It will also launch a major public consultation so that households and communities can give their views on what the government can do to further support them as part of Ireland’s path to net zero.

The commitment comes two years after the UK became the first country to pass legislation committing it to the same 2050 target.

Ireland’s emissions have fallen by 4 and 6 per cent in the past two years, but it will need to increase this to at least 7 per cent annually to ensure the 51 per cent reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.

In a press release, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said: “There is no doubt that during the pandemic our capacity to deliver on a range of activities was challenged.

“We continued to implement the 2019 Climate Action Plan across Government Departments and over the lifetime of the Plan, succeeded in delivering on 78 per cent of the actions.”

The new bill makes a number of political changes including strengthening the role of the Climate Change Advisory Council by enabling it to propose carbon budgets to the environment minister.

All forms of greenhouse gas emissions including biogenic methane will be included in the carbon budgets although the government has yet to decide on the trajectories for different sectors, which will eventually be detailed in the annually update Climate Action Plan.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “This is a landmark day for Ireland. We all know that climate change is already happening, and the time to act is now.

“The Bill we are publishing today affirms our ambition to be a global leader in this field. As we begin our journey towards net zero emissions, the government is committed to tackling the challenges, and embracing the opportunities, this transition can bring our economy, our society and our country.

“We must continue to act, across government, as there is no time to waste when it comes to securing our future.”

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD said: “As we emerge from the pandemic, we must ensure that the road to recovery is a sustainable one. I am confident that the decarbonisation of the economy will present significant opportunities for Irish business, for trade and for new employment.”

The graphene-enhanced cushioned foam, called 'G-Fly' is a key part of inov-8’s new trail shoe, the Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max, which is designed for ultra-marathon and long-distance runners.

Scientific tests prove that the foam infused with graphene - billed as the world’s strongest material - delivers 25 per cent greater energy return and is far more resistant to compressive wear. It therefore maintains optimum levels of underfoot bounce and comfort for much longer.

This helps runners maintain a faster speed over greater distances, aid their feet in feeling fresher for longer, and prolong the life of their footwear.

The company claims that the new shoe is also the first deeply cushioned trail shoe that adapts and reacts to uneven terrain, courtesy of its new 'Adapter-Flex' technology. A 10mm underfoot groove frees up the midsole and works in harmony with the foot, so runners feel connected to the trail.

Michael Price, COO of British-born inov-8, said: “In an industry where running shoe manufacturers seem hung up on underfoot carbon plates, we’ve delivered an innovative proposition. G-Fly cushioned foam not only gives runners incredible long-lasting energy return, but an underfoot feel free of rigidity and full of agility.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard for the past two years with the university and leading footwear industry veteran Doug Sheridan in developing this innovation. A team of 40 athletes from across the world tested prototype shoes and more than 50 mixes of graphene-enhanced foam. Trail test reports show G-Fly foam still performing well after 1,200km – double the industry standard.”

Inov-8 first used graphene in 2018 when it launched 'Graphene-Grip' rubber on the outsoles of its running, hiking and fitness shoes. Sales of its footwear featuring the wonder rubber have surged globally over the last three years.

The forthcoming Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max shoe will also feature Graphene-Grip which, along with G-Fly and Adapter-Flex, are all patent-pending. Inov-8 remains the only company in the world to use graphene in sports shoes. The company is based in the Lake District, Cumbria, which has historically been a major source of graphite, the natural material from which graphene is produced.

Wayne Edy, who founded inov-8 in 2003, said: “We continue to carve our own trail, with innovation at the forefront of everything we do. It would be easy to follow others, but that is not in our DNA. Our revolutionary use of graphene, first in rubber and now in foam, proves that we dare to be different.”

As well as being 200 times stronger than steel, graphene is also the world’s thinnest material and boasts astonishing flexibility. Its 2004 discovery as an almost invisible single layer of graphite ultimately earned scientists at the University of Manchester the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

Since then, a team of over 300 staff at the university has pioneered a diverse range of projects and contributed to graphene-enhanced sports cars; medical devices; aerospace developments; improving infrastructure, and now sports footwear.

Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, reader in nanomaterials at the University of Manchester, home to both the National Graphene Institute and Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, said: “As well as on the trail, we also tested extensively in the laboratory, including subjecting the foam to aggressive ageing tests that mimic extensive use. Despite being significantly aged, the G-Fly foam still delivered more energy return than some un-aged foams.

“We are proud of G-Fly foam, the Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max and all we have achieved in our highly successful partnership with inov-8. We look forward to the next phase and further expanding the use of graphene, a material that has limitless potential.”

The Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max is available to pre-order online, priced at £170, before general sale begins on 8 April.

E&T has closely followed the take-up of graphene and its widespread adoption and use in myriad applications, across a wide range of industries. E&T also previously interviewed both of the scientists - Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselo - who were behind the breakthrough discovery of the wonder material.

It found parts of eastern and southern England may face the highest threat level – known as “exceptional danger” – on up to several days a year on average by 2080, if the world continues to emit high levels of greenhouse gases, compared with those conditions occurring just once every 50-100 years today.

According to the research, such exceptional danger days would become more commonplace across the UK by 2080, and days with a “very high” danger of wildfires could rise significantly, even in traditionally wetter parts of the country.

“Extremely hot and dry conditions that are perfect for large wildfires are currently rare in the UK, but climate change will make them more and more common,” said Professor Nigel Arnell, a climate scientist at the University of Reading who led the research.

Arnell explained that in future decades, wildfires could pose as much of a threat to the UK as they currently do in the south of France or parts of Australia. “This increased fire danger will threaten wildlife and the environment, as well as lives and property, yet we currently underestimate it as a threat in many parts of the UK,” he added.

The rise in fire danger is predominantly because of hotter temperatures, less rainfall, lower humidity and stronger winds expected across the UK as a result of climate change, the research said.

Meanwhile, the researchers warned the findings highlight the importance of taking the threat of wildfires – which can pose environmental, health, and economic risks – seriously in the UK, as the problem is likely to grow. There are thousands of wildfires in the UK each year, which largely affect arable, grassland, mountain, or heath habitats rather than forests, but most are currently very small, covering less than a few acres or even just a few square metres.

Wildfires need a source of ignition, the researchers said, which can come from human activity and is hard to predict. To determine this, the researchers measured the risks by the likelihood a fire would develop after a spark – a danger that is affected by weather conditions.

Their study calculated what the fire danger might be in coming decades as climate change drives changes to those conditions, using the latest climate models for the UK. They also looked at both a future with significant action to cut carbon emissions and one in which pollution is high.

With high emissions, exceptional danger days, which are currently very rare across the UK, would become more commonplace across the UK, occurring up to nearly four days a year on average by 2080 in the worst-hit area, the east of England.

The study also found that, with high emissions, significant increases in days where weather conditions posed a very high danger of fire were seen in all parts of the UK by 2080.

According to the study, the worst affected areas would be southern and eastern England, with the average number of very high danger days more than quadrupling to 111 days in the South East and 121 days in the east of England. But the West Midlands would also see the number of danger days rise from 13 to 96 by 2080, and wetter areas could face soaring risk including Wales (up from five to 53), Northern Ireland (two to 20), and west Scotland (three to 16).

The study also showed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions to a level that would curb global warming to about 2°C above pre-industrial levels “reduces substantially” the increase in fire danger – although it does not eliminate it.

In 2019, E&T published an investigation into the severity of wildfires in the years to come and what can be done to help prevent them. 

The agency will be given much greater flexibility than other research agencies. It will be able to: stop and start projects according to their success; redirect funding; and experiment with different funding models. The government have also said that they intend for it to be exempt from FOI requests and to have a high tolerance for failure.

Kwarteng emphasised the importance of the latter point as legislation to create the agency moved to its second reading.

“We have to give Aria significant powers, freedoms, and indeed a mandate to be bold,” he said. “In order to deliver to this end, we have introduced the ARIA Bill. The Bill recognises that funding transformational long-term science requires patience and a high-risk appetite. The Bill explicitly states that Aria may give weight to the potential of significant benefits when funding research which does indeed carry a high risk of failure.

“The freedom to fail is fundamental to Aria’s model and this provision will empower its leaders to make ambitious research and funding decisions.”

Kwarteng added that Aria should have leaders with the authority to decide on areas with the greatest potential to generate transformative technologies, explaining: “The Bill limits the ability for ministers, as it should do, to intervene in Aria’s day-to-day operations or to direct funding decisions.”

Aria is inspired by US military research agency Darpa (formerly Arpa), which was instrumental in the development of technologies including GPS and the internet. It is considered the pet project of former Number 10 insider Dominic Cummings, who conceives it as a body led by “very odd people” which is ready to “wage war on process”; Cummings reportedly agreed to work in Downing Street on the condition that the government would create the agency.

Labour offered tentative support for the Bill while raising concerns about lack of strategy for the agency. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said that Darpa has an obvious client in the Pentagon and a clear mandate for its work, which Aria currently lacks.

“Government should set a clear mandate and framework for Aria and then get out of the way and not interfere with its day-to-day decision making. I also believe there is a democratic case because the priority spending of £800m over this Parliament should be driven by democratic choices, not about the specific items that it funds but about the goals and missions of this,” he said. Miliband also rejected the proposed exemption to FOI requests as unjustifiable; Darpa does not have a similar exemption.

Science and technology committee chair Greg Clark said: “I think the question as to what will be the focus of the agency is a legitimate one, if only for the fact that it is easy to dissipate £800m in so many projects that actually you don’t get the transformation that is in prospect. With that budget and based on the evidence we took, our committee recommended that there should be no more than two focal points for the organisation.”

Meanwhile, the committee has demanded an explanation from the government about whether it is about to make a “paradoxical” effective cut to the science budget. The UK’s contribution to the EU research funding program Horizon Europe – which was previously included in the UK’s EU contributions – was not mentioned during Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget. Continued silence in the face of calls for an explanation have led to concerns that the £2bn funding will instead be covered by cuts from the existing budget for UK Research & Innovation.

Intel is among a handful of companies that still designs and manufactures its chips; rivals such as Apple and Qualcomm rely on contract manufacturers.

Notably, the Arizona facilities will be used not only to manufacture its own chips, but also to manufacture chips for other companies, replicating TSMC’s semiconductor foundry model. Through Intel Foundry Services, other companies will gain access to its x86 computing cores and chips based on Arm architecture.

So far, Intel has been a minor player in the foundry business; only Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung offer this service for the most sophisticated chipsets, centring chipmaking on East Asia where more than two-thirds of advanced chips are manufactured. However, companies such as Shanghai-based foundry SMIC – and now Intel – are busy playing catch-up. Intel will focus on directly competing with these industry leaders by manufacturing the most advanced chips.

