Innovation Watch
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- Aerospace
- Materials
- Innovation Watch
Could in-space manufacturing be the future for space missions?
Imagine a future where spacecraft repair themselves, satellites grow their own antennas, and new missions launch without adding to the growing clutter of orbital debris. Dr Gilles Bailet, a researcher in space technologies at the University of Glasgow, explains in-space manufacturing – and what it’s like doing high-stakes experiments during parabolic flight.
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- Health & medical
- Materials
- Innovation Watch
Could this new superconductor help downsize MRI scanners?
MRI scanners are expensive, large and usually take up a whole room. Could swapping out the superconducting magnet inside for another type hold the key to eventually making the machines smaller and more affordable?
- Health & medical
- Aerospace
- Innovation Watch
Why we should be making cancer immunotherapy drugs in space
With access to space booming thanks to lower launch costs, companies such as BioOrbit are exploring in-space manufacturing. Fern Ellis finds out how microgravity could make for better cancer immunotherapy drugs.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Civil & structural
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 101
How punching holes in pavements could prevent flash flooding
Climate change is raising the risk of flash flooding in cities around the world. Could rethinking our impervious roads and pavements stop sewers from becoming overwhelmed?
- Energy
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 100
How a shrimp inspired nuclear fusion technology
First Light Fusion is setting records in its plans to commercialise nuclear power. It has taken inspiration from a shrimp to develop a process to compress pellets of fusion fuel to create thermonuclear fusion energy.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Environment & sustainability
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 100
The engineers turning surplus feathers into packaging
London-based startup Aeropowder is turning surplus feathers into a biodegradable thermal packaging material, designed to keep items such as medicines or vaccines insulated and cold during transport.
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- 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.
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- Health & medical
- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
The water sweets helping people with dementia stay hydrated
Inspired by his late grandma Pat, design engineer Lewis Hornby wanted to find a way to make staying hydrated easier for people with dementia. With his startup Jelly Drops, he’s invented a jelly sweet that is helping thousands of people avoid complications relating to dehydration.
- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
Thermal scanner aims to reduce amputation risk for people with diabetes
Thousands of people with diabetes require amputations each year due to severe complications associated with the disease. Startup Raidmed specialises in medtech devices aimed at improving diabetes footcare and preventing lower limb amputations.
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- Mechanical
- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 67
Designing and manufacturing world-class engines
Jaguar Land Rover has designed and built from scratch a world-class engine family with the creation of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the UK.
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- Health & medical
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 67
Improving access to the gold standard of MRI scanning
Siemens Magnet Technology (SMT), an Oxfordshire-based subsidiary of Siemens Healthcare UK, has developed the first 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnet suitable for clinical applications.
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- Materials
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 67
The bioplastic that is easily moulded for repairs
Launched on Kickstarter in November 2015, British designer Peter Marigold’s FORMcard innovation successfully raised the money needed to go into production on its first day. The malleable plastic has since been used to fix thousands of everyday items around the world.
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- Electricals & electronics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 98
The community IoT network preventing break-ins in Uganda
After thieves broke into his home and stole $1,500 worth of valuables, Ugandan engineer Anatoli Kirigwajjo wanted to prevent it happening to others. He’s developed an Internet of Things-based security system that alerts neighbours.
- Design & manufacturing
- Mechanical
- Innovation Watch
The manual washing machine for low-income communities
UK-based social enterprise The Washing Machine Project has developed a manual washing machine designed to help people in displaced and off-grid communities do their laundry.
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- Health & medical
- Sports & leisure
- Innovation Watch
The headband reducing the risk of brain injury
Halos is a sports headband for concussion and sub-concussion protection, which will benefit people playing in sports where head impacts occur, such as football, rugby, and hockey.
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- 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.
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- Aerospace
- Innovation Watch
Generating solar energy from space
Renewable solar energy harvested from space could help us to meet net zero by putting large arrays of photovoltaic panels in orbit to send solar energy down to Earth.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 95
Making prosthetics without compromise
Prosthetics for upper limb differences often involve a choice between something user-friendly and affordable, or aesthetically pleasing. University of Strathclyde-based startup Metacarpal is trying to bring all three elements together with a new body-powered prosthetic hand.
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- Aerospace
- Design & manufacturing
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
How AI can help 3D print perfect plane parts
Finding and correcting 3D printing errors is especially tough in the aerospace sector: a part with even a 300-micron defect could be catastrophic.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Energy
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 96
The clean energy pioneers
Ceres Power have found a way to make green hydrogen – thought to be an essential part of our energy transition – at scale.
