radiotherapy, improving cancer treatment.
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The fall guy
10 Feb 2011
John Smith had never heard of micro-management until he joined the design department of the Small to Medium Sized Enterprise.
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The graduates
2 Feb 2011
Business at the small company was booming. And the engineering manager was delighted when the managing director asked him to hire a new graduate to help develop a sophisticated new automated electronic test system
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Inrekor unveils flat-pack production process
31 January 2011
UK-developed composite chassis technology could enable low-cost, high-volume production of lightweight cars.
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Mills under the microscope
31 January 2011
A study carried out by Air Products sheds light on the relative benefits of a range of cryogenic grinding processes.
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Energy crisis
27 Jan 2011
When the representative of a competitive energy supplier phoned to tell me that he could not only provide me with cheaper fuel prices but also knock £100 off my next year’s energy bills, I jumped at the chance to sign up.
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Fish overboard
19 Jan 2011
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has a big problem with the way that fish are currently being caught. And on his latest TV show - Hugh’s Fish Fight - which was broadcast this month as part of Channel 4’s Big Fish Fight, it became pretty clear why.
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Quantum canary detects tooth decay fast
17 January 2011
A new system will enable dentists to examine patients’ teeth noninvasively and identify problems earlier.
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Microvisk develops versatile viscometer
17 Jan 2011
Engineers have developed a cheaper and more convenient solution to measure the effectiveness of blood clotting.
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Flying forever
12 Jan 2011
I knew that my son would love the Gyro Lite radio-controlled helicopter that I bought him for Christmas and I wasn’t mistaken.
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Culture vulture: Building a better bioreactor
10 Jan 2011
A single use bioreactor with an alternative design offers improved performance over previous systems. Dave Wilson reports
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Christmas time is here again
16 Dec 2010
Years ago, buying presents for children at Christmas was a simple affair. All parents had to do to make their children happy was to provide them with a few oranges, nuts, chocolate and some wooden toys.
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Be careful what you wish for
16 Dec 2010
The chief engineer had spared no expense to provide his only son with a plethora of high-technology equipment for Christmas, knowing how delighted he would be when he discovered the grown-up boys toys in his stocking on Christmas morning.
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Lateral moves
9 Dec 2010
The engineering manager had worked assiduously at the company for many years. Although he had been highly effective in his role, the managing director of the company realised that it was time for a new, younger chap to take the reins.
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Teambuilding exercises
9 Dec 2010
The managing director of the medium-sized machine builder realised that ensuring that his engineering and marketing team worked well together was key to guaranteeing the success of his business.
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The shrinking world of engineering
2 Dec 2010
There’s no doubt that large companies such as Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems represent everything that’s great about the UK engineering sector. It’s companies such as these that demonstrate that when it comes to engineering expertise, the UK still has some of the best engineering talent in the world.
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A new lease of life
2 Dec 2010
In the early days of computer programming, engineers wrestled with the complexities of programming in assembly language. They didn’t have much of a choice and, because of that fact, developing a system using microprocessor-based technology lay in the hands of a limited number of engineers with the necessary expertise.
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One for the road
29 November 2010
Graduate engineers have been putting an all-electric battery-powered car through its paces. Dave Wilson reports
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Refreshing concept
29 November 2010
An environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional vending machine bottles its own drinks. Dave Wilson reports
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Harry Potter and the Intel Quad Core-based invisibility cloak
25 Nov 2010
Love him or loathe him, Harry Potter is back on our cinema screens once more in a new feature-length film from Warner Brothers entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.
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Mining the tweets
25 Nov 2010
Although it’s widely touted as a rich source of instantly updated information that can keep its readers abreast of an incredibly wide variety of topics, it’s taken me a while to fully understand the relevance of the Twitter website.
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A colourful scheme
18 Nov 2010
The Association of small- to medium-sized system builders had created numerous schemes to make its members feel that it was playing an important role in enhancing their status and reputation in the marketplace.
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Not easy being green
12 Nov 2010
To help him celebrate a significant milestone in his life, the wife of a close friend of mine invited me to a rather spectacular party that she had planned for him at a local watering hole.