Intel will still outsource to companies like TSMC where necessary or preferable for producing the highest-performance chips with the fastest turnaround.

Intel has reportedly secured several customers for the new factories. While their names cannot be disclosed, Gelsinger said during a pre-recorded webcast that Amazon, Cisco, Qualcomm and Microsoft support its efforts to offer chip manufacturing as a service. He said that Intel would pursue customers “like Apple”.

“We are absolutely committed to leading process technology capabilities at scale for the industry and for our customers,” Gelsinger said. Speaking to Reuters, he added that the company has fully resolved its problems with its most recent manufacturing technology and is “all systems go” on chipmaking for 2023.

Ireland will enjoy investment from Intel as it plans to add manufacturing capacity and 1,600 jobs to its Leixlip facility. Sites for additional US and European foundries will be chosen in 2022.

The announcement coincides with the initiation of an effort by the Joe Biden administration to shift supply chains for some critical technologies away from China and back towards the US, amid national security concerns.

“Intel’s investment will help to preserve US technology innovation and leadership, strengthen US economic and national security and protect and grow thousands of high-tech, high-wage American jobs,” US secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

Change has been continuous and manageable over the years, with only specific sectors needing to move more abruptly due to competition or stark changes in industry regulation. Transportation – most notably aerospace and automotive – has been the focus of enormous scrutiny for years and has been responding with investment in energy efficiency, and particulate and carbon reduction technologies. Certain consumer goods have also been the focus of scrutiny with some brands taking measures against excessive packaging, CO₂ output, and making use of recycled or biodegradable material.

These changes are all well documented, and many design engineers live and breathe sustainability, but generally knowledge and attitudes are far from reflecting the more stimulated change we can expect over the decade ahead.

And that change is coming. Through the Paris Climate Agreement, in December last year the European Union updated its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels. That same month the UK government announced its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% within the same timeframe. This most ambitious target is backed by a ten point ‘green industrial revolution’ plan that includes a significant increase in R&D investment.

Waste reduction is also a key factor in sustainability. Not only is a circular economy vital in the fight against plastic waste, so too is changing the way designers design plastic products. Producers will be obliged to ‘clean up’ plastic waste and consumers will be limited through reductions in plastics consumption. The EU’s Plastics Strategy and the UK government’s Waste Strategy are designed to tackle wasteful and damaging litter through legislative action. The measures will not be restricted to single-use plastics and they will contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The ambitions of governments will lean more heavily on manufacturers and on those designing the products, creating the great engineering challenge of tomorrow.

Preparation by sharing knowledge

For design engineers who need to develop their knowledge and skills in preparation for the challenge ahead, support should be forthcoming. Engineering expertise in the area of sustainability is confined to a relative few, so it’s important that provision is made to help share this knowledge.

It’s vital not only to design engineers but also to the companies and brands who employ them. Recycled plastics, bioplastics, production efficiencies are specific examples of what many companies are already engaged in, but a comprehensive approach to sustainability, such as life-cycle analysis (LCA), will become a necessity everywhere in order to sufficiently respond to consumer demand and legislation around sustainable development goals.

The InspirON Sustainability Training Hackathon is precisely the support needed to help meet this challenge. It’s an online training event, in partnership with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (The IET) and Wevolver, that will comprise training seminars conducted by a number of industry experts such as Dr Simon Lockrey and Dr Vannessa Goodship. It will cover a variety of topics including common mistakes made, best practice – now and in the future, sustainable materials advancements and much more besides. There will also be an exciting and engaging team challenge that will help put these learnings into practice.

The design engineers who currently live and breathe sustainability are in a position to share their knowledge and insight to prepare others for this challenge.

Dr Simon Lockrey bridges the gap between technical, commercial, creative, and sustainability fields. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at RMIT, Australia, in sustainability and design, Executive Director of Glowpear and sits on the board of International Sustainable Development Research Society.

"We face grand challenges this century, such as climate change, resource limits, food security issues and water shortage. Increasingly, designers and engineers need to be cognizant of the impact the products and services they create have on the world in light of such problems. Life cycle assessment is one way to understand these issues, and the upcoming InspirON event will help illuminate this world's best practice method so that it can be applied on projects of the future.”

Dr Vannessa Goodship is an accomplished plastic and recycling professional with a wide field of expert knowledge and experience in both industry and academia. She is currently Associate Professor at University of Warwick, UK.

“Sustainability: Leaving it to somebody else is no longer an option. The time to act is now. The time to learn is now. The person to do it is you. The upcoming InspirON event is an opportunity to share in the design of the future, meet the community, make the connections, make a difference! Yes – I mean you!”

With a suitable framework in place, such as the InspirON event, design engineers will be better placed to meet the regulatory and consumer demands of the future – for themselves, for their employers and for their customers.

Register Here

The extraction of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf is directly responsible for around 3.5 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Through the package of measures, the North Sea Transition Deal is expected to cut pollution by up to 60 million tonnes by 2030.

Key commitments in the deal include the sector setting early targets to reduce emissions by 10 per cent by 2025, 25 per cent by 2027 and 50 per cent by 2030.

The government said it will introduce a climate compatibility checkpoint by the end of 2021 that will see it only awarding oil and gas licences when aligned with wider climate objectives.

This checkpoint will use the latest evidence, looking at domestic demand for oil and gas; the sector’s projected production levels; the increasing prevalence of clean technologies such as offshore wind and carbon capture, and the sector’s continued progress against its ambitious emissions reduction targets.

From the end of March 2021, the UK will no longer provide financial support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, fulfilling a pledge made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year.

Up to £16bn in public and private investment will be made available, including up to £3bn to replace fossil fuel-based power supplies on oil and gas platforms with renewable energy; up to £3bn on carbon capture, and up to £10bn for hydrogen production.

Kwasi Kwarteng, business and energy secretary said: “Today, we are sending a clear message around the world that the UK will be a nation of clean energy as we build back better and greener from the pandemic.

“We will not leave oil and gas workers behind in the United Kingdom’s irreversible shift away from fossil fuels. Through this landmark sector deal, we will harness the skills, capabilities and pent-up private investment potential of the oil and gas sector to power the green industrial revolution, turning its focus to the next-generation clean technologies the UK needs to support a green economy.

“At every step on the path to net-zero emissions, we will create the right conditions for new green industries to base themselves in the UK and create new high-value employment opportunities, while future-proofing existing businesses to secure the long-term viability of jobs in our industrial heartlands.”

The new deal comes at odds with the decision in January not to intervene in the UK’s first deep coal mine in 30 years, despite Kwarteng admitting there is a “slight tension” between the project and the UK’s climate goals.

Earlier this month, following strong backlash from the public and environmental campaigners, the government finally said it would look again at the controversial application.

To prevent this increasing trend, researchers from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick, and their collaborator from Durham University, have proposed a novel technique called Polymer Substrate Fingerprinting, which can identify each banknote’s own unique, unclonable fingerprint.

“Although card and contactless payments are more popular today, banknotes still play a crucial role in society. In fact, there are 500 billion banknotes in circulation in the world, meaning counterfeit notes are a major threat to society and economy,” said Shen Wang, a PhD student from the Department of Computer Science who has been designing, prototyping, and testing this technique for that last two and half years.

The researchers found that every polymer banknote has a unique 'fingerprint', which is caused by the inevitable imperfection in the physical manufacturing process, whereby the opacity coating, a critical step during the production of polymer notes, leaves an uneven coating layer with a random dispersion of impurities in the ink. This imperfection results in random translucent patterns when a polymer banknote is backlit by a light source.

The team has further presented a low-cost method to capture these patterns, by using the commodity negative-film scanner, and processed them into a compact 2048-bit feature vector (fingerprint), to identify each individual banknote with high accuracy. “We have also found the extracted fingerprints contain around 900 bits of entropy, which is dramatically higher than 249-bit entropy for iris-codes used in iris recognition,” Wang added. “This high entropy makes our method extremely scalable to identify every polymer note globally.”

The image analysis focuses on a small feature area, where the random translucent patterns from the opacity coating layer are directly exposed without being obstructed by security printing. For the example of the £10, the chosen feature lies between the ‘ten’ hologram and the see-through window. The random patterns extracted from the opacity coating layer form the unique ‘fingerprint’ is further protected by a veneer finish applied on both sides of the polymer note, and hence, is robust against rough handling in daily use.

Using 340 banknotes the researchers collected an extensive dataset of 6,200 sample images and have proved that their method can identify each banknotes fingerprint successfully despite rough daily handling.

Professor Feng Hao, from the Department of Computer Science, said: “Like every human has unique biometric features, we have found every polymer banknote has its own ‘bio-metric’, which is unique, naturally occurring, and can’t be physically cloned. This new finding gives us the basis to design a completely new anti-counterfeiting method for banknotes.

“Something universally believed is that once counterfeiters have access to essentially the same printing equipment and ink as used by legitimate government to print fake banknotes, the game is over, as there will be no way to distinguish genuine and fake banknotes. Contrary to this belief, our research shows, perhaps surprisingly, that there is still hope to defeat counterfeiting even in that extreme scenario.”

In a report, it called on the Department for Transport to require local transport authorities to factor in the need to travel to leisure and social activities in local transport planning as well as consult those with expertise on local needs in relation to loneliness and social isolation.

It also said the government needed to do more to tackle the digital divide, with technology becoming the primary form of communication during the pandemic.

“We can no longer afford to leave people digitally disconnected, so investing in digital infrastructure and skills will be vital,” it said.

The APPG also said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should invest £130m over four years to support four million people cross the digital divide, including by increasing digital skills and confidence.

Other recommendations include creating more accessible green spaces, parks and gardens, public toilets, playing areas, local bus services, and ramps for people with disabilities.

“The Prime Minister should commit to a 'Connected Recovery' from the Covid-19 pandemic, recognising the need for long-term work to rebuild social connections following periods of isolation and the importance of connection to resilience to future shocks,” the report reads.

In a survey of 2,000 UK adults in March, four in 10 said they feared it will be difficult to reconnect with people they have been out of contact with when lockdown restrictions lift.

It also found that 30 per cent said a lack of facilities like public toilets or local buses will stop them meeting people when restrictions lift.

Conservative MP Neil O’Brien, who is chairman of the APPG, said his most isolated constituents have been the least able to cope during the pandemic, which has highlighted the importance of connected communities.

“This means more public toilets, better street lighting, ramps and quiet safe spaces, so that everyone from all ages and all backgrounds has the facilities they need in order to make valuable friendships in their area,” he said.

