- Environment & sustainability
- Maritime & naval
- Issue 76
A great British polar explorer
The rapid melting of polar ice caps could have catastrophic consequences for oceans across the globe. To understand the role that the polar oceans play in our changing world, Britain is debuting the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world.
- Aerospace
- Issue 76
An innovative flight simulator for vertical landing
The first of the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, will head out to the US to operate with the F-35B aircraft for the first time. In a small corner of Lancashire, a group of pilots has been ‘flying’ the aircraft in a flight simulator in preparation.
Quick read
- Electricals & electronics
- How does that work?
- Issue 76
Driverless cars
Self-driving cars have been a science-fiction staple for decades, but a wide range of onboard sensors and sophisticated data-processing tools are now supporting trials on public roads around the world.
Quick read
- Aerospace
- Technology & robotics
- How I got here
- Issue 76
Q&A: Sinead O'Sullivan
Sinead O’Sullivan is an academic researcher at Harvard Business School and the US Center for Climate and Security, working on aerospace engineering, technology, business and policy. She is also commercialising technology to monitor interference in democratic elections.
Quick read
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 76
Heating homes with robots
Construction technology company Q-Bot has created robots that can install underfloor insulation without messy construction work, solving the problem of heat loss, that occurs when suspended flooring is installed in homes and allows the entry of cold air.
- Software & computer science
- Opinion
- Issue 76
Supporting the digitally left behind
As vital services are becoming increasingly online, a large community of people are being digitally left behind. IT systems experts Dan Bailey, Dr Maurice Perks and Chris Winter argue that it is up to IT systems engineers, among others, to ensure that everyone can take advantage of, and enjoy, the digital revolution.
- Energy
- Profiles
- Issue 76
Building a sustainable career
Dr Shaun Fitzgerald FREng has moved between academia, strategic consulting and running his own business, and is now the new Director of the Royal Institution. A career that started in geothermal energy research moved to natural ventilation in buildings, leading to a business that has changed the nature of building design.
- Design & manufacturing
- Issue 76
Tailor-made inventions
Engineers can design and create equipment to help disabled people live more independently. UK charity Remap matches up volunteer engineers with disabled people who need bespoke solutions. Three engineers spoke about what attracted them to the charity and how their innovations had made a difference.
- Civil & structural
- Issue 76
Tunnelling over time
The 2018 Sir Frank Whittle Medal winner for ‘outstanding and sustained achievement in any engineering discipline’ is veteran tunnelling engineer John Bartlett CBE FREng. His greatest and unappreciated achievement was the bentonite tunnelling machine, the precursor of all the world’s tunnel boring machines for non-cohesive soils.