ENGGtalks Newsroom

25 Aug 23

New discovery could lead to faster-charging and longer-range EVs

Computer & Information Technology

In a breakthrough for the EV industry, researchers have discovered a way to prevent a damaging and potentially dangerous side effect that can occur during fast charging: lithium plating. The phenomenon takes place when lithium ions build up on the surface of the battery’s anode (aka the negative electrode) instead…

25 Aug 23

Meta’s Flamera Has a New Vision for Augmented Reality

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Meta’s latest prototype headset, Flamera, looks ripped straight from a sci-fi action flick—and it quickly turned heads at SIGGRAPH 2023, where Flamera won the coveted Best in Show award.The Flamera headset, bug-eyed and glowing ominous red, is an intimidating piece of kit that looks radically different from its peers. And…

25 Aug 23

UK risks £65m in exports without switch to heat pumps, energy analysts warn

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

According to new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), this could cost the UK a total of £1.3bn in lost exports between 2030 and 2050. In January, the government’s net zero review concluded that no new homes should be built with a gas boiler from 2025. It…

25 Aug 23

Autonomous cars worse at detecting children and dark-skinned pedestrians, study finds

Computer & Information Technology

AI has a notorious history of biases, from facial recognition systems misidentifying Black people to chatbots admiring Hitler. In some settings, the outcomes could be deadly. A case in point was exposed this week. According to new research, the pedestrian detection systems used in autonomous vehicle research have major age and…

25 Aug 23

Google expands transparency for ads, content, policy as EU’s new rules kick in

Computer & Information Technology

Google will provide more information on targeted advertising, content decisions, and product policies as it strives to comply with the EU’s new content moderation rules, the tech giant said on Thursday. Known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s landmark legislation kicks in today for 19 big tech companies.…

25 Aug 23

Record Broken: Decoding Words From Brain Signals

Computer & Information Technology

Two new brain-computer interfaces (BCI)—electronic bridges between mind and machine—decode words from people’s unspoken but intended speech. The two systems, presented in papers published this week in the journal Nature, demonstrate performance breakthroughs for speech-decoding BCI developed by scientists at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco.Both papers…

24 Aug 23

European space telescopes spot tiny jets that could power the solar wind

Computer & Information Technology

A spacecraft has detected tiny jets that could be the elusive source of the sun’s solar wind. The discovery was made by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter. According to ESA, the satellite is the most complex scientific lab ever sent to the sun. Using the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI)…

24 Aug 23

This Nigerian Startup’s Minigrid Began as a School Project

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

When Ifeanyi Orajaka was an undergraduate engineering student in 2008, he had his career all mapped out. After he graduated from the Federal University of Technology in Owerri, Nigeria, his plan was to get a high-paying job at one of the multinational oil and gas companies based in the country.…

24 Aug 23

Wireless System Design Challenges and AI-Based Solutions

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

The advances in technology have increased wireless systems and network complexities by widening the range of parameters that need to be introduced, continuously monitored, and tuned to ensure quality of the overall systems. This white paper discusses design challenges where AI techniques and MATLAB-based workflow can improve overall network performance.

24 Aug 23

Here’s how the EU’s Digital Services Act changes the content rules for big tech

Computer & Information Technology

The EU’s latest crackdown on big tech begins before the end of the week. Starting on Friday, a total of 19 major companies must adhere to the sweeping rules of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Essentially, the DSA is a landmark content moderation rulebook, designed to empower and protect users…