“With strong progress being made on the rollout of the vaccination and the easing of restrictions in sight, there is growing hope.

“But the economic and social impacts of Covid-19 will be long-lasting and we will have tough choices to make. Connecting our communities will be critical to our country’s ability to recover and build back better.”

Starting with a vision to become rich enough to change the world through good deeds, the Slovenian husband-and-wife duo Iza and Samo Login invested their savings, a quarter of a million US dollars pieced together from their careers as IT specialists, in their enterprise and created Slovenia’s first genuine unicorn, which is corporate-speak for a billion-dollar start-up company. Within seven years, Outfit7 and Talking Tom Cat had been sold to a consortium of Chinese investors, and the Logins became the richest couple in Slovenia.

No-one could ever dispute the success of Talking Tom Cat, which went on to become the number one app in more than a hundred countries, today has 580 million monthly subscribers, and whose YouTube channel has garnered more than two billion views. But where ‘7 Unicorn Drive: From Startup to a Billion Dollar Sale in 7 Years’ (Aphrodite, £15, ISBN 9789925773121) seems to be less convincing is in the author’s wide-eyed insistence that this success was preordained, written in the stars from the word go, and that the Logins’ gentle and holistic approach to business (apparently, they use both meditation and ‘manifestation’ as leadership tools) has a causal relationship to their success.

Which may be the case; it’s just that the relentlessly expositional narrative with its continual post-event rationalisation creates mild doubt where probably none need exist. It’s a great story, so it’s a shame that it’s been written in the schmaltzy idiom of a Hollywood movie script.

To be fair to Polajnar, this isn’t a dealbreaker. His story rattles along at a pace that shows just how fast things can move when your app takes off. It’s also a parable of our times, in which you can’t help feeling their meteoric rise is richly deserved because the Logins are people with strong personal ethics, a sense of global responsibility and who are prepared to give their time to the future benefit of others. The fact that they are investing their unimaginable wealth into the development of sustainable food initiatives, while exploring ways of addressing climate change, points to a seriousness of purpose that you just have to admire.

In keeping with the fairy tale theme, parallel to the Cinderella motif we have the frog-turns-into-prince story, or more accurately, cat-turns-into-philanthropist. Which is a good thing, because no matter how much we admire the Logins, their original product – the wisecracking, adventure-seeking virtual Talking Tom Cat – was so mind-bogglingly trivial that if they’d just created personal wealth, it would be hard to like them as much as we do.

Despite extensive support, these projects have largely failed, with the researchers estimating that 80 per cent of projects that seek to commercialise carbon capture and sequestration technology have ended in failure.

Nevertheless, the team recently called on governments to fund fleets of direct air capture (DAC) systems that remove CO2 from ambient air in order to help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has become increasingly important in addressing climate change, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying the technology is essential to reaching zero carbon at low cost.

The team identified 12 factors that can be taken into account in order to estimate the success of a CCS project:

1. Technological readiness
2. Credibility of incentives
3. Financial credibility
4. Cost
5. Regulatory challenges
6. Burden of CO2 removal
7. Industrial stakeholder opposition
8. Public opposition
9. Population proximity
10. Employment impact
11. Plant location
12. The host state’s appetite for fossil infrastructure development

CCS is among the few low-carbon technologies in US President Joe Biden’s proposed $400bn clean energy plan that earns bipartisan support, as it enables fossil fuel firms to continue extraction without being forced to shift to newer technologies.

“Instead of relying on case studies, we decided that we needed to develop new methods to systematically explain the variation in project outcome of why do so many projects fail,” said lead author Ahmed Y. Abdulla.

“Knowing which features of CCS projects have been most responsible for past successes and failures allows developers to not only avoid past mistakes, but also identify clusters of existing, near-term CCS projects that are more likely to succeed.

“By considering the largest sample of US CCS projects ever studied, and with extensive support from people who managed these projects in the past, we essentially created a checklist of attributes that matter and gauged the extent to which each does.”

The researchers also said that policy design from governments is a key driver in helping to commercialise the industry because CCS projects typically require a huge amount of capital up front.

Some existing policies already act as incentives, such as the availability of tax credits in the US that can provide companies with a guaranteed revenue stream if they sequester CO2 in deep geologic repositories.

The only major incentive companies have had thus far to recoup their investments in carbon capture is by selling the CO2 to oil and gas companies, who then inject it into oil fields to enhance the rate of extraction.

Beyond selling to oil and gas companies, CO2 is not a valuable commodity, the researchers argue, so few viable business cases exist to sustain a CCS industry on the scale that is necessary to stabilise the climate without policy-backed incentives.

“If designed explicitly to address credibility, public policy could have a huge impact on the success of projects,” said researcher David Victor.

Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez, both American academics, start their discussion of the paramount importance of food flavours and taste in human evolution by quoting Eric Schlosser, author of the bestselling ‘Fast Food Nation’: “The human craving for flavour has been a largely unacknowledged and unexamined force in history.” Dunn and Sanchez seem to be in full agreement, yet the aim of their own book is to take this idea further – from simply acknowledging the importance of food flavours to understanding their history, biology and nature.

Indeed, why is it that we always crave the staple comfort foods of our childhood and their inimitable tastes and aromas? In my case, that would be the pungent earth-like smell of Russian black rye bread and the steamy titillating fragrance of freshly cooked Ukrainian borscht, to name just two. And why is it that terminally ill patients, with most of their feelings and reflexes gone, often still preserve – right until the moment of dying – their senses of taste and smell?

In their search for answers, Dunn and Sanchez travel back in time to the origins of human civilisation. Using the principles of biological stoichiometry – an “obscure science ” (in their own words) that studies the correlation between pleasure and nutrition – they show that not just our  human ancestors, but most mammals too have always been guided first and foremost by “deliciousness” while choosing their foods. “In this way, the pleasure of deliciousness was central to human evolution,” they conclude.

But how does that basic animal hedonism work? And how did it happen that it has attained such importance in human development?

Well, according to ‘Delicious,’ to satisfy their quickly developing taste buds and noses, ancient prehistoric humans kept hunting more and more efficiently for the tastier and tastier morsels. The need for more sophisticated hunting weapons resulted in not only new technical developments “and even ultimately science,” but gradually in “communal sharing” and refinements of speech and language.

If, to paraphrase a jocular and not-too-PC expression, the way to a man’s heart lies via his stomach, we can assume it was that very stomach (in conjunction with the nose) that has shaped and defined technological progress.

My favourite chapters included ‘On the Origin of Spices’ (another brilliant pun – ‘Delicious’ is resplendent, perhaps even somewhat oversaturated, with them), from which I learned among other things that humans started using food flavourings and seasonings long before the peripatetic merchants of Venice brought them to Europe from overseas. Spices have been found in a 60,000-year old Neanderthal hearth at Dederiyeh cave in Syria.

 ‘The Art of Cheese’ - on the history and technology of cheesemaking, includes a beautiful epigraph from Edward Bunyard’s ‘The Epicure’s Companion’: “Cheese is milk that has grown up.” In the same chapter, Dunn and Sanchez describe a Spanish household where the home-made cheese, the Cabrales, is seriously regarded as a fully-fledged member of an extended family, alongside their friend Jose, his mother, brother, cousin and second cousin.

I can easily understand this kind of personification, because I was always of the opinion that cheese is one of the products of human labour (alongside wine, olive oil and a couple of others) that possess not just distinctive smells and taste, but also memories. A good mature cheese ‘remembers’ the juicy grass of alpine meadows, the warm rough tongue of the cow, the damp darkness of the cellar, where it had aged, and the loving touch of the human hands that made it...

The obvious conclusion one can arrive at on turning the final page of this fascinating, unusual and truly ‘delicious’ (in more than one sense) book is that food, with all its tastes and flavours, having made us all socially, linguistically and technologically advanced, has also become an inseparable part of our souls. Effectively, it has made us all what we are – humans.

Here I can’t refrain from quoting the authors’ concluding sentence: “We sit together and make sense of the world one bite at a time”.

Bon appétit!

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Network Rail said it is the first organisation of its kind to be granted a licence launched in 2020 by government agency Natural England.

In June last year, prime minister Boris Johnson said “newt-counting delays in our system are a massive drag” on productivity in the UK, holding up construction.

The new system is aimed at speeding up and improving protection for the amphibians. Newt counting has been replaced by samples taken from soil, sediment and water.

Conservationists look after the newts, using money from developers to create and manage new ponds and habitats in parts of the landscape not being developed.

All aspects of the Midland Main Line upgrade – which stretches from Market Harborough, in Leicestershire, to London St Pancras International – are covered by the new(t) licence.

The scheme is run by NatureSpace, which brings together local planning authorities, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and other experts.

Gary Walsh, route director, Network Rail, said: “We’re committed to supporting wildlife and increasing biodiversity. This can be a tricky balance for our industry, which relies upon heavy engineering and important standards to keep everyone safe.

“We’re delighted to have received a licence from Natural England that will allow us to actively improve how we look after this vital protected species, while still delivering infrastructure investment which is essential to the community and economy as we look to come out of the Covid pandemic.”

NatureSpace chief executive Dr Tom Tew said: “The great thing about this licence is that it delivers a long-term and landscape-scale approach to the conservation of a rare and declining species.

“Not only are individual newts moved out of harm’s way during rail operations, but we and our partners are creating and managing top-quality new ponds and habitats along the length of the railway line.

“It’s quicker for Network Rail and avoids delays to engineering, but it’s also much better for great crested newts and for a whole host of other wildlife, too.”

Running trains with electricity rather than diesel can cut CO2 emissions, boost journey times and reduce maintenance costs.

A broad programme of electrification was under way until 2017 when then transport secretary Chris Grayling scrapped it after years of delays and ballooning budgets.

The TSC said that without a reinstatement of the programme, the government will struggle to meet the legally binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and a former minister’s pledge to remove all diesel trains from tracks by 2040.

It also said that electrification should begin “as soon as possible” rather than waiting for the start of the next control period in 2024.

Another option would be a system unveiled by Hitachi Rail last year that could see old diesel trains retrofitted with batteries so they can run on low-carbon energy, even on parts of the line that have not yet been electrified.

The TSC added that while alternatives such as this are unsuitable for freight and high-speed services due to their high energy demands, they should “play an important part” in long-term plans to cut carbon emissions.

It also called on Network Rail to provide greater transparency in order to ensure the taxpayer was getting the best value for money. In the past, uncertainty has cost the sector valuable time for planning and investment.

Transport committee chair Huw Merriman MP said: “Decarbonising rail, and making our trains cleaner and greener, will be a considerable challenge for us all.