- Design & manufacturing
- Chemical
- Environment & sustainability
- Materials
- Innovation Watch
Kicking single-use plastics to the curb
This spider-silk inspired plastic alternative produces no plastic alternatives – unlike existing "compostable" plastics.
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- Health & medical
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 94
Perfecting pain-free colonoscopies
Researchers are developing magnetically guided robotic instruments to make colonoscopies less painful for patients.
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- Civil & structural
- Electricals & electronics
- Innovation Watch
The sensors making cities and structures smarter
UtterBerry’s matchbox-sized sensors form a network, akin to the human body’s sensory system, that provides early warning when maintenance might be needed or damage repaired.
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- Civil & structural
- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
The startup purifying water in partnership with low-income communities
Access to clean water is a fundamental human need, yet hundreds of millions worldwide go without it. Cambridge-based social enterprise Blue Tap has one solution – a low-cost device that purifies water by precisely injecting chlorine into a local water supply.
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- Technology & robotics
- Sports & leisure
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 93
Bend it like a simulated avatar
The world's top free-kick-takers can curve a football in a way the goalkeeper can’t anticipate. Training to save these is no easy task. Now, Belfast startup INCISIV just might have a helping hand for goalies, with an ultra-programmable virtual reality technology.
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- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
Helping doctors strike back against superbugs
The looming problem of antibiotic resistance could take us back to the dark ages by giving previously treatable bacterial infections severe or even fatal consequences. A new device will help to make better use of existing antibiotics and investigate new ones.
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- Arts & culture
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
How AI can unearth archaeological sites
Humans from long ago have left all kinds of marks on landscapes. An AI tool from startup ArchAI, could help find these ancient traces.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Materials
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 92
Imaging the plastic recycling process
Chemical engineer Dr Kit Windows-Yule is using an innovative imaging technique to improve the chemical process of breaking plastics down into oil.
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- Health & medical
- Mechanical
- Innovation Watch
Building a portable vaccine fridge for Kenyans in rural areas
In remote and off-grid areas in Kenya, a lack of suitable medical refrigeration solutions has left many children with a gap in their vaccination records. Now, a portable solar-powered fridge, the Vaccibox, can be taken to where it’s needed via bike or boat, and keeps vaccines cold even when there is no electricity supply.
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- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
The compact incubator helping newborns thrive anywhere
Every year, more than 1 in 10 babies are born pre-term. mOm Incubators' Essential Incubator was designed to address the lack of flexible neonatal care available to support medics in challenging environments, including remote and rural births and hospitals without consistent power.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Arts & culture
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 91
Clothes that grow with children
By the time they reach the age of two, babies go through seven clothing sizes, only adding to the fashion industry’s impact on the planet. London-based Petit Pli is on a mission to lessen the burden, with childrenswear that grows with the wearer.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 90
The afro hair comb inspired by printing
Swansea-based engineer Dr Youmna Mouhamad is using her R&D experience to invent a hair comb designed to make looking after textured hair easier and less painful.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Mechanical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 89
Machining titanium components
Titanium has a high tensile strength and is light in weight but notoriously difficult to work with. Ed Mason has developed a way to machine the metal and has built a reputation for producing high-end custom-made parts for titanium bicycles.
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- Software & computer science
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 88
Remote and secure ID verification
Charlette N’Guessan is an Ivorian tech entrepreneur who is passionate about solving local challenges with technology. She used her software engineering background to launch BACE API, a digital identity verification system currently being used in financial services in West Africa.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Food & agriculture
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 87
Edible packaging
Half of plastic packaging is used once and thrown away. Notpla has developed sustainably sourced seaweed packaging to hold liquids, which decomposes in less than six weeks.
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- Environment & sustainability
- Arts & culture
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 86
From food waste to fashion
Chip[s] Board is turning potato peel into sustainable bioplastics for the fashion and interior design industries to simultaneously tackle the problems of food waste and plastic pollution.
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- Maritime & naval
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 85
Traffic lights for the tide
The Holy Island Causeway Indicator is a small gadget that lights up to show visitors whether the causeway is safe at a glance, helping prevent people getting stranded due to flooding.
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- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 84
Reducing surgeries for dialysis patients
Pathfinder Medical has invented a minimally invasive catheter guidance technology that will improve clinical outcomes for patients across the globe.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Civil & structural
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 83
Another brick in the wall
With natural resources running low, Scottish engineers have created a brick that uses more than 90% recycled building materials.