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In-flight entertainment
11 Nov 2010
They say that travel broadens the mind. However, these days, you’ve got to be careful that travelling by air doesn’t broaden someone else’s mind too – especially if you are prone to using a personal computer to catch up on a little work while you are travelling in the clouds.
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An environmental issue
4 Nov 2010
When the folks that ran the large government agency responsible for maintaining the environment were asked to think of ways in which they might save the taxpayers a few shillings, they came up with all sorts of bright ideas.
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Stuck for a lead
4 Nov 2010
As a regular contributor to our sister publication, The Engineer, I’m always hunting around for an interesting lead from which to develop a story that might whet the appetites of the magazine and website’s readers.
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It's a gas - again
28 Oct 2010
As an individual who has recently been put to a considerable amount of grief simply to provide my quarterly gas-meter reading to my power company in order that they could then calculate how much I owed them, I can’t wait for the day when a smart meter is eventually installed in my house so that I will never be asked to go through the procedure again.
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Engineering the brain
28 Oct 2010
The brain is the most complex biological structure known and, when one considers its size in relation to the plethora of functions that it performs, one quickly realises that the performance of even the most complex microprocessor architectures that have been developed by man pale in comparison.
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Devil in the detail
21 Oct 2010
When one of my editorial colleagues stumbled across a company on the web that had developed a terrific new technology, he decided to give its public relations chap a call to see if he might be able to arrange a telephone interview with the company’s chief technical officer.
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It’s a gas
21 Oct 2010
When my power provider asked me if I would like to save a few pennies by paying my gas and electricity bills online, I jumped at the chance. After all, it’s an easy enough process – all I have to do is to take the readings every three months from the respective meters and enter them into a browser window. The provider’s system then generates the amount that I owe and I pay simply by entering my credit card details.
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Tube challenge
18 October 2010
A handheld testing tool uses a low-frequency acoustic pulse to enable plant operators to spot defects in heat-exchanger tubes.
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Westfield sportscars develops lightweight chassis
18 Oct 2010
A lightweight wishbone and chassis could offer cost savings and performance improvement for sports vehicles
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The next small big thing
14 Oct 2010
The field of molecular engineering – involving the manipulation or creation of molecular structures – is one that is still in its infancy.
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When inspiration comes
14 Oct 2010
I once heard it said that the singer-songwriter Farrokh Bulsara - more commonly known as Freddy Mercury, the lead vocalist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen - used a piano as a headboard for his bed.
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Clean water
7 Oct 2010
A lack of access to clean water is one of the major problems facing many folks in the developing world. By some estimates, as many as 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water while 2.6 billion have little or no sanitation. As a result, millions of people die annually from the results of diseases transmitted through unsafe water.
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Roll out the fibre
7 Oct 2010
I’m a little disappointed with the speed of my broadband connection at home – it just isn’t fast enough. Attempting to stream classic Charlton Heston science-fiction films from Youtube in a seamless fashion is a far from a high-speed affair.
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Future focus
4 October 2010
A tuneable liquid-crystal lens could one day replace the mechanical features of cameras and other mobile devices. Dave Wilson reports
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Recycling waste
30 Sep 2010
Being a big fan of all things environmental, I’m always excited when I read how engineers have developed systems that might help us to recycle more of our electronic waste.
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Backfiring virus
30 Sep 2010
When rogue states get hold of technologically advanced products, there’s usually quite a lot of hullabaloo, especially if those counties are considered to be designing, developing or fabricating nuclear power plants or nuclear weapons.
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Us and them
23 Sep 2010
The government was highly aware of the calamitous effects that global warming might have on the population of the country if they didn’t embrace a greener way to produce power.
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Future investment
23 Sep 2010
For years, the banking industry was not only seen as an important business, but one that was almost single-handedly responsible for generating wealth for the country’s economy.
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Fate of the world
16 Sep 2010
I’ve never driven a racing car. Most people I know haven’t either. But we have all, at one time or another, sat behind the wheel of a simulator in an arcade that has given us the impression that we are participating in a high-speed racing event.
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Payback time
16 Sep 2010
I was intrigued when I heard the news back in April that the UK government had initiated a feed-in-tariff scheme that would allow householders to generate a bit of cash on the side by installing alternative energy system in their homes and then either using it themselves or selling it back to the National Grid.
