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Artist’s impression of a generic remote handling robot, showing the operator controlling the robotic arms
  • Technology & robotics
  • Issue 99

The robots hard at work in the UK’s most radioactive places

From highly radioactive environments to the ocean floor and out in space, some places are just too hazardous for humans. But ‘hot’ robotics are being developed to take our places in nuclear environments, from safely storing waste to maintaining and decommissioning fusion facilities.

Quick read

  • Health & medical
  • Innovation Watch

The imaging tool that could prevent cancer surgery complications

London-based startup Hypervision Surgical is developing an advanced imaging system that can help surgeons avoid dangerous complications during operations, and may even be able to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissue.

Quick read

A woman floating in a space suit with her hair spread around her in the hold of a plane during parabolic (zero gravity) flight
  • Aerospace
  • Chemical
  • How I got here

Q&A: Meganne Christian, reserve astronaut

Initially, Meganne Christian's background in engineering prepared her for research expeditions to Antarctica and experiments with materials in zero gravity. After earning a position as a reserve astronaut with the European Space Agency in 2022, she is now a part of the exploration team at the UK Space Agency.

Image shows the fingers from a hand, which is slightly in water having scooped up grains of sand that contain small colourful microplastics
  • Environment & sustainability
  • Materials
  • Issue 99

How engineers are fighting microplastic pollution

From the deepest reaches of the sea to the innermost tissues of our bodies, humans have found microplastics everywhere we’ve looked for them. Now, engineers are trying to stop microplastics from getting into our water systems and the environment.

  • Mechanical
  • How does that work?
  • Issue 99

How do hydraulic presses work?

Whether it's squashing crayons, an anvil or ball bearings, the hydraulic press is governed by a few simple physical principles. Leonie Mercedes explores the engineering behind this enduring viral sensation, and how we can create these obscenely large forces with relatively little input.

A blue tinted close up photo of an eye with a pattern of overlaid concentric white, green, yellow and red circles on it
  • Health & medical
  • Technology & robotics
  • Issue 99

How robotics can improve retinal surgery

Engineers are working with ophthalmic surgeons to create a robotically controlled needle with a flexible tip that has the precision required to inject therapeutic materials into the tissue lining the back of the eye.

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We run stories about engineering of all kinds.
Our stories showcase its unique breadth and variety, how it makes a difference, and how it helps to shape an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.

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Illustration for Ingenia by Benjamin Leon

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