“Transport accounts for the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions of any sector in the UK at 27 per cent. Trains in Great Britain still rely mainly on diesel traction – an estimated 62 per cent of the rail network is diesel-powered, compared with 38 per cent electrification. It will be some time before battery and hydrogen-powered trains are ready to depart the station, leaving electrification as the main option.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Deploying new hydrogen and battery technology trains and electrification – building on the near-700 single-track miles delivered in the last three years – will help us deliver cleaner, greener rail journeys as we strive towards net zero by 2050.

“We are fully committed to decarbonising the whole transport network, and our upcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan will set out how we will achieve this.”

The company is confident its patented ‘Sterimelt’ device, which thermally compacts polypropylene and re-engineers it so that it is suitable to make new products, will help curb this global challenge.

Initially developed to recycle polypropylene surgical tray wraps and drapes in hospitals, TCG has since adapted the machine to also recycle medical-grade surgical face masks and other types of PPE. The device works by heating polypropylene plastic up to 350°C in 20kg batches and then thermally compacting it into rectangular blocks that can be converted into pellets to make new plastic products.

TCG is now working closely with Hardshell, one of the UK’s first FFP3-grade mask-making facilities, also based in Cardiff, to test the product’s efficiency. The firm is currently trialling Hardshell’s disposable face coverings through its machine, using defective masks that would otherwise end up in landfill along with other used PPE. The collaboration means that TCG is helping to reduce waste even during the product’s development stage.

The company was introduced to Hardshell by Life Sciences Hub Wales, which works to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative solutions for better health and wellbeing.

TCG currently has its Sterimelt devices in seven hospital trusts across the UK, including the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Newport, which was the first adopter of the technology in 2016.

A further eight devices have been ordered by hospital trusts across the UK, which are being built for delivery by June with TCG already expecting further orders by the end of the year.

The blocks produced from the melting process are collected by TCG and sent onto its various collaborators such as Hull-based company, ReWorked, to create a range of new items, including bins. These products can be sent back to the hospital trusts to use as medical waste bins, creating a sustainable circular recycling chain.

As well as reducing single-use plastic waste, the innovative technology will significantly help trusts to reduce their carbon emissions by decreasing the volume of waste needing to be transported off-site. TCG estimates that for every 10,000 kilograms of waste put through Sterimelt, hospital trusts will save 7,500 kilograms of carbon emissions, equating to a 75 per cent saving on their current output.

Thomas Davison-Sebry, chief sustainability officer at Thermal Compaction Group, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted just how much waste is generated from disposable plastics and has also shown how unsustainable current waste management practices are on a global scale. The technologies and solutions that we’re working on will mean that single-use plastic does need not be single-use going forward.

“As well as using the blocks from the Sterimelt to make hospital bins, we’re working on developing the technology to be able to 3D print items such as arm casts and therefore reduce the gypsum waste that is now banned from landfill sites in the UK. The responses we’ve had from not only the UK but across the world - including Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the US - has been phenomenal. We know the need for this technology is out there, so we’re excited to continue growing and supplying our machine internationally.”

While the Sterimelt device works for most polypropylene-based products, there are certain elements to a medical-grade face mask that cannot be melted down, such as the wired nose piece. To help improve sustainability, TCG has been advising the companies it is working with, such as Hardshell, on making the PPE a single polymer material to enable the entire mask to be melted down in one go. The company has since been approached by PPE manufacturers from across the globe for help in streamlining their products to ensure they are fully recyclable through TCG’s ‘at source’ solutions, such as Sterimelt.

Anil Kant, chief executive officer at Hardshell, said: “We are proud that we answered the call from the Welsh government to help Wales produce its own NHS-certified surgical face masks, FFP2 and FFP3 respirators and we are incredibly excited to assist TCG develop this game-changing technology. We are all mindful of the pressures on the environment with waste disposal, so we are thrilled with the opportunity for our polypropylene to avoid this fate and know it has a life beyond landfill.”

Commenting on the global success and innovation of the TCG, Cari-Anne Quinn, CEO, Life Sciences Hub Wales, said: “The technology created by TCG is groundbreaking and we’re proud to share another example of the brilliant innovation and dedication we are seeing from the life sciences industry in Wales.

“The global response to this made-in-Wales technology is incredible and we hope to see TCG continue to grow and innovate new solutions to combat the mass waste generated from the pandemic and tackle the ongoing environmental crisis.”

The Welsh Government has worked with more than 300 businesses throughout Wales to produce important supplies to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic since the First Minister’s call to action last year. This has included manufacturing PPE, hand sanitiser and ventilators in Wales.

The Welsh Government also created the Smart Cymru Covid-19 Research, Development and Innovation Fund to provide crucial support to Welsh companies and quickly develop much-needed supplies.

The distributor manages local power lines and substations for around eight million homes and businesses across London, the South East and the East of England.

It is forecasting that up to 700,000 electric heat pumps and 4.5m electric vehicles could be connected to its networks by 2030.

A think tank recently said that the UK needs to ramp up the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charge points by five times the current rate if the plan to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 is to be achieved.

The new UKPN service is designed to make life easier for specialist installers of low carbon technologies and help domestic customers ensure their electricity supply is ready to connect them.

The new portal will automatically refer customers if their electricity supply needs to be upgraded to manage the additional power. Installers will also be able to see the current status of multiple applications at the click of a button.

UKPN’s head of customer service, Ian Cameron, said: “Millions of electric vehicles will connect to our networks over the next decade, so it is critical that we find faster, smarter ways to facilitate the connection to the network and streamline the customer journey as customers go electric.

“We worked with experts in their fields to create a new customer journey that’s more responsive to their needs and will make a tangible difference to anyone looking to upgrade to low carbon technology in their home.”

Albena Ivanova, Powerloop project manager at Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “Smart Connect is a huge step forward for the decentralisation and digitalisation of the grid. The launch of the portal will be a game changer for customers and installers alike, making the connection assessment and process fast and transparent.

“The simplified documentation required from customers along with the high level of visibility of the application progress will markedly improve the customer experience.”

Last week, National Grid agreed to purchase the UK’s largest electricity distribution business, Western Power Distribution, from US firm PPL Corporation for £7.8bn.

They launched from Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket today, two days later than planned due to a voltage spike.

It is estimated that around 9,200 tonnes of space debris is in orbit around the Earth comprising 34,000 objects larger than 10cm, 900,000 measuring 1-10cm and 128 million fragments between 1mm and 1cm in size.

Space junk is highly problematic for the industry as it threatens the satellites that form the backbone of many global communication networks.

Debris ranges from paint flecks, nuts, bolts and frozen satellite coolant to astronaut tools and rocket parts.

The European Space Agency estimates that there have been more than 560 break-ups, explosions, collisions or anomalous events resulting in fragmentation.

While rocket launches have placed about 10,680 satellites in Earth’s orbit since 1957, around 6,250 of these are still in space, but only 3,700 are still functioning.

The new test will see the servicer satellite chase down the client and latch onto it using magnets. It will then release it so that the experiment can be repeated. It should demonstrate how space junk removal could be implemented in different scenarios, such as when junk is tumbling. It is expected to start major demonstrations in around June or July.

The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration (ELSA-d) will be operated from the In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre – National Facility at the Satellite Applications Catapult (SAC) at Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire and is the world’s first commercial demonstration debris-removal mission.

Once the experiments have been completed, the satellites are designed to come out of Earth’s orbit and burn up in the atmosphere to prevent them becoming space junk themselves.

Speaking ahead of the launch, UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “The removal of hazardous space debris is not only environmentally important but is also a huge commercial opportunity for the UK, with companies like Astroscale leading the way in demonstrating how we can make space safer for everyone.”

Rave cube. Nntisssnnntissssnntisssss

This box looks like it’s the set of the music video for ‘Rock Your Body’, the 2002 hit by Justin Timberlake. Seriously, check that out, then look at the video for HyperCube. Weird.

That song was released almost two decades ago. Good god, I’m old now.

Anyway, from Hyperspace Lighting Company, the Hypercube seems to be some sort of experience, whatever that is.

It can be the party (especially in these times, where home is where the festivities must be held) to peaceful, which I’m guessing is a nice, ambient glow of some sort.

The custom-written code animates LEDs with a variety of animations and colour palettes.

By pushing a button, three modes are available – kaleidoscopic, meditative, and sound-reactive – each with patterns that automatically cycle. The company says there are over 90 unique patterns, totalling over two hours of play time between all three modes.

Kaleidoscopic Mode has over 16 million colours, varying speeds, colour palettes and shifting symmetries.

Meditative Mode is ‘calm and classy’, with a ‘soothing’ pulse and glow, and the patterns are apparently ideal for nightlights, meditation, and professional gathering spaces. Imagine if it glitched out while your toddler was sleeping soundly. RAVE MODE ACTIVATED.

Its sound-reactive mode sounds like the most fun, where musical frequencies are converted to light, with specially designed patterns that respond to the beat. Best for parties and baby raves!

There’s also an accompanying app called Hyperspace, where you “select modes and patterns, choose custom colours, adjust brightness, speed, intensity and symmetry, all with the touch of a button”.

The LEDs can last for over 50,000 hours, the windows are made of lightweight, shatter-proof, optical-grade acrylic, and the frame is high-durability impact-resistant polymer. Does that mean I can throw this against the wall?

Apparently it’s not a good idea to scratch the acrylic faces. Lame. Fine. No throwing.

The HyperCube’s control box has an internal microphone and illuminated button for pattern and mode switching and toggling power. UNLEASH THE TOGGLING POWER. You can also connect it to your Wi-Fi.

But don’t leave it outside. Because you will break it.

HyperCube10 is 10in, HyperCube 15 is, you guessed it, 15in. Rocket science, am I right?

Moflin

Not mufflin. Or a muffin.

Well this is just a sweet little furry nugget. I do appreciate a good kawaii moment.

Then again, it does remind me of those fur hats you get in America, a Davy Crockett hat, the ones with tails hanging out the back.

Anywho, the Moflin is possessed. Possessed with emotional capabilities, that is! They evolve like living animals. Also, it’s warm, soft, furry and makes cute little sounds.

Created by Vanguard Industries, the team behind the fuzzy AI pet took “a nature-inspired approach and developed a unique algorithm that allows Moflin to learn and grow by constantly using its interactions to determine patterns and evaluate its surroundings from its sensors”.

Allegedly, the little fake floof chooses from an “infinite” number of mobile and sound pattern combinations to respond and express its feelings, like you’re interacting with the real deal.  

