Webinars

Welcome to the E&T webinar programme

Our series of interactive webinars will enable you to stay abreast of the latest technology developments, whilst improving your knowledge across a host of engineering-related disciplines. Our free-to-attend webinars will put you directly in touch with industry experts; sharing their best practice to benefit your business.

Join the E&T Webinars community to discuss webinars and connect with industry peers.

Exploring the eCall system and lab testing solutions

In association with Anritsu

Webinar overview

Webinar participants will receive a global technical overview of eCall and learn how it should be tested to ensure devices or chipsets work properly in the new European framework.

The European Commission aims to have the new eCall initiative in place by 2015, which means vehicles will have devices that can dial for help automatically and send airbag, sensor and GPS information wirelessly to emergency agencies. Thanks to this gain in time, eCall is expected to save hundreds of lives in the EU each year.

The eCall project is supported by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

About the speaker

François Ortolan, Wireless Specialist at Anritsu UK, actively participated in the development of the eCall tester and has in-depth experience in R&D, live radio optimisation and UE testing.

Thinking Outside the Patent Box

In association with Mintz-Levin

Date: 17 April 2013      Time: 14:00 BST     Duration: 60 minutes

Registration: Free to attend

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Webinar overview

With the new Patent Box tax relief scheme being introduced by the government in April 2013, this webinar is very timely. It will explain how the traditional role of patents will change under the new scheme and highlight the strategic issues that need to be considered.

Companies that develop products in the UK and obtain patent protection will enjoy a significant reduction in their corporation tax bill on profits derived from those products. The Patent Box scheme will enable patent holders to obtain value from their patents in an entirely new way. However, there are a number of strategic considerations to make to ensure that companies can benefit from the tax relief and to get the best value from the scheme.

5 key learning points you will take away from this webinar:

• How to obtain tax relief from UK-based product development
• How to use patents to reduce your corporation tax bill
• How to manage a patent portfolio for best effect under the Patent Box scheme
• Understand when patent protection is suitable
• Understand the financial implications of obtaining a patent

About the speakers

David Wraige joined the patent profession in 2000 and Mintz Levin in 2012, having previously qualified as a European and Chartered Patent Attorney with another major London firm. He has considerable experience advising a diverse range of clients from start-ups to multinational corporations, enabling him to tailor his service to the needs of a particular client.

  Laurence Bard is a corporate tax partner at Smith & Williamson, accountants and tax advisers. His main skill lies in creating tax opportunities for corporate clients, planning their tax strategies and negotiating successful results with H M Revenue & Customs. Within this broad ambit, he specialises in advising companies developing new products and services, and exploiting the fruits of their intellectual property. He is an expert in Research and Development tax credits, where he represents taxpayers on the Joint HMRC R&D Consultative Committee, and in the new field of the Patent Box.

This webinar will be briefly introduced by Adam Brown of Minesoft Patent Solutions, giving a short overview of patents and commercial patent databases that can assist engineers.

Standardising Embedded Software within Vehicle ECUs

In association with Vector

Date: 27 March 2013     Time: 14:00 GMT     Duration: 60 minutes

Registration: Free to attend

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Webinar overview

  This webinar explains how the role of embedded software within vehicles has been increasing exponentially over the past 20 years, and how it has become necessary to standardise the software platform running within the electronic control units (ECUs).

Discover how the major vehicle manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers have formed the AUTOSAR consortium to standardise the embedded software functions and design methodology used within the vehicle.

A brief overview of Vector and a short history of their embedded software development for the networking of vehicle ECUs will also be covered. Finally explore how you can use AUTOSAR techniques to get your automotive application to market quicker using Vector’s MICROSAR software and DaVinci tools.

5 key learning points:

• The role of embedded software within the vehicle.
• How embedded software has grown alongside the new electronic features on the car.
• The necessity to standardise the software functions and design methodologies.
• The benefit that the AUTOSAR consortium has brought to the automotive industry.
• How you can get customer features to market quicker using AUTOSAR software and tools.

About Vector

Vector works closely with all the vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier-1 suppliers in the Automotive Industry. They have nearly ten years’ experience within the AUTOSAR partnership and won the Premium Member Award in 2008.

With Vectors’ unique position in the marketplace, this webinar offers a unique insight in many of the challenges that have been faced and overcome by their customer in rolling out AUTOSAR solutions.

About the speaker

Steve Waldron, who will be delivering the webinar, is the Business Development Manager at Vector GB and is responsible for Vector’s Embedded Software Product Line within the UK and ROI. He has over 12 years’ experience of developing software tools, low-level drivers and embedded applications within automotive and off-highway industries.

