Issues

Issue 97

November 2023

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An illustration of a swarm of small drones, forming a "murmuration" resembling the shape of a bird.
  • Technology & robotics
  • Issue 97

Engineering swarm robotics

Dr Anna Ploszajski explores the engineering that goes into copying one of nature’s finest spectacles, and some of the surprising applications possible when robots work together.
  • Chemical
  • Environment & sustainability
  • Issue 97

How to remediate forever chemicals

Move over, microplastics, there’s a troubling new pollutant in town, used to manufacture iPhone chips, firefighting foams and many more everyday items. So how do we get rid of forever chemicals for good?
Two container ships at harbour viewed from above, with green cranes on the dock.
  • Maritime & naval
  • Environment & sustainability
  • Issue 97

Decarbonising the shipping industry

About 90% of traded goods are transported on the world’s oceans, with total trade volumes likely to triple by 2050, however, shipping is currently reliant on fossil fuels. Leonie Mercedes explores the different possibilities for a green future for the industry.

Quick read

A demonstration of a millimetre-sized camera on a probe in a model of the cervix and uterus.
  • Health & medical
  • Innovation Watch
  • Issue 97

Making vital diagnostics more accessible

Delayed access to hysteroscopies in South Africa is causing patients unnecessary distress and health risks. With a new medical device, Cape Town-based startup FlexiGyn is working to make the procedure mobile, affordable and pain-free.

Quick read

An illustration of two women scientists in a lab with an array of brightly coloured test tubes.
  • Aerospace
  • How I got here
  • Issue 97

Q&A: Khadijah Ismail, aerospace engineer

After completing a degree apprenticeship with BAE Systems, Khadijah Ismail has turned her hand to writing STEM children’s books to inspire the next generation of engineers.

Quick read

  • Chemical
  • Food & agriculture
  • How does that work?
  • Issue 97

Non-alcoholic beer and wine

Sales of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks have soared in recent years, more than doubling since before the pandemic. So how do manufacturers make them alcohol free while still tasting the same?
Professor Simon Pollard standing in a university research department.
  • Environment & sustainability
  • Profiles
  • Issue 97

A champion of the green economy

Professor Simon Pollard OBE FREng’s confidence in the idea of a circular economy began when he set out to turn harmful waste into useful materials. His career as an environmental engineer has encompassed many aspects of the waste and water utility sectors.
A drone shot of seven cars in a V-formation on a very wide tarmacked strip at a multi lane vehicle testing site.
  • Transport
  • Issue 97

Testing new cars on a digital track

During development, vehicles are subject to an increasingly complex combination of physical testing and digital simulation to test how they operate before launch.