Covid-19

27 Apr 23

Poor indoor air quality is risk factor for another pandemic, Hong Kong study warns

Geotechnical & Environmental

The University of Hong Kong team studied indoor air quality as it was one of the factors aiding the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic. While effective, vaccination has not completely controlled the spread of the virus, with the vast majority of transmission now thought to occur indoors in poorly…

28 Mar 23

How and When the Chip Shortage Will End, in 4 Charts

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Metallurgy & Material Science

One looming artifact of the pandemic that remains in 2023—the global chip shortage—has gratefully begun to recede. Unlike the state of things in mid-2021—when crimps in the semiconductor supply chain cropped up in big ways—supply and demand have become much less of a mismatch. As IEEE Spectrum reported in the…

10 Feb 23

UK Ventilator Challenge revisited: what must we learn to address net zero?

Engineering & Management

I recently had an inspiring chat over coffee with Dick Elsy CBE, chairman of AB Dynamics, whom I was privileged to support during VCUK, the 2020 UK Ventilator Challenge established in response to the Prime Minister’s urgent call for additional ventilators to cope with Covid. Happening around the same time…

30 Aug 22

Second jobs, pub closures and small businesses squeezed as energy prices surge

Engineering & Management

It has also been revealed that small businesses in the UK are owed on average almost £23,000 from overdue invoices - a 6 per cent year-on-year rise - as customers and suppliers try to delay payment for as long as possible, feeling the pinch in their own cashflow. Rising energy…

25 Aug 22

PPE could be recycled to make stronger concrete

Geotechnical & Environmental

The team of engineers, from RMIT's School of Engineering, is investigating the feasibility of recycling three key types of PPE - isolation gowns, face masks and rubber gloves - into concrete. Published in the journals 'Case Studies in Construction Materials', 'Science of the Total Environment' and 'Journal of Cleaner Production',…

17 Aug 22

What will a post-pandemic living space look like?

Geotechnical & Environmental

The Covid-19 pandemic has made people dramatically reassess their relationships with their homes. As lockdowns forced us to live under stay-at-home orders, we made significant changes to cope with the pressures of juggling all aspects of our lives stuck indoors for prolonged periods of time. Now, as we move beyond…

28 Mar 22

How data is setting manufacturing on the smart path to digitalisation

Engineering & Management

It seems there will be little let-up in supply chain disruption in 2022 for UK manufacturers – and many are focusing their investments on digital transformation accordingly. The year began well enough for the industry, with domestic demand rising, raw material shortages falling and delivery delays in abatement. But Russia’s…

Poor indoor air quality is risk factor for another pandemic, Hong Kong study warns

How and When the Chip Shortage Will End, in 4 Charts

UK Ventilator Challenge revisited: what must we learn to address net zero?

Second jobs, pub closures and small businesses squeezed as energy prices surge

PPE could be recycled to make stronger concrete

What will a post-pandemic living space look like?

How data is setting manufacturing on the smart path to digitalisation

Machine Learning Turns Up COVID Surprise

Psychedelics startups counter stereotypes to bring hallucinogens into mental healthcare

EV Startups, Running Out Of Juice

Video Friday: Autonomous Car Drifting, Aerial-Aquatic Drone, and Jet-Powered Robot

Green hydrogen production costs could be lowered with new method