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University teams set to race wind-powered cars
8 Sep 2010
The organisers of the Aeolus wind energy race have challenged student teams from across Europe to build a car that can be powered by the wind.
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Man-machine interface
8 Sep 2010
The design engineers at the SME had developed a rather innovative machine that would undoubtedly capture the imagination of their customers and win them plenty of orders.
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Mistaken identity
8 Sep 2010
Sometimes, having an identical twin brother can be a tad problematic. Indeed, to be frank, being mistaken for my twin brother Andy has caused me more than my share of anguish over the years - not just at school, but at work and in my personal life too.
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Sound-system design on the new Jaguar XJ
6 September 2010
A collaboration between car designers and loudspeaker engineers led to an optimum in-car audio experience.
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Chamelic solves solar dust problem
6 September 2010
A particle-resistant coating has been developed to help solar-power installations withstand harsh environments.
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The road to reality
2 Sep 2010
There’s been a lot of talk in the press recently about all-electric vehicles. And from reading such reports, one might be forgiven for believing that we are all likely to be driving one sooner rather than later.
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Virtual worlds
2 Sep 2010
I’ve always been fond of computer games. Although I’ve never been really any good at playing them, I’ve always been fascinated by the technology behind them - the way that the console developers and the games makers seek out new ways to capture our imagination by their wares.
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Back to the future
26 Aug 2010
A young friend of mine came over to see me last weekend, and during the course of dinner, we got talking about what sorts of music and films he liked to watch.
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The X factor
26 Aug 2010
It’s one of the most popular shows on television and it’s viewed by over 10 million people in the UK each week.
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Japanese robots
18 Aug 2010
Over the past few years, many engineers and academics across the globe have been hard at work developing a new breed of robotic device.
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Painting lessons
18 Aug 2010
A couple of weeks back, while I was over in the US, I was given the opportunity to visit the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, to view a number of prints created by the famous French painter Henri Matisse.
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Pressure detector
16 August 2010
A smart contact lens that continuously monitors the pressure inside the eye could revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
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Meet Jeff Kodosky
12 Aug 2010
While National Instruments LabVIEW graphical programming language can help designers develop software for embedded systems, the company’s CompactRIO hardware plays an equally important role in helping them to deploy that software in a plethora of real-time environments.
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The dead pig
12 Aug 2010
Putting on a big trade event such as National Instruments’ NIWeek in Austin, Texas, takes a lot of time and effort. For not only does the company use the occasion to highlight its own new hardware and software products, it also goes to great lengths to demonstrate the successful uses to which its technology has been put by many of its customers.
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Cutbacks, investment, or both?
4 Aug 2010
The president of the US enterprise once told me the reason he felt his outfit had been so successful over the 20 or so years that it had been in business.
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Irresponsible behaviour
4 Aug 2010
Having had no rain in days, the garden lawn was looking a bit brown, so last week I decided to get out the old hosepipe and provide my grass with some much needed refreshment.
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Oil over troubled waters
29 Jul 2010
It’s only Thursday, but it’s already been a week to remember for the folks at oil giant BP. The not so unexpected news that the company’s group chief executive Dr Tony Hayward would be standing down in October was followed swiftly by an announcement that the company is now setting aside a whopping $32.2bn (£20.5bn) to cover the cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
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Do it again
29 Jul 2010
A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a piece for our sister publication, The Engineer, on a new technology that had been developed by some rather clever folks in Europe.
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US firm Vortex Hydro to scale up innovative hydro concept
26 July 2010
Hydrokinetic technology targets low-knot water currents that are off-limits to conventional devices.
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Brand recognition
22 Jul 2010
When the electronic automation outfit was founded many years ago, its engineers had led the world developing high-technology products that helped its customers create a slew of innovative machines.
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Machine design
22 Jul 2010
The marketing manager at the machine builder was thrilled when a potential customer asked him if his engineers might be able to automate a key production process by developing a bespoke machine specifically for the purpose.
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Heaven knows I’m miserable now
15 Jul 2010
Many of us with teenage children will, at one time or another, have been concerned about the amount of time that they spend surfing the internet, silently worrying about the possible detrimental effects that too much time on the computer might have on their behaviour.
