ENGGtalks Newsroom

17 Jul 23

Early-stage European SaaS startups set for funding rebound, report finds

Computer & Information Technology

In the second half of the year, early-stage European SaaS companies will see a significant funding increase across Series A and seed rounds. That’s according to the aVC index, a new monitoring tool developed by London-based AlbionVC and Google Cloud. The aVC index is based on an anonymous survey of…

15 Jul 23

This Fusion Reactor Is Held Together With Tape

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

On the site of a former U.S. Army Reserve base near Boston, an unusual structure is rising from the rolling hills. Brandon Sorbom, the scientific director of Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), leads me toward the center of the building’s cross-shaped footprint, weaving among scaffolding, forklifts, and teams of welders and…

14 Jul 23

Video Friday: Fourier Intelligence

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.IEEE RO-MAN 2023: 28–31 August 2023, BUSAN, SOUTH KOREAIROS 2023: 1–5…

14 Jul 23

Digital Twins Give Hydrogen a Greener Path to Growth

Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore. Hydrogen has great promise as a low-emission fuel source. It burns clean, generating only water as a by-product, and when it’s produced through electrolysis by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, the entire life…

14 Jul 23

New deal on EU-US data flows sparks privacy fears and business uncertainty

Computer & Information Technology

A new deal on data transfers between the EU and US has alarmed businesses and privacy campaigners. The pact, known as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, was announced on Monday by the European Commission. The EU’s executive body concluded that the US offered an “adequate level of protection” for data…

14 Jul 23

Energy grid upgrade costs could be slashed with coordinated software approach

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Demand for electricity is expected to soar as decarbonisation efforts in industry and transport creates greater demand. This has prompted concerns that current infrastructure is not ready for the increased loads, especially considering the demand from a rapid switch towards electric vehicles. Researchers from Stanford University believe that many infrastructure…

14 Jul 23

Flexible Implant Treats Heart Disease, Then Dissolves

Computer & Information Technology

A soft implant about the size of a postage stamp may one day both monitor and help treat heart disease and then harmlessly dissolve away when no longer needed, a new study finds.With roughly 655,000 people in the United States dying from heart disease each year, it accounts for about…

14 Jul 23

UK extends deadline for Microsoft-Activision $69B merger

Computer & Information Technology

The UK’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is extending the deadline for its review of the Microsoft-Activion $69bn merger, in the latest twist of a complex regulatory saga. The cut off date has been moved from July 18 to August 29. “The Inquiry Group has decided to extend [the period]…

14 Jul 23

Building 300,000 homes per year is ‘impossible’, MPs told

Geotechnical & Environmental

While the government is on track to deliver one million new homes throughout the current Parliament, it is not forecast to deliver 300,000 net new homes per year by the mid-2020s, MPs have been told. The findings are part of a new report published by the Levelling Up, Housing and…

14 Jul 23

Digital IDs — the need for a global passport

Computer & Information Technology

We live in a world characterised by mobility. More and more people are choosing to work remotely and live wherever they want without damaging their careers. While this trend had been on the rise in recent years, since the pandemic, the number of digital nomads worldwide is now up to…