This could help with people in care homes, who don’t get the option of having pets. A lot of these cuddle buddy-type bots have been trialled in these scenarios and seem to go down a treat with residents.

The concept Moflin model doesn’t have features like updating software online, but as the Kickstarter campaign was successful, the team say further developments will be made so it can provide services and functions that help people in their everyday lives.

When it comes to the tech behind the fuzzball, Moflin has an ‘internal emotion map’ and the ability to analyse changes in environment via an algorithm.

The wee buddy’s personality development will depend on how you treat it, just like a normal pet. So no yeeting it at a wall, please, otherwise Moflin will have some intense trust issues.

Via the Kickstarter campaign, the Moflin team would like to use their “engineering capabilities to provide the best user experiences to our supporters”.

You pop Moflin in its own little birdhouse, which is a charging device, and when Moflin is charging/sleeping, it is said to make cute noises and small reactions, just like a wee sleeping animal. AWW MY HEART CANNAE TAKE IT.

The team believe Moflin feels love, and giving love to others “was an important factor towards the application of various ICT technologies and as a touch point to our everyday lives”. AWW EVEN MORE.

They aim to successfully deliver their first product in March 2021.

Samsung Bot Handy

“Beep beep boop, let me get you some more wine, you alcoholic.”

At this year’s CES, Samsung showcased some of its upcoming tech, focused around “creating more intimate and personalised user experiences”. Is Samsung developing... intimate toys?

No? Oh, OK. Anyway, one of the ideas is Samsung Bot Handy, which relies on advanced AI to recognise and pick up objects of different sizes, shapes and weights, “becoming an extension of you and helping you with work around the house”. So when I’m on the sofa and the remote is on the other side of the room, taunting me, I can just be like “HANDY! Go fetch me the controller you peasant!” and it would get it for me.

The Bot Handy will be able to tell the difference between material composition of objects, using the appropriate amount of force to grab stuff with its one claw on a single, pivoting arm.

One day, though, it may get sick of your endless list of chores and, while you sleep, it’ll roll up and slowly rest its claw around your vulnerable neck.

The report highlights the challenges facing the government’s flagship domestic agenda, with its promise of ‘levelling-up’ the economy, and its delivery of the UK Industrial Strategy, which is focused on innovation.

The North of England accounted for only 14 per cent of the £37.1bn which UK companies and academic institutions spent on research and development over the last five years, with 53 per cent being invested in Golden Triangle areas.

The figures mirror the levels of public money invested in private companies and universities through Innovate UK, the agency responsible for supporting business innovation. The report found that between 2015 and 2020, the North was awarded 14 per cent of the £7.1bn, with 47 per cent going to the Golden Triangle. With the universities out of the equation, the balance between North and South for investment in business was 12 per cent North, 56 per cent Golden Triangle.

The funding gap was even wider for private-sector backing through the widely-used Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), which offer tax relief for investors backing small unquoted companies. The figures, representing the tax year 2018-19, show that the North attracted only 7 per cent of the £2bn funds invested compared to 76 per cent in the Golden Triangle.

The venture capital funding challenge is equally stark: the North pulled in only 6 per cent of £8.1bn, with 84 per cent being invested in the Golden Triangle. By 2020, the picture was even worse, with a ratio of 4 per cent to 86 per cent out of a total of £12.7bn.

The UK Industrial Strategy sets out four ‘Grand Challenges’ to future-proof the economy: artificial intelligence and data; ageing society; clean growth; future of mobility.

Looked at through the prism of attracting funding from Innovate UK to business, the North-South funding divide against these four priorities was more complex. The North performed best on clean growth (16 per cent) and worst on AI and data, securing only 5 per cent compared to the 82 per cent invested in the Golden Triangle.

The full report makes ten recommendations to achieve a step change in rebalancing the UK science and technology economy. The most radical calls for the creation of a new statutory body, the Northern Innovation Forum. It would mirror Transport for the North in enabling the region to speak with one voice on the investment needed to drive transformational growth. The new organisation would help connect the different elements within pan-Northern innovation – the business community, Northern universities, Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships. It would not be intended to replace or replicate the work of existing bodies, but to add strategic value by ensuring that funding and strategy decisions are informed by local knowledge and requirements.

The authors also call for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (previously supported by the European Regional Development Fund) to be restocked for investment specifically targeted at sectors aligned with the Grand Challenges, along with fund management incentives that reward greater risk-taking.

Other recommendations include using the government’s planned overall increase in research funding to drive up academic activity that is specifically tied to industrial collaboration and commercialisation.

Neil Murray, chief executive of Impact Data Metrics, based in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified many longstanding social and economic inequalities. If any good comes from the turmoil of the last year, it must include redoubling our collective efforts to unlock the potential in regional economies. The government’s own strategy prioritises science and technology and our findings show the size of the task ahead in the North of England.

“Dynamically growing businesses need to be supported and nurtured to ensure that they achieve their full potential. Increasing the number of these businesses will not only provide more opportunities for the local workforce, but will improve the attractiveness of the North for qualified and skilled workers from elsewhere in the UK.

“There’s much we can do in the North to support better outcomes, not least ensuring that policy-making here is more agile and responsive to take advantage of the growth opportunities that are available. A higher level of performance monitoring also needs to be applied across policy areas.

“It is not enough to simply report outputs with the too-commonly heard view that, ‘It’s always been this way.’ Decisive and effective interventions need to be made in response to under-performance to achieve positive change.”

In February, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee published a report on the impact of UK innovation centres (Catapults), concluding that additional support for the centres was vital in order to reach R&D spending targets and that the government’s strategy was failing to make the most of the Catapults.

However, the government can fairly point to positive investment funding made available last year for crucial research and innovation projects to help the nation respond to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to the production of medicines.

In October 2020, a number of 'blue-sky projects' arising from the Future Leaders Fellowship initiative received a collective total of £109m in public funding from the government.

However, last week, university leaders expressed fear at reports that the Treasury has not set aside funding to support the UK’s continued participation in the Horizon Europe science and innovation funding programme.

Ministers were warned that a £1bn cut in funding would be equivalent to cutting more than 18,000 full-time academic research post across the UK, weakening the UK’s attractiveness as a hub for talented researchers and private and international investment.

Like all of us, I am getting increasingly fed up with the all-permeating gloom-and-doom of the continuing, even if diminishing, Covid-19 pandemic, with all the resulting lockdowns, but particularly with some new technological and social trends, that they seem to generate.

Example. From the start of the pandemic, it has become routine for undertakers and funeral directors to bombard me every morning with emails on the “great” and “secret” (from whom??) offers of how to bury or cremate myself with the lowest possible expenditure (as if I would then care). The number of such offers has grown tenfold since I took out a new life insurance policy. It appears as if all those ‘Do Us the Honour’ funeral parlours won’t rest until I finally kick the bucket under their relentless pressure – so much so that I recently had to pay my email provider to stop those vultures from having a field day on my computer screen!

Trying to find an escape in reading, as I have advised you in my previous columns, does not always bring the coveted cheer either. Last week, being in a slightly better mood after receiving my first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine, I was thrown back into melancholy by a column in The Spectator, in which Lionel Shriver concluded that “proper” international travel won’t resume until we complete a global inoculation. “That’s expected to take seven years. Even then, what about the variants?...”

Well, if it is really going to take seven years, I’d better surrender here and now to the ‘horizontal travel agents’ (as they reportedly used to call undertakers in the British Army – see ‘After All’ July 2020 ).

Against that gruesome background, even the most bizarre-looking attempts at normality become praiseworthy. The same Spectator magazine, for example, is conducting online wine-tastings – a concept that sounds like a classic oxymoron. Yet, due to ingenuity, mixed with technology, it seems to be working. After you buy a ticket online, a couple of bottles from a designated winery get posted to your home, and then, on a pre-arranged evening and from the comfort of your favourite armchair, you visit the winery’s website, from where a local expert will lead you through the tasting: step-by step, or rather sip-by-sip, and in real time: the sheer quintessence of armchair travelling, in which not just your mind, but also your taste buds are taking part!

The costs of such virtual boozing, however, at £100 per ticket are not conducive to practising it too frequently, so I would still resort to the time-​tested travels of the mind, i.e. recalling the most impressive wineries I have visited in real life, while sipping a cheapish Cabernet Sauvignon from a local Sainsbury’s. My most frequent vicariously bibulous journey is to the Milestii Mici Wine City – the world’s largest underground wine cellars, in Moldova.

I first visited that engineering wonder in the late 1980s while on an assignment for the Moscow-based Krokodil magazine. The assignment itself had nothing to do with wine: my local hosts took me to the Wine City, then closed to the public, as a special treat.

The cellars were indeed like an underground city, complete with streets, lanes, and crossroads. ‘Champagne Avenue’, ‘Port Wine Street’, ‘Cabernet Road’, the dimly lit plates stated. The streets were so wide that lorries drove freely along them in both directions. On both sides stood huge barrels, in which good Moldovan wines were maturing.

I was escorted by a local wine-​maker, who had a professional wine-glass corn on the bridge of his nose, the result of years of intensive wine-tasting. He had a puffy purple face, which was the main symptom of ‘winism’ – a professional wine-makers’ disease, as he explained. Now I am inclined to think that he was simply an alcoholic. But then I was very impressed.

At one point, my escort took me up to a solid wall, groped along its flat surface, then made a pressing movement. The wall slid open like a theatre curtain, revealing a spacious, brightly lit underground hall, with chandeliers, parquet floor, a tiled fireplace and, in the centre of the room, an ornate fountain with goldfish. Elaborate wooden sculptures in an avant-garde style were scattered here and there, each one illuminated from underneath by a spotlight. There were several other rooms in that fairy-tale palace. In one of them stood a long table with exquisite Arabic chairs.

I went numb. “What is this? A museum?” I asked my red-nosed guide when I could speak again.

“No, this is the place where the leaders of our republic receive their guests, taste Moldovan wines and throw banquets,” he explained.

These days, the cellars of the State Enterprise Quality Wines Industrial Complex Milestii Mici stretch for 255km, of which ‘only’ 55km are in constant use. Moldova, a former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, has a rich wine-making tradition, dating back thousands of years. Low hills, sun-drenched plains, flowing rivers, and moderate climate, shaped by the Black Sea, are perfect for grapes. So when an old limestone mine was decommissioned here in the late 1960s, transforming its caverns into wine cellars made perfect sense. Temperatures in the subterranean space stay at 12-14°C, and constant humidity creates ideal conditions for wine ageing. The cellars hold over two million bottles – by far the largest wine collection in the world.