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Role model
15 Jul 2010
Anyone who watched the World Cup final on Sunday could not have failed to have been amazed by the unspeakably beastly behaviour of the team from the Netherlands.
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Woods Hole researchers develop sub-sea comms system
12 July 2010
A low-power, low-cost optical transmission method could accelerate underwater communications.
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New marker system leads to better implants
12 July 2010
UK developed marker system enables a more precise and simpler means of producing surgical implants
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Public sector waste
8 Jul 2010
Upon returning home one day from a walk with his two dogs, the engineering sales representative was surprised to see a young man sorting through the rubbish in the wheelie bin outside his property.
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Grow your own
8 Jul 2010
I’m not the greatest of football fans, but I must admit that I was horrified when I saw Frank Lampard, the 32-year-old Chelsea midfielder, denied a goal in England’s World Cup match against Germany simply due to the inability of the referee to spot that the football had crossed the goal line.
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Embedded arm processors
1 Jul 2010
The computer science post doc was hard up for new research ideas. So when it was suggested to him that he examine the potential risks of implanting electronic devices into human beings, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to continue his academic research for a few more years.
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The good life?
30 Jun 2010
I’m sure we’ve all seen the television show in which a family moves to the country, buys a house with a large garden, grows their own vegetables, and raises chickens and pigs rather than buy its food from the local store.
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Nanotecture templating process offers route to better batteries
28 June 2010
A low-cost templating process has been used to create a new class of materials for high-performance batteries.
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GEA Niro addresses nanoparticle production issues
28 June 2010
A novel system is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of nanoparticles in industrial applications.
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Online sales
23 Jun 2010
There was no doubt about it. The sales personnel at the engineering company had done a tremendous job raising its profile and increasing sales. They had worked hard visiting numerous trade shows, introducing the company’s products to hundreds of new customers and winning new orders hand over fist.
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Death of a salesman
23 Jun 2010
The recently married salesman was busy setting up a home with his wife, a rather high-maintenance lady who wanted to outfit their new abode with only the finest furnishings that money could buy.
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Dark bus
17 Jun 2010
The engineers at the US OEM had worked long and hard developing their new automated production system, and the management of the company was delighted when their efforts were recognised by a Chinese manufacturer who placed a lucrative order for the system.
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Solar sell
17 Jun 2010
The exhibitors at the international summer trade fair were thrilled when they heard that the organisers of the renewable energy event were moving their show to a new purpose-built venue.
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UK sensors enhance electron microscopes
14 June 2010
Advanced sensor technology could improve the quality of images from transmission electron microscopes.
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Submersible imaging system sheds light on watery depths
14 June 2010
Submersible detection system gives scientists rapid insight into the microscopic organisms that live under water. Dave Wilson reports
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I know why and so do you
10 Jun 2010
There was no doubt that the young engineer’s keenness for all things technical had contributed enormously to his success at the company for whom he worked.
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Design for disassembly
10 Jun 2010
The small consumer goods company was always looking for ways to reduce the costs of its products and to make them more competitive in the marketplace.
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Good causes
2 Jun 2010
When the local store keeper heard about the faster broadband communications system that the country’s Big Lottery Company planned to roll out across the country to network thousands of retailers to the company’s central systems, he became very excited about its potential.
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Cutting waste
2 Jun 2010
The engineering outfit hadn’t been doing so well over the past few years, and all of the odd goings-on in the Eurozone hadn’t helped either. Company revenues had dropped dramatically, and along with it the share price of the company and the size of the dividends that it paid its shareholders.
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Project management
27 May 2010
The management of the Rather Large Enterprise (RLE) were a pretty shrewd bunch of people. They realised that while their team of dedicated engineers had successfully designed numerous market-leading products over the years, they were no longer able to keep up with the speed of developments in the increasingly specialised fields of electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering.
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University cutbacks
27 May 2010
There was clearly a need to make the universities produce more research that was relevant to the needs of the country’s industry.
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Imperial innovation uses car body as battery
24 May 2010
A new material is under development that could allow parts of a car’s bodywork to double up as its battery.
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Bad review
19 May 2010
Just two months after he graduated, the young engineer was delighted when he received a letter from one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious engineering firms asking him to join them for a 12-month trial period.
