Liphook Community Magazine Summer 2020

Brave New World of Engineering
The Covid 19 pandemic lockdown has at least given me a chance
to catch up on some reading. Tony Rudgard kindly lent me a
recent issue of Professional Engineering, published on behalf of
the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), which is packed
full of fascinating and sometimes almost unbelievable stories.
The traffic on our roads in Liphook may seem to have returned
to the 1960s level and there is a distinct lack of the aircraft
frequently over our heads, but the ongoing research into solutions
to problems caused by pollution is ongoing. There is a lead article
arising from the announcement by Boris Johnson in early
February that the ban on the sale of vehicles that use an internal
combustion engine as the sole source of propulsion would be
brought forward from 2040 to 2035 and would now include
hybrid vehicles. Currently there are over 300m cars on European
roads and 99% are still powered by petrol or diesel. IMechE urges
investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels made from
sustainable and net-zero sources, with a new IMechE report
suggesting the quickest way to cut emissions is to improve the
efficiency of internal combustion engines and switch to lowcarbon
fuels by adding biofuels and synthetic fuels.
Recent technical advances include Energy Observer, the world’s
first hydrogen-powered ship, which is currently on a six-year zeroemissions
voyage around the world and is to be fitted with a new
technology that’s been adapted from the fuel cell used in Toyota’s
hydrogen-powered Mirai line of vehicles. It is designed to be able
to produce hydrogen on board, from seawater, without releasing
greenhouse gas emissions. It uses three types of solar panels
spread over 202m2, along with two OceanWings ® and a traction
kite to generate the power, which is then stored as hydrogen.
Future geoengineering on a huge scale may result if proposals to
use dust from an asteroid blast could be used to shield Earth
from heat from the sun, a massive cause of global warming.
And if that seems too much like the subject of a Hollywood
movie, there is an article about inventor Richard Browning who
made headlines when he crossed the Solent in July 2019 in the
world’s first patented Jet Suit, but looking as if he had stepped
out of the world of James Bond. His company, Gravity Industries,
has gone from a one-man inventor to a 30-person team around
the world. Katy from Gravity Industries helpfully provided us
with images (one shown here) and told me that “since launch in
2017 Gravity has executed over 100 live events across 30 countries
including 5 Ted talks, and we are also working remotely by doing
virtual keynotes”. I recommend that, like me, you look up what
Ted talks and virtual keynotes are!
©Gravity Industries
Less eye-catching but nevertheless important advances are
reported in fields such as industrial 3D printing and technology
developed in the space sector that could be used to improve
patients’ lives.
Yet despite all the world’s current technological, environmental
and social problems needing massive engineering input and
solutions the role of engineers continues to be undervalued.
Schools such as our own Bohunt stress the importance of the STEM
subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics
and their annual STEM Festival attracts over 3,000 visitors with
more than 60 exhibitors and guest speakers.
Rod Sharp
©Energy Observer Productions - Georges Conty
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