Multiphysics Modelling of Sensors and Actuators

In association with: COMSOL

Date: 14 March 2013     Time: 2pm GMT, 3pm CET, 9am EST     Duration: 60mins

Registration: Free to attend

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Webinar overview

This webinar will be presented by Oliver Lipscombe and will focus on the application of multiphysics modelling for the design and development of sensors and actuators. It will explore how to model and develop a wide range of devices using COMSOL Multiphysics, a solution designed for engineers to help realise their designs quickly and effectively, and reduce product lead-times and costs. As such it will appeal to technical and project managers as well as engineers, scientists and researchers working in this field.

Sensors and actuators are widely developed for use in many industrial applications, ranging from consumer products and vehicles to medical and drug delivery devices.  Simulating these devices requires a multiphysics approach: most sensors and actuators utilize several coupled physical effects. For this reason, designers are using multiphysics-capable software to model thermal, electrical, structural, piezoelectric and microfluidic behaviour for most sensor applications.

About the speaker

Oliver Lipscombe graduated from a PhD in solid state physics at Bristol University and then carried out research in low temperature magnetism for three years, mostly in the USA.  Oliver specialises in the electromagnetic modelling and heat transfer applications of COMSOL Multiphysics.

This webinar will be introduced by guest speaker Dr Andrew Fleming, a senior lecturer at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Newcastle, Australia.

Inspec: Great Minds On Innovation presents The Smart Grid, Smart Homes, Smart Roads And Beyond

In this presentation, Heath Knakmuhs, Senior Director of Policy (Institute for 21st Century Energy -U.S. Chamber of Commerce) will discuss innovative energy technologies for a sustainable society. 

Our current energy grid has many shortcomings; including conservation, outage management and integration of intermittent energy resources, as well as security threats and cyber protection. These factors all impact the design and development of products that look to maximize energy efficiency-focused technologies and properly manage power supply. With this in mind, Heath will explore the paradigm shift needed for technological breakthrough leading to smarter transmission strategies, increased automation, balancing generation and load with off-peak storage and large-scale battery storage. 

His discussion will also encompass integration strategies focused on application solutions such as smart meters, smart appliances and demand response strategies impacting consumer electronics.

Inspec: Great Minds On Innovation Featuring Dean Kamen

This webinar offers some unique insight into the world of renowned design engineer Dean Kamen.

Kamen offers perspective on product innovation and automation advancements, drawing from his own personal experiences that range from life-changing medical inventions to the development of portable water purifications systems that could save millions of lives around the globe.

Perhaps best known for founding FIRST, an organization focused on inspiring young peoples’ interest and participation in science and technology through robotics competitions and other initiatives, Kamen was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1997, received the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in 2000 and was awarded the Global Humanitarian Action Award from the United Nations in 2006.

He is one of the most innovative thinkers and problem-solvers of our generation.

Inspec: Engineering the Brain and Transforming World Health

In this presentation, neuroscientist, Professor Edward S. Boyden of the world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will discuss his ground breaking inventions and breakthroughs in medical engineering.

He is the principal investigator at the Synthetic Neurobiology Group at MIT, which develops tools for controlling and observing the dynamic circuits of the brain. He uses these neurotechnologies to understand how cognition and emotion arise from brain network operation, as well as to enable repair of brain disorders. 

Boyden is also the inaugural recipient of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize. Worth £300,000, it is awarded in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research in medical engineering.

Heat Transfer Simulations with COMSOL Multiphysics

In association with: COMSOL

Date: 5 December 2012      Time: 2pm GMT, 3pm CET, 9am EST     Duration: 60mins

Heat transfer is a central phenomenon to many engineering and scientific systems, both in managing heating applications in their own right, and in conjunction with other physical effects.  This webinar will examine the use of COMSOL Multiphysics in the simulation of heat conduction, convection and radiation and then examine the coupling of heat transfer to other physics, such as electrical heating, fluid cooling, and thermal stress.  We will conclude with a worked example to demonstrate the setting up and solving of a heat transfer model.

The event will cover both analytical and experimental topics with real case scenarios which will help to increase the basic understanding of transfer processes and the modelling of, in various applications and engineering problems. If you are a research worker or engineer you will find this event invaluable.

About the speaker

Edmund Dickinson studied chemistry at the University of Oxford from 2004 to 2008. He then moved on to a doctorate at Oxford, researching the charge and mass transfer properties of electrolyte solutions. He joined COMSOL as an application engineer in January 2012, specialising in chemistry, heat transfer and fluid flow.

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An overview of modelling multiphysics applications

How simulating physical behaviour can help you

In association with: COMSOL

Date: 18 October 2012     Time: 2pm BST, 3pm CEST, 9am EDT     Duration: 60mins

Registration: Free to attend

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Webinar overview

About the speaker

Keith Howard is a Chartered Engineer who has spent 30 years in the scientific and engineering software industry. He has worked with a broad range of customers from many industries, helping them to determine improved processes for research, design and development and implementing appropriate software solutions. He is currently Managing Director of COMSOL's UK office.

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