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The hired hands
19 May 2010
The small-to-medium-sized engineering company had been highly successful since it had been founded 10 years previously.
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The politics of engineering
12 May 2010
The board members of the large engineering firm were delighted when they were presented with the opportunity to acquire a somewhat smaller firm that manufactured products complementary to its own.
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Under pressure
12 May 2010
It always seems to happen when the boss man in London asks me to put in a few extra hours of work researching stories on the internet. That’s inevitably the time that the internet doesn’t seem to work exactly the way that it should.
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A tale of two teams
5 May 2010
The design team at the small- to medium-sized engineering outfit had spent countless hours perfecting a radical new electronic device for the consumer market based on technology that it had developed in house.
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Disarming children
5 May 2010
The managing director of the toy company had always liked playing with guns as a child. He remembered vividly how he used to race around the back garden blasting off endless rounds at his brother, who would then fall to the ground as he pretended to suffer a fatal injury.
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Rigours of wind prompt Ricardo bearing rethink
4 May 2010
The rigours of turbine operation have prompted a rethink on bearing design. Dave Wilson reports
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Cambridge design partnership solves vial problem
4 May 2010
An automated system that directly attaches labels to vials has been designed to eradicate the possibility of human error.
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Get rich quick
28 Apr 2010
Next summer, my son will graduate from university, hopefully clutching in his hands a first-class MEng degree in electronic engineering and computer science.
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Bruising software
28 Apr 2010
According to UK academics, in some criminal cases forensic experts have made significant errors when they have used photographs to determine the time that bruises were inflicted on victims of crime.
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The sweet smell of sulphur
21 Apr 2010
When I was a lad, our family didn’t take any holidays abroad. Instead, we usually spent our summers in a guest house at one of our more salubrious British holiday resorts such as Clacton or Cardigan Bay.
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Busted by a GPS
21 Apr 2010
For some of us, watching TV programmes depicting criminals being chased by police cars at high speed across the southern states of the US has become quite a pleasant way to spend an evening.
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SPE machine helps OEMs test fuel pumps
19 April 2010
A novel machine measures the key parameters of automotive diesel fuel pumps and injection systems.
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Sterling introduces solar powered desalination system
19 April 2010
A low-temperature evaporative water desalination system is set to slash the energy and maintenance costs of converting salt water to drinking water.
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Golden slumbers
15 Apr 2010
One of the senior engineers had the unfortunate habit of nodding off at his desk in the afternoon. And while his colleagues at the high-tech outfit he worked for found his behaviour rather amusing, the engineer himself found the whole affair most embarrassing, especially when he awoke from his slumbers with an uncontrollable snort.
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Academic excitement
15 Apr 2010
The UK academics were truly excited when a large research council awarded them a substantial sum of money to develop a new device.
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One less for The Ark
8 Apr 2010
To brighten up my Easter, I ran down to the local store to purchase a copy of the new Roland Emmerich disaster film 2012. I had read that it was filled with disasters of Biblical proportions and I couldn’t wait to watch them.
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Full of beans
8 Apr 2010
The coffee company was going through a rough patch - no one was purchasing its coffee anymore. So, to revitalise the business, the managing director decided that he would produce a top-quality premium product that would appeal to the coffee cognoscenti.
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Prysm unveils laser based display
06 April 2010
The limitations of liquid-crystal and plasma displays have been overcome by a new laser display technology.
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Praxis develops vault access system
06 April 2010
A team of engineers has undertaken a challenge to rebuild reliable, error-free software for a vault access control system.
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Hardwired logic
1 Apr 2010
To create any electronic system, design engineers must first precisely define the function that they wish that system to perform. Only once that definition is complete, can a design team go about the business of choosing the optimum circuitry on which to implement their concept.
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Sacred cows
1 Apr 2010
It was a procedure that hadn’t changed much over 30 years. Each day, come rain or come shine, the farmer woke up bright and early to bring in his herd of cows into the parlour for their morning milking.
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What's on the Web?
25 Mar 2010
While there are plenty of technology, science and engineering sites on the internet, I’ve often wondered how many are truly all that useful to engineers engaged in practical day-to-day work – designing bridges, embedded computer systems or machines that can automate factories.