More than 70 per cent of the stored wines are red, 20 per cent are white and about 10 per cent are dessert ones. I think that – by the sound of their names only – the ‘wines’ called ‘AstraZeneca’ (dry white) and ‘Pfizer’ (sparkling) would be suitable entries to the list. Yet this is just a fantasy triggered by the recent vaccination and prolonged lockdowns.

Unlike in the Soviet times, visitors are now allowed to tour the cellars – on foot and in their vehicles. They can even examine the palatial ‘secret’ tasting rooms, skilfully built into the rock some 60m underground – the same rooms where, with my hard-nosed host, we tasted some beautiful Moldovan wines over 30 years ago. 

 ‘The Bumper Book of Vitali’s Travels: Thirty Years of Globe-​Trotting’ by Vitali Vitaliev is published by Thrust Books.

The fund will be used to support the development of prototype vessels and port infrastructure that could be rolled out widely. Scientists and academics are encouraged to team up with UK shipping, ports and shipbuilders to put forward their proposals.

The trials will enable companies to test the new technologies, with a view to them being developed commercially if proved to be successful.

International shipping is currently responsible for around 2.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and growing. Concerns have been raised that without action, these emissions could increase between 50 and 250 per cent by 2050.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the new competition could “revolutionise” maritime technology as well as bring jobs to the UK.

Maritime Minister Robert Courts added: “This is a turning point for the UK’s maritime sector. It’s an opportunity for businesses to develop the technologies of the future, not only protecting our environment but driving economic growth.

“I urge this country’s best thinkers to put their green ideas forward and help us deliver a better, cleaner maritime sector.”

The government will also fund an additional study looking at how net-zero emissions vessels can be made more commonplace in the recreational craft sector.

Developed in partnership with the Carbon Trust, the study will set out how the UK can improve the supply and demand for zero-carbon recreational craft.

It will make a series of recommendations to governments and industry, including using alternative fuels.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: “The maritime sector must decarbonise by 2050. Large numbers of people both enjoy and are employed by the recreational craft industry, and there are opportunities for leadership in decarbonisation technologies.

“The recreational craft sector encompasses a wide range of vessel types, and there are unique challenges that need to be overcome. A combination of targeted innovation support, cross-industry collaboration and regulatory and financial intervention will be needed to accelerate the development and uptake of low carbon technologies.”

Since the early 2000s, with the addition of the in-vehicle navigation systems, the electronics content in vehicles has steadily growing. Increasingly sophisticated audio systems, infotainment and onboard computer systems mean that vehicles consume more power than earlier models. It is therefore economically feasible to store the energy required for today’s driving experience, in 48V batteries and for it to be converted to 12Vdc as and when required.

It may sound counter-intuitive to add another power system to a vehicle, where space is at a premium and the weight of a car affects performance, yet adding a 48V system to an existing 12V automotive electrical system does not require a total redesign

Driving demand

Increased electrification of vehicles is also driving demand for 48V systems. A Lithium-ion battery is more efficient and can last up to 10 times longer than a lead-acid battery. They also significantly increase the driving range of a vehicle, with a Lithium-ion batteries typically having capacity of 150 to 250 Wh/kg, compared with 30 to 70 Wh/kg for a lead-acid battery. They are also able to handle more charge cycles than lead-acid batteries, allowing more cycles per unit and are capable of fast charging, up to 100% in 30 minutes. Lithium-ion batteries also weigh up to 75% less than their lead-acid counterparts and can be stored in any position, making integration more flexible.

The combination of the benefits of Lithium-ion batteries and SELV requirements found in bi-directional DC-DC converters has led to them being specified more frequently. They are now becoming mainstream in 48Vdc electrical systems which need larger energy storage and faster charging times.

Charge times of the Li-ion batteries are also much shorter than those of lead-acid batteries. As a result, adding 48V battery banks to an existing 12V system for energy storage is now feasible and cost-effective.

Mild hybrid electric vehicles

Mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) architectures use the internal combustion engine (ICE) with a 48V electric system, or powertrain, to augment the engine and components in converting the engine’s power into movement. MHEVs use an electric motor to support the ICE during acceleration and when the vehicle is cruising.

The 48V battery serves the vehicle’s active chassis, electric steering, air conditioning system, engine cooling, heated windscreen, the positive temperature co-efficient (PTC) heater – which provides a heat source in the absence of engine exhaust heat – and turbo charging.

A bi-directional DC-DC converter, sits between the 12V and 48V batteries. It is a key component in the operation of mild hybrid systems. 48Vdc electrical systems require large energy storage capacity and fast charge times. The converter charges the 48V battery pack while the car is driving. The alternator on the ICE supplies 12Vdc to the converter, which in turn converts the 12V to 48V and charges the 48V battery pack.

Buck-boost converter operation

The number of sensors integrated into even basic models continues to rise, together with passenger comfort systems (seat positioning and electric windows), as well as transmission and engine control systems which require in-vehicle communication. A controlled area network (CAN) is a serial communication bus developed to reduce the vehicle’s cable wiring, which contributes to the weight and therefore the performance and fuel efficiency of vehicles. A vehicle’s CAN allows the separate electronic control units (ECUs) to communicate with only a single pair of wires.

Although vehicle electrical systems are moving from 12Vdc to 48Vdc, some auxiliary electrical loads will remain at 12Vdc. Loads such as headlights, driving lights, interior lights, radios, infotainment, and computer systems still require a 12Vdc input and will need to be powered by a DC-DC converter that steps down the 48V battery voltage.

A conventional buck-boost DC-DC converter can operate in step-up (boost) or step-down (buck) mode, but can only manage power flow in one direction. The converter’s mode of operation is determined by the input voltage, compared to the output voltage.

A bi-directional DC-DC converter, however, has the capability to manage the flow of power in both directions between two DC sources (batteries). The operational mode is determined by the required direction of current flow.

Mobile energy storage

Let us look at an example based on a recreational vehicle (RV). Using the two-way current flow capabilities of a bi-directional DC-DC converter, a 48V battery system can easily be added to a standard 12V system. While the RV is being driven, the 12V electrical system will charge the auxiliary 48V battery pack using the bi-directional converter in the boost (step-up) mode. While the RV is parked, the converter can be directed to change operation to a buck (step-down) converter and power the 12V accessories and appliances in the RV.

Another example is in recreational marine environments. Here too, the different modes of operation of a bi-directional DC-DC converter can be optimized to ensure the 48V battery can supply power to the 12V electrical system

Powering the 12V batteries from the 48V auxiliary battery extends the amount of time the boat’s auxiliary loads such as GPS, depth finders, trolling motors, radios, and refrigerators can operate.

As with the RV example, an auxiliary 48V battery system can be added to the existing 12V electrical system on these marine applications.

Regenerative braking

Efficiency is extremely important in electric and hybrid architectures because it has a direct correlation to the vehicle’s range; the more efficiently the vehicle (or RV or boat) operates, the longer range it will have. One way to minimize, or lessen, losses and thus improve the efficiency of the vehicle is by recovering energy used to propel the vehicle.

Conventional traction or dynamic braking systems expend excess energy as heat. In contrast, regenerative braking recovers energy. It slows down a moving vehicle by converting its kinetic energy into energy that can be used immediately or stored until needed.

Battery equalization

Another challenge for power system designers developing MHEV systems. When both 12V and 24V loads are connected, the lower battery will supply power to the 12V and 24V loads, and the top battery will only power the 24V loads. This will drain the lower battery faster than the top one. Balancing the two batteries extends the operating lifetime of each battery.

Battery equalizers actively transfer energy between two batteries to maintain each at the same voltage levels. It will balance (or equalize) the charge and discharge of the two batteries, but in order to balance the charge currents between both batteries, an equalizer must have the ability to change current directions. A battery equalizer is a version of a bi-directional DC-DC converter. It has specialized programming and circuitry to handle the requirements of balancing the charge and discharge currents of each 12V battery.

Bi-directional DC-DC converters

In response to the requirements outlined above, Calex has developed the 48S12.3K0BCA bi-directional DC-DC converter (Figure 1). The 3,000W chassis-mount, non-isolated DC-DC converter is designed for in-vehicle power distribution with 12V/48V battery configurations. This versatile DC-DC converter can be used for a variety of applications including micro and mild hybrid automotive systems.

It charges a low side (12V) battery during normal operation (buck mode) and charges or assists the high voltage (48V) battery in emergency situations (boost mode). The 48S12.3K0BCA operates as an ideal current source with variable direction, allowing energy transfer between two voltage domains. Voltage feedback maintains the output voltage within the acceptable operating range and eventually allows a custom charging profile for the battery pack. It regulates the average current that flows between the high voltage and low voltage ports in the direction selected via a CAN interface.

The 48S12.3K0BCA is packaged in a low profile mechanically enclosed package which weighs typically just 1.37kg. The package makes the DC-DC converter suitable for use in the challenging automotive environment which has harsh shock and vibration requirements. It also facilitates integration with a battery pack. Three M8 bushings are provided, two for power connection and two for ground connections. Efficiency is up to 97% and it has over-current, over-voltage, and over-temperature protection. All protection functions are latching. The 48S12.3K0BCA has 12Vout (nominal) and a range of 6-18V. Calex also offers the 48S24.3K0BCA, 24V out (nominal) model (18-30Vout).

Calex has also developed the 3,000W BCE bi-directional, non-isolated DC-DC converter for in-vehicle power distribution with 12V/48V battery configurations. It is supplied in a low profile, IP67-rated liquid cooled or air cooled enclosure.

(The ingress protection (IP rating) is a guide to the level of protection offered by the DC-DC converter by an electrical enclosure, against solids and liquids. The 6 denotes that it is dust-tight, with zero ingress of dust permitted, 7 means it is protected against the effects of immersion between 15 cm and one meter for up to one hour.)

Like the BCA series bi-directional DC-DC converters, the 48S12.3K0BCE, 48S24.3K0BCE and 24S12.3K0BCE models charge a low side (12V) battery in buck mode and charges, or assists, the high voltage (48V) battery in emergency situations (boost mode). They operate as an ideal current source with variable direction, to allow energy transfer between two voltage domains. Voltage feedback maintains the output voltage within the acceptable operating range and eventually allows a custom charging profile for the battery pack. It regulates the average current flowing between the high voltage and low voltage ports in the direction selected via a CAN interface.

The BCE series (Figure 2) consists of the 48S12.3K0BCE, 48Vin (nominal), 12Vout (nominal) (24-58Vin and 6-18Vout); the 48S24.3K0BCE, which has the same input range and 12Vout (18 – 30Vout); and the 24S12.3K0BCE, which has 24Vin (18-30Vin) and 12V (6-18Vout). The package is suitable for the harsh shock and vibration conditions as well as saves valuable weight in the space-constrained automotive chassis. 

