ENGGtalks Newsroom

21 Mar 23

Decarbonise public buildings ‘five times faster’ to meet net-zero targets, report says

Geotechnical & Environmental

The 'Public Building Energy Efficiency' report, conducted by network service providers Neos Networks, examined the actual energy usage and efficiency of over 450,000 public buildings in England and Wales. It analysed their display energy certificates (DECs) and ‘operational ratings’ (annual CO2 emission kg per m2), and highlighted the areas requiring…

21 Mar 23

US innovative transport projects to receive $94m in funding

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The US will support a series of smart mobility projects using the funding from its November 2021 infrastructure law, which pledged to dedicate $500m (£408m) over five years for these types of initiatives. US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grants would "foster innovations that improve people's day-to-day lives, making…

20 Mar 23

The Move to Memory-Safe Programming

Computer & Information Technology

Memory safety is in the spotlight. In November 2022, the National Security Agency recommended the use of memory-safe programming languages to protect against software-memory safety issues. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports encouraged the use of memory-safe languages in its “Future of Memory Safety” report.“One of the key reasons why memory-safe…

20 Mar 23

Human-AI Team Ups Could Slash Chip-Development Costs

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Metallurgy & Material Science

When it comes to developing new ways to fabricate microchips, the best approach may be not to rely on either human- or computer-developed designs alone but instead a blending of the two. Such collaborations might reduce costs by half compared to depending on human experts alone, a new study finds.“While…

20 Mar 23

How an Electrical Engineer Solved Australia’s Most Famous Cold Case

Biotechnology & Biomedical

Dead, and in a jacket and tie. That’s how he was on 1 December 1948, when two men found him slumped against a retaining wall on the beach at Somerton, a suburb of Adelaide, Australia. The Somerton Man’s body was found on a beach in 1948. Nobody came forward to…

20 Mar 23

Agility’s Latest Digit Robot Prepares for Its First Job

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

This morning at the ProMat conference in Chicago, Agility Robotics is introducing the latest iteration of Digit, its bipedal multipurpose robot designed for near-term commercial success in warehouse and logistics operations. This version of Digit adds a head (for human-robot interaction) along with manipulators intended for the very first task…

20 Mar 23

Energy firms face ‘tsunami’ of industrial action, union warns

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

According to Unite, around 1,400 offshore workers across five companies are planning to strike, which could bring platforms and offshore installations to a “standstill”. The latest round of industrial action will hit BP, CNRI, EnQuest, Harbour, Ithaca, Shell and Total. Fossil fuel extractors have enjoyed bumper profits over the last…

20 Mar 23

UK must invest in smart and green shipping solutions, MPs tell government

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The UK’s maritime sector needs more investment in new technology and cleaner fuels to compete internationally, MPs said. The TSC has published a report on the government’s Maritime 2050 strategy, published in 2019. Although the document was originally praised for its long-term vision, MPs have criticised the lack of a…

18 Mar 23

Decentralized Social Media Rises as Twitter Melts Down

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Is the future of social media decentralized? That question might’ve felt absurd a few years ago, but the Fediverse is challenging long-held assumptions about how social media should work. The Fediverse, unlike the social networks that rose to dominance over the last two decades, is a decentralized collection of servers…

17 Mar 23

Video Friday: Resilient Bugbots

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.Robotics Summit & Expo: 10–11 May 2023, BOSTONICRA 2023: 29 May–2…