ENGGtalks Newsroom

22 Nov 23

UK universities urged to reduce equity stakes in their spinouts

Computer & Information Technology

The UK university spinout ecosystem is flourishing, with 1,116 active companies as of January 2023. But to further facilitate this growth, British universities should cut down on their equity stakes, a spinout review commissioned by the government advises. According to data from Beauhurst, between 2013 and 2022, academic institutions took…

22 Nov 23

Creating Virtual Objects With the Flick of a Finger

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore.Imagine doing a simple hand gesture, and the object in front of you is manipulated the way you desire. Now this act of creation is possible—in the world of virtual reality (VR).Researchers in the United…

22 Nov 23

EU pushes further for domestic production of green tech

Computer & Information Technology

Amid a global race for green tech sovereignty, the European Parliament on Tuesday passed the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) — a bill intended to boost the EU’s manufacturing output in the technologies needed for decarbonisation. Initially proposed by the Commission in March, the NZIA sets a couple ambitious goals. Firstly,…

22 Nov 23

Spotify’s new streaming payments spark controversy among musicians

Computer & Information Technology

Tech has waded into another feud with artists. After a week of wrangles about AI mimicry of pop stars and training models on copyrighted content, Spotify has sparked fresh controversy over a new royalty scheme. The streaming giant announced on Tuesday that its new payment policy will exclude songs with…

22 Nov 23

Dark Matter Data Saved Via Parachute

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

A NASA high-altitude balloon flight earlier this year served as reminder of an ever-important lesson: Always back up your data. In April in Wānaka, New Zealand, researchers launched the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope, or SuperBIT, a balloon-based telescope that aimed to gather data on dark-matter distribution by imaging colliding…

22 Nov 23

Zoom Fatigue is Real, According to Brain Scans

Computer & Information Technology

Since the pandemic began in 2020, Zoom video teleconferences have become a new normal for many people’s working life. Now a study finds that these virtual meetings exhaust the brain more than face-to-face communication.Lockdowns due to COVID-19 led to skyrocketing adoption of Zoom, Skype and other videoconferencing tools as substitutes…

22 Nov 23

Pioneer of Google’s Data Centers Dies at 58

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Luiz André BarrosoData center pioneerSenior member, 59; died 16 September An engineer at Google for more than 20 years, Barroso is credited with designing the company’s warehouse-size data centers. They house hundreds of thousands of computer servers and disk drives and have brought cloud computing, more powerful search engines, and…

21 Nov 23

How Google Ad Grants helps this nonprofit support Native American communities

Computer & Information Technology

Google Ad Grants helped nonprofit PWNA connect with donors and drive awareness for their mission.

21 Nov 23

China’s Belt and Road Initiative pivots to renewables and away from fossil fuels

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The Chinese government launched the controversial initiative in 2013, which aims to develop large-scale infrastructure in foreign countries in an effort to enhance its economic influence globally, as well as to address domestic overcapacity issues by exporting excess industrial capacity. It has faced both praise and criticism, with supporters arguing…

21 Nov 23

Imagineer Morgan Pope Uses Electromagnetism to Spark Emotions

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Most people probably think of robots as cold and calculating, but for Morgan Pope they can be a tool for generating emotions.As a research scientist at Disney Research in Glendale, Calif., Pope designs robots for the entertainment giant’s theme parks. But working as an Imagineer, as Disney’s researchers are known,…