Calex has also developed the 3,000W BEQ series, which ensures that battery voltages remain equal, to significantly extend the life of the battery life and provide the most cost-effective and dependable solution for dual voltage systems. It is also supplied in an air-cooled, IP-rated enclosure, offering high power density, 24Vin, 12V out for automotive 12/24V systems.

The company has also announced that it will add to its portfolio with a range of 4kW bi-directional converters for higher voltage applications as well as a 7kW 400 & 800V solution for on board chargers.

The Calex range of DC-DC bi-directional converters is available from Relec Electronics. Relec Electronics is a specialist in power conversion and display products, representing leading brand names including Mornsun in power conversion alongside Bel Power, Chinfa, Cotek and Premium with key display partners, Digiwise and RockTouch.

For over 40 years, Relec Electronics has worked closely with key suppliers and specialises in a wide range of industry sectors, including automotive, industrial, transportation, instrumentation and defence.

A team of dedicated engineers is ready to support customers throughout the design process.

The company carries stock of all standard modules and accessories for next day delivery.

Relec’s team of specialist advisers can refine an initial specification for a given application to include bespoke features to meet the needs of a particular design or project.

In December 2020, Relec Electronics became a UK subsidiary of Gresham Worldwide.

Game hardware also saw a record year, with consumers buying new consoles, accessories and upgraded PC game components, driving hardware revenues up by approximately 61 per cent year-on-year to reach £2.26bn.

This hefty increase was certainly helped by the release of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles for the first time since 2013. Even the older Nintendo Switch console saw refreshed demand, with limited supplies across the country and a new 'Lite' version making it more affordable to some.

Ukie added that “game culture” revenues, which includes related merchandise and other products, saw a more mixed picture, with a total spend of around £199m in 2020.

Despite store closures as the UK went in and out of lockdown, sales of traditional boxed game titles climbed by 7.1 per cent to £646m, but pre-owned game-buying took a hit, diving 22.8 per cent compared to the year before.

Dorian Bloch, a senior Client Director at Gfk, which helped compile some of the data, said: “The 2020 big winner by format was Nintendo Switch. During the initial Covid lockdown period, we saw massive growth from Switch software sales, up 215 per cent over the equivalent 13 weeks of 2019.

“Xbox One and PS4 also enjoyed uplifts and, of course, at the tail end of 2020 we saw the introduction of PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, whose effect will be significant for 2021 and beyond.”

For the first time in 2020, Ukie’s market valuation also provides a breakdown of digital software revenues across digital PC, console and mobile devices.

With the largest share of digital sales, digital console revenues increased by 24.2 per cent to £1.7bn in 2020, exceeding digital PC revenues by more than double, despite growth of 14.8 per cent in digital PC software to £669m. The smallest screen also proved a welcome distraction, with mobile revenues up 21.3 per cent to £1.5bn.

Another metric included for the first time in 2020 was the money spent on streaming and game video content, which saw consumers spending £45.6m to support content creators.

The UK’s top-selling games of 2020 saw the latest instalment of the perennially popular annual football franchise 'Fifa 21' at the top, followed by 'Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War' and 'Grand Theft Auto V', the latter having been originally released in 2013 and still enjoying continued success.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of those surveyed think that the UK government should have a war or battle plan in place for a potential alien invasion, while nearly a third (31 per cent) feel there should be a dedicated task force for dealing with extra-terrestrial threats.

Confidence in world governments to deal with a potential alien invasion is low, with well over half of those surveyed (58 per cent) believing that our current leaders are unsuited to such a task. 15 per cent of those polled apparently believe that aliens will likely dominate Earth in the next 20 years.

Nick Pope, a former Ministry of Defence UFO investigator who has been advising Blaze ahead of the TV channel's 'UFO Week', said, “2021 is going to be a big year for UFO stories, particularly with the US Department of Defense due to reveal UFO information following the enactment of the Covid-19 Relief Bill, which included a demand that the Director of National Intelligence send Congress a report about UFOs.

“This survey demonstrates that beliefs in UFOs and the extra-terrestrial are widespread and that there is a real appetite among the general population for evidence to be made public.”

Pope’s former governmental duties included investigating UFO sightings to determine whether they had any defence significance from 1991 to 1994.

“As far as I am aware, no such UK government plan to deal with any alien invasion or extra-terrestrial contact exists," he said. "As such, the public’s lack of confidence in the government to respond effectively to a UFO incident is both fair and concerning.”

The Roswell incident in 1947 is the most famous example of suspected UFO activity in recorded history and is scheduled tofeature heavily in Blaze's UFO Week programming.

A quarter (25 per cent) of the UK public think that the US authorities participated in a cover-up at Roswell due to the belief that the public “wasn’t ready for the truth to be revealed”.

29 per cent of those surveyed think the UK government is keeping important information relating to UFOs and aliens secret, while a third (33 per cent) believe that aliens could already be living amongst us.

Panic and fear would be the most dominant reactions (52 per cent) if aliens were proven to be visiting Earth, while fewer than one in ten (9 per cent) would feel excited and happy.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults was carried out by OnePoll during February 2021 on behalf of Blaze, ahead of UFO Week - seven days of programmes dedicated to UFOs, aliens and the extra-terrestrial. Starting today, Monday March 22, the Blaze channel will feature new TV shows exploring whether we are alone in the universe or if aliens have been visiting Earth.

Blaze TV content is available via Freeview 63, Freesat 162, Sky 164 and Virgin Media 216, as well as on smartphones and tablets via the Blaze app.

Very low speeds (59 per cent) and frequent dropouts (53 per cent) were the most common problems that users experienced more often during the pandemic. Which? said an increased reliance on broadband over the past year meant customers were more likely to notice connection issues.

The 'big four' providers – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – supply nine in 10 households and left many customers disappointed, the poll found. 

Virgin Media - which has its own cable network in parts of the UK, theoretically allowing it to offer some of the fastest broadband speeds - received poor ratings for connection reliability. A third of its customers said they had experienced a connection outage lasting at least an hour in the past year and almost a quarter said their connection was slow to upload or download.

Overall, Virgin received an overall customer score of 53 per cent, leaving it second from bottom in the ranking. TalkTalk and Sky achieved scores of 54 per cent.

TalkTalk had the highest proportion of customers who would not recommend their provider to others and Sky rated poorly for value for money, receiving low scores for connection speed, connection reliability and ease of set-up.

BT earned the highest score of the big four with 57 per cent, pulled down by middling ratings across the board and a poor score for value for money.

Only John Lewis scored lower than the big four, racking up a disappointing 47 per cent, with low ratings for connection speed, connection reliability and ease of set-up.

Zen Internet achieved the highest customer score of 70 per cent, having previously topped last year's rankings with a mighty 84 per cent.

The survey also found customers who upgraded to fibre broadband often felt the benefits. Some 63 per cent noticed faster speeds and 45 per cent suffered fewer connection dropouts. Although superfast fibre connections are available to 96 per cent of the country, around a quarter of those surveyed said they still had standard broadband.

Which? head of home products and services Natalie Hitchins said: “Broadband providers must up their game and meet the challenge of providing fast, reliable connections and good customer service for millions of customers whose needs and expectations have risen over the last year.

“The industry and government must also work together to ensure more people have the chance to switch to faster and more reliable gigabit-capable broadband services in the years to come, or risk undermining the UK’s goal of becoming a world leader in connectivity.”

The Which? survey comprised of 4,478 UK adults with a broadband service between December 14 2020 and January 6 2021.

The provision of a fast and reliable broadband service continues to be unevenly distributed across the UK. Members of a rural Scottish community unhappy with their internet speeds and a troubled fibre rollout recently moved their home offices to a field full of cows as a protest, in a bid to draw attention to their complaints.

In February, a study commissioned by O2 revealed that people have been increasingly switching to using mobile data to stay online during lockdown, as their broadband connections have been suffering under the strain.

The UK government's promise to deliver full-fibre and gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business across the UK by 2025 was a key Conservative manifesto pledge in the 2019 general election.

However, since being elected the Tories have sought to dial down expectations, saying they would go “as far as we possibly can by 2025”. In March, a committee of MPs slammed the government for its delays on rolling out gigabit broadband and 5G across the country and its failure to provide concrete information about its future plans for making these key technologies available to all UK citizens.

“Though we continue to warn about niche platforms like Telegram, a fertile recruitment ground for young neo-Nazis has been Instagram,” said Nick Lowles, the chief executive of HNH. “Its inadequate moderation and worrying algorithm recommendations are child protection issues that demand urgent action from the platform.”

So far, the group has identified two far-right groups active in the UK – The British Hand and the National Partisan Movement – who have used Instagram to recruit members, while using other messaging apps, such as Telegram, to communicate with each other. Three alleged members of The British Hand, who are all teenage boys, are facing trial on terrorism charges.

HNH’s annual 'State of Hate' report published on Monday (22 March) found the Covid-19 pandemic has speeded up the move of the British far-right from the streets to online. It said a younger, digital generation – who exploit technology to promote their ideology through gaming, voice chats via social media, online film clubs and even home schooling – has left older, traditional groups behind.

“The lockdown has had a profound effect on every part of our society, and it’s no less the case on the far-right. Traditional organisations were already on the decline, but lockdown exacerbated their inactivity,” said Lowles.

He said digital platforms now lead the British far-right and reflect online culture. “Traditional structures have given way to social media platforms, influencers and ‘citizen journalists’ creating peer-to-peer radicalisation and a global community willing to crowd-source ‘micro-donations’ of time and effort.

“The new organisations and collectives that are emerging understand how to operate in this decentralised, self-directed environment,” he further explained. “We have seen a slew of far-right terror convictions over the last year, and half of these have been teenagers.”

Meanwhile, a Facebook company spokesperson said: “We do not want hate on our platform and we removed a number of accounts belonging to The British Hand and National Partisan Movement before this report was published.

“We’ve banned over 250 white supremacist organisations from Facebook and Instagram, and will continue removing content that praises, supports, or represents these groups. That includes content containing swastikas and other hate symbols.”

Facebook added that last year the platform removed nearly one million pieces of content tied to hate organisations from Instagram. It also said the firm was continuously investing in technology to find and remove it faster.

Britain’s youngest convicted terrorist, who led a neo-Nazi cell from his grandmother’s house, was handed a two-year rehabilitation order last month after pleading guilty to 12 offences, including two of dissemination of terrorist documents and 10 of possession of terrorist material.