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Burning Rosebud
25 Mar 2010
Two years ago, when it looked as though the national team was about to take several medals in one of the most exciting sports ever devised by mankind, the public relations machinery at the engineering firm went into overdrive.
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Harnessing hot rocks
22 March 2010
A twin-borehole system in Durham will heat water for use in a geothermal power plant by cycling it 1km underground.
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Wireless condition monitoring with smartmesh
22 March 2010
Wireless technology could deliver more reliable condition monitoring in harsh environments.
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Don’t trust your computer
18 Mar 2010
A researcher at Leeds University Business School has found that people who use computers to help them make good decisions are often unwittingly being led into making bad ones.
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The kingdom of heaven
18 Mar 2010
In the past, if you wanted to advertise your wares to the mass market your choices were somewhat limited. There were magazines that you could advertise in, radio or television commercials that you could broadcast, or more recently, even messages that you could blast over the internet.
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The horror of humidity
10 Mar 2010
It was possibly one of the most innovative electro-mechanical systems the company had ever developed. Not only did it offer numerous technical advantages over competitive products, it was also designed to be much more reliable too.
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The final frontier
10 Mar 2010
Being a big fan of all things Star Trek, I was disappointed when I was unable to catch the new JJ Abrams vision of the future when it made its debut at the local picture palace.
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Driving engine efficiency
8 March 2010
Developed in collaboration with Fiat, Schaeffler’s variable hydraulic control system is said to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
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Bursting with energy
8 March 2010
The air-lift loop bioreactor produces micro-bubbles to reduce the energy usage in biochemical processes.
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The wayward wind
4 Mar 2010
Did you know that around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is through the walls and that just by insulating your cavity walls you can reduce heat loss and save money on your fuel bills?
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The late show
3 Mar 2010
When the banks hit hard times, members of all the parliamentary parties decided that the recovery of the nation would be better left in the hands of the folks in the manufacturing industries.
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Back to the old house
24 Feb 2010
They were not the railway children to begin with. Indeed, they wouldn’t have seen the railway at all had it not been for one dreadful evening when several men from the Ministry of Defence came to speak with father.
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Cubic conundrums
24 Feb 2010
Years ago, my friend Melanie bought me one of Professor Erno Rubik’s multicoloured cubes for Christmas. Knowing that I had a bit of a mathematical bent, she believed that it would provide me hours of intellectual enjoyment during the long winter evenings.
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Turbine of the times
22 February 2010
A new class of intermetallic materials under development may replace superalloys in the hot sections of modern-day jet engines.
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Inside Harry's coffin
18 Feb 2010
I don’t like funerals. Despite the fact that the folks who deliver the services are always keen to point out that they are a celebration of the dearly departed person’s life, I see little reason to celebrate. Weddings might be marginally happier affairs, but then only marginally.
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Extra-terrestrial image problem
10 Feb 2010
I’ve always been a little bit sceptical of folks who claim to have seen flying saucers from other worlds. After all, if life does exist on any planet even a few light years from our own, it’s highly unlikely that the ’folks’ there would be able to travel to the Earth in their own lifetime without playing some very clever tricks with the very fabric of space time.
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Visionary developments
08 February 2010
A new interface specification could offer significant advantages over the older Camera Link standard.
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A smaller slice of Apple
3 Feb 2010
Unless you were on vacation in deepest darkest Balochistan last week, you could not have failed to miss Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple, reveal his latest toy to the world.
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Criminal countermeasures
27 Jan 2010
A few nights back, bored to tears watching the pseudo-scientific Danny Boyle science-fiction film ‘Sunshine’, I went in search of a more interesting television programme to stimulate the old brain cells.
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Spotting the signs
25 January 2010
Improving resolution of systems used to image human tissue could help early identification of life-threatening diseases.
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Swell development
11 January 2010
A wave-energy technology developed by Ocean Navitas is designed to generate power in 3.5m sea states.
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Plane for all to see
11 January 2010
A next-generation test probe is designed to speed up the inspection of aircraft structures.
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Blade for a rainy day
7 December 2009
A windscreen-wiper system developed in France could improve safety when driving in wet conditions.
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Machine automates throttle insertion
23 November 2009
Machine automates insertion of compression limiters and threaded inserts into plastic throttle bodies.