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- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 82
Wireless foetal monitor
The Monica Novii wireless patch system is a wearable device for women in labour that continuously monitors the baby’s heartbeat. It has won many obstetric and engineering awards, including the Campbell Mitchell Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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- Software & computer science
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 81
Darktrace, an immune system for computers
Darktrace has developed AI software designed to detect and defend against cyber threats from within computer networks – an immune system for computers.
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- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 80
Echo-location for navigation
The Sixth Sense is a handheld device that uses echo-location and haptic feedback to help people with visual impairments and blindness get about safely.
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- Electricals & electronics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 79
Ultrasonic armour inspection
A-Ultra is a portable device that uses sensors to check body armour for damage in just 10 seconds, saving time and money and making such inspections simple in even remote locations.
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- Food & agriculture
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 78
Robots in the field
Engineers began developing a robot designed to autonomously pick and sort strawberries. Three designs later, the first group of 24 robots is reaching UK fields this summer to navigate the crops and select ripe fruit, before picking, inspecting and packing the strawberries.
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- Arts & culture
- Electricals & electronics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 77
A new way to make music
A team of engineers has developed a range of instruments that is changing the way people make music. ROLI combines digital technologies and pressure-sensitive silicone so that users can generate sounds with the lightest touch.
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- 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.
- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 75
A tough lock to break
A successful online Kickstarter campaign helped to launch an award-winning, lightweight cycle lock that is now sold in over 70 countries and is the only bike lock on the market that closes without a key.
- Aerospace
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 75
Space-saving solutions for satellites
Harwell space business Oxford Space Systems is pioneering a new generation of deployable antennas and structures that are lighter, can be stowed more efficiently, and are more cost-effective than current alternatives for the global satellite industry.
- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 74
A more convenient way to camp
In 2004, a small British manufacturer produced a tent that weighed less than a kilogram. Since then, Terra Nova Equipment has continued to push camping technology boundaries, holding the world record for producing a 500-gram tent – the lightest that is commercially available.
- Electricals & electronics
- Technology & robotics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 73
The world's smallest gravimeter
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have adapted smartphone accelerometer technology to make the first small and affordable gravimeter, the Wee-g, able to detect tiny changes in gravity.
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- Health & medical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 72
The affordable diagnostic tool saving sight in low-income countries
Arclight, a low-cost, solar-powered diagnostic eye-care tool, is being used by thousands of health workers in low-income countries to identify preventable sight loss conditions.
- Food & agriculture
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 71
Farming straight up
Hydroponics, growing plants without soil in nutrient-enriched water, is a technique that has been used in some form for centuries. As the global population grows and food security is threatened, its faster growth and larger yields have become increasingly important.
- Materials
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 70
Thin and flexible but tough protection
Armourgel, an energy-absorbing material that can be incorporated into clothing, is being adapted from its origins in sportswear into a protective device for the hip that aims to protect the weak and fragile hip bones of osteoporosis patients and frequent fallers.
- Environment & sustainability
- Maritime & naval
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 69
An appetite for oil
The Gobbler boat’s compact and lightweight dimensions coupled with complex oil-skimming technology provide a safer and more effective way of containing and cleaning up oil spills, both in harbour and at sea.
- Mechanical
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 68
Delivering clean cold and power
Global technology company Dearman has developed a family of engines that uses liquid air to deliver zero-emission power and cooling, with Sainsbury’s becoming the first company in the world to introduce a refrigerated delivery truck cooled by this novel engine.
- Energy
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 64
New energy pioneers
London-based BBOXX supplies solar-powered battery boxes to customers in developing countries. Their remote monitoring and battery management system was one of the winners of the 2015 Bloomberg New Energy Finance Award.
- Electricals & electronics
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 63
Cable fault locator
The winner of the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s 2014 Innovation Award was EA Technology’s CableSnifferTM, which uses a probe and chemical sensing technology to identify faults, saving energy companies millions of pounds each year.
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- Design & manufacturing
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 62
Super cool(er)
Welsh startup Sure Chill has developed a cooler that uses the properties of water to keep its contents cool for around 10 days without electricity. This is ideal for storing items such as vaccines where electricity sources are unreliable.
- Civil & structural
- Innovation Watch
- Issue 61
The return of arched bridges
Arch bridges are strong, durable and require little maintenance. However, very few had been built since the early 1900s until the FlexiArch was developed and launched in 2007. Now, there has been a minor renaissance for this ancient form of construction.