The boy from south-east Cornwall, who cannot be named, was just 13 when he first got hold of instructions for explosives. And while sentencing him at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Dennis QC told him: “You entered an online world of wicked prejudice and violent bigotry which has no place in a civilised society.”

Last November, E&T reviewed Talia Lavin’s book ‘Culture Warlords – My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy’ whereby the former fact-checker for The New York Times, and a proud Jewish woman, immersed herself in the world of her tormentors for a year, mapping a blueprint of all the online places where white supremacists, white nationalists, and Christian extremists across the US thrive and multiply.

“An AI-based algorithm has been created last year. This works as a predictive analytical tool to create alerts about the virus. As well, it has offered updates on the usage of ventilators,” highlighted Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, Government of Telangana.

The Government of Telangana has declared 2020 as the Year of AI and the government will use AI solutions for improving agriculture, urban transportation and healthcare. The aim is to make Hyderabad, capital city of Telangana, rank among the world’s top 25 AI innovation hubs in the next decade. Industry leaders and leading academic institutions pursuing AI-based research have been brought together under the umbrella. The collaborative approach has led to the initiation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to promote AI research and offer solutions for society’s betterment.

“Three years ago, we realised that AI has a transformational power. We prepared an AI framework that will facilitate partnerships in various verticals like manufacturing and agriculture. Sensor-led smart factories and crop management are among the efforts,” recalled Ranjan.

The Government of India (GoI) has envisioned a National Programme on Artificial Intelligence. AI Research Centres are being established to take the vision forward. 

The Indian railways use AI for determining signal failures. Remote condition monitoring and non-intrusive sensors help monitor the signals.

Going forward, AI will be optimised for financial inclusion, amplifying healthcare, and strengthening academic learning and skilling programmes. “Complexities arising from shortage of food supply, variations in climate change, waste management and citizen services can be tackled with AI solutions. This is the decade of and for AI. AI will support augmented intelligence, which can form the basis for decision-making in large and small organizations,” said Sandip Patel, Chairman, CII AI Forum, MD IBM India and SA. AI needs to be adopted commercially for running smart cities, farm production and agriculture, among other verticals.

The AI-led data will help identify key challenges faced by the manufacturing sector. “AI will impact small and big businesses and impact all lives as well. The first part of the digital revolution was about procedural computing which transformed industries. We have moved to the second stage of the digital revolution. Now the thrust is on training computers to solve problems faced by people,” reasoned Kris Gopalakrishnan, chairman, Axilor Ventures. This will happen through the power of computing and AI algorithms. 

Prof Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India: AI is a disruptive technology that can play a significant role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self Reliant India. If AI-ML-Data Science is put to use, many micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups can sustain themselves. Collectively, MSMEs and diverse startups can add to the India growth story in the global markets. Manufacturing, 3D printing, distributed computing and decision making in nano technology will be based on AI-led data. This can turn into a wealth of opportunities. Water and energy management can happen through AI. 

In the 1950s, researchers were boggled by the fact whether machines can think. We’ve come a long way since then. “We are in an era when AI is being used to develop algorithms and the core is big data. Data by itself is raw information that needs to be processed and converted to knowledge. This knowledge needs to be understood and looked upon as an intelligent decision making solution,” added Prof K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India: National AI Mission. The process happens through a human-machine interface. “The benefits of AI at scale will find meaning if it is backed by broad-base expenditure that can be used to access intelligent data. AI requires centres of excellence that will partner with academia to pursue application-based research that will benefit society at large,” felt VijayRaghavan.

Understandably, AI is worth several trillion dollars in the global economy and its value is estimated to be several billion dollars in the Indian economy. “India has the highest skill penetration rate at a global level. We need to scale up the government-corporate collaborations in AI. Several applications can happen through computational AI, such as AI-enabled chatbots and intelligent traffic-management solutions,” explained Abhishek Singh, CEO, National e-Governance Division, DIC, Meity, Government of India.

We need sustained trained manpower to build an AI ecosystem. Talent, right from the school level, needs to be honed. We need to introduce AI-ML-data classes into the school curriculum. Government led initiatives like Vigyan Jyoti, the literal translation of which is 'science light', Vigyan meaning 'science' and Jyoti being 'light'. The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has positioned the initiative as a level playing field. It is for meritorious girls studying in grades 9-12 to take up STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. The Vigyan Jyoti activities include student-parent counselling; visits to labs and knowledge centres; science camps; academic support classes; resource material distribution and online academic support. The program is currently implemented by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in 58 districts, with the participation of about 2,900 students. DST has collaborated with IBM in 2020 to strengthen the current activities and expand to include more schools in the future.

Another national endeavour is the establishment of ATAL Tinkering Labs (ATL) in schools. ATAL Innovation Mission (AIM) has been initiated by NITI Aayog, a think tank of the Government of India (GoI). AIM has established thousands of ATLs in both government and private schools. This includes co-educational and girls’ schools (Grade VI-X), which serve as community hubs of innovation, wherein students are encouraged to apply the knowledge through DIY (do it yourself) kits on science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers. 

Besides that, this year, Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO has announced that it will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs across the country to encourage students to innovate across STEM disciplines.  

Going beyond the school level, every undergraduate programme should include courses in AI and ML. Students should be encouraged and made familiar with augmented capabilities and cognitive tasks, which can be tapped for societal problems. We need think tanks and policy makers to roll out schemes for using AI at large. India needs a robust AI ecosystem, where AI applications and innovations are protected through intellectual property (IP) rights. 

All this was discussed online at ‘AI for Industry - AI for All,’ an international conference on AI, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).  

This year’s theme is ‘valuing water’: that is the value each of us places on water. Most of us probably take it for granted, rarely thinking about its supply or use. Imagine for a minute though, that you are one of the billions of people around the world for whom the supply of water is unreliable or non-existent. You’d quickly realise its importance to health and livelihood.

According to the United Nations, water stress affects more than 25 per cent of the world’s population, or two billion people, a number that is increasing due to rising temperatures and changing weather patterns. The UN estimates that by 2050, one in four of us will experience recurring water shortages.

The water-food-energy nexus is central to sustainable development, yet is facing increasing demands due to a rising global population, urbanisation and economic growth. This link means that if we pioneer innovation and drive energy efficiency, we can reduce water use, reduce energy consumption and lower our emissions. For example, although electric motors have been used for the past 150 years, it’s dramatic improvements in efficiency over the last decade that are enabling many countries to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Through innovation and technology, we can play an active role in reducing the number of people facing water shortages, the majority of whom are the ones most affected by climate change. By increasing the efficiency, reliability and accessibility of technology we can achieve more for communities by using less.

One example is in Telangana, a state in southern India where half the population of 35 million rely on agriculture to work and live. Farmers are contending with a shortened monsoon season and a virtually non-existent water table. The only option for providing water for agriculture and drinking is to pump from the Krishna River to a reservoir 300 metres above it – the height of the Eiffel Tower and a considerable feat of engineering.

Pumping water at thousands of litres per second requires huge motors – five ABB 30MW motors in fact – and to increase energy efficiency we’ve provided power-management solutions that ensure reliable power flow with minimum electrical surges. The Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme – completed over 12 years – provides a dependable source of drinking water and irrigation of 137,000 hectares of agricultural land (an area the size of Los Angeles), helping support one of the largest sectors in the Indian economy.

This sort of water-irrigation technology is also being used in Egypt, where an area of desert more than 2,200 square kilometres is being reclaimed to give the country greater food security, increased employment and investment throughout the supply chain.

These highly technical solutions show the importance of water transportation, whether for direct consumption or for irrigation. One of the main issues is that this can consume a significant amount of energy. However, by increasing energy efficiency, communities benefit from more reliable solutions, lower emissions and greater energy savings – reducing the cost of ownership whilst protecting the environment.

The benefits of energy efficiency are far broader than the simple ability to provide more reliable, cost-effective solutions that use less energy and are less polluting. Indeed, greater efficiency helps contribute to environmental conservationism.

Since the start of the industrial age, improvements in efficiency have led directly to periods of economic expansion. With the latest technological advances we are embarking on an era in which greater efficiency contributes simultaneously to economic growth and environmental protection. For example, taking my own area of interest – industrial electric motors – it is estimated that if all the 300 million industrial electric-motor-driven systems currently in operation were replaced with optimised, high-efficiency equipment, global electricity consumption could be reduced by 10 per cent. The gains realised from improving energy efficiency in general are likely to account for a greater than 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Accelerating the adoption of energy-saving technologies is simply common sense.

Ultimately, the importance of water cannot be overestimated, and continued innovation in the water industry – from transportation to treatment and desalination – is vital to ensuring water security. But it isn’t just about today’s water supply, but about the future. When we look at, for example hydroelectricity, electrical storage and even the future of hydrogen fuel – the efficient and sustainable management of what could be argued is the world’s most valuable resource is critical.

This World Water Day, I want us all to think about water in a different way and think about how every industry can protect what we all need to see as the most valuable commodity available.

Heikki Vepsäläinen is division president, large motors and generators at ABB.

It uses adaptive trigger buttons that can increase their tension depending on what’s happening on screen; advanced haptic feedback to try and make sensations in the game world more impactful, and finger touch detection which can detect a user’s fingers without any pressing.

The controller is also tracked by Sony’s new VR headset through a tracking ring across the bottom of the controller.

In a blog post, Sony said it would start supplying prototypes to game developers soon, although it did not give exact dates for when a refreshed PlayStation VR system might be released to consumers.

PlayStation’s senior vice president for platform, Hideaki Nishino, said the new hardware had been made “from the ground up” with the aim of making a “huge leap from current-gen VR gaming”.

Microsoft has also been in the spotlight this week after gamers reported error messages appearing on their Xbox consoles that mentioned VR headsets. However, the firm denied it was developing VR for the platform, attributing the messages to a “localisation bug”.

Meanwhile, Facebook has announced it is developing a wristband which has been designed to control augmented reality (AR) glasses, which are expected to launch later this year.

Wearers of the band would be able to interact with the virtual world with their finger movements, the company said in a blog post.

Contextually aware AI is being developed which will be able to understand a users’ commands and actions as well as the context and environment around them.

It will make inferences about what information a user might need or commands they might want to carry out depending on the context.

The wristband input is designed to make selecting a choice effortless by letting users interact with virtual, always-available buttons through slight finger movements.

This marks an escalation of Facebook’s interest in a hotly contested race among tech giants including Apple, Amazon and Google to develop AR devices that could eventually replace smart phones.

In September 2020, Facebook said it was about five to 10 years away from being able to bring “true” augmented reality glasses to the market.