Futurologist Jeremy Rifkin claimed that 3D printing is the beginning of a third industrial revolution. This means it would subsequently succeed the production line assembly that dominated manufacturing which started in the late 19th century. What if he’s right? Imagine printing a new valve for a broken tap or a brake disc for your car. In contrast, perhaps something simpler like a new plate when your little ones drop the good dishes. The possibilities are essentially endless given the right materials and machines.
19
May
2017
12
May
2017
Military Technology: Applications of Autonomous Systems
Whether it’s conspiracy theories, Hollywood or reality; there’s certainly no shortage of newsworthy mentions of new military technology being developed. Autonomous systems, for example, is vital to solve many of the most difficult problems we currently face. These include exploring uncharted oceans, deep space, providing aid in emergency situations and probably more applications in the defense industry.
Already we have Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft with Cortana. These systems all operate on autonomous technology and the demand
14
Apr
2017
Industries That Define CNC Precision-Engineering
Since the introduction of the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine back in the 1940’s by John T. Parson, they have been praised for being accurate, fast, consistent and flexible. Since then, we’ve come a long way with machines like our VTC-5-Axis and Mazak Integrex i400. These machines are better, faster and capable of achieving
2
Apr
2017
The Future of Mini Drones or MAV’s (Micro Air Vehicles)
Drones have been around for some time but the on-going technological development in advanced engineering is astonishing. Can you imagine a swarm of robotic and autonomous insects?
When you think of mosquitoes, there really aren’t many good things to say. They often carry potentially lethal diseases such as malaria. Mosquitoes are annoying and their bites can be really painful, itchy and irritating.
This is not what Zoologists from the University of Oxford and the Royal Veterinary Hospital in Japan are focusing on though. In fact, they’ve discovered something very interesting.
21
Jan
2017
Vehicles from those old sci fi films are increasingly becoming a reality. Driverless cars, autonomous boats and all sorts of drones are regularly in the news. The latest to hit the headlines is the Hoverbike.
The Hoverbike (which is in fact a quad copter) started life way back in 2014 and was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. Development on the Hoverbike, continued into 2015 and following a test flight of their prototype at the Paris air show, UK company Malloy Aeronautics paired up with American engineering company SURVICE to deliver a Hoverbike for the US Department of Defence.
23
Dec
2016
As we approach the year end we thought we’d take a look back at some of the new and innovative engineering stories and reports that came out this year.
There were some astounding breakthroughs in the medical and healthcare sectors as well as enhancements in the more run of the mill procedures.
Osseo integration (the practice of using pins to implant directly into the bone) has been in the news throughout the year. Despite many successful surgeries overseas, growth in the use of the procedure has been relatively slow. A UK pilot of the procedure for military personnel who have lost limbs launched in September this year. If successful it is hoped the use of the procedure can be adopted more widely.
26
Nov
2016
Innovative engineering developments make for good news and when those developments include medical improvements it makes for even happier headlines. In the defence sector, however, the headlines are sometimes more muted, yet there are massive innovations and developments taking place.
Whatever your personal opinion about budgets and spending in the defence sector, the simple fact is that we need military vehicles and equipment on land, in the sea and in the air and they need to be equipped with up to date, modern technology and materials if they are to do their job. And it’s not just vehicles and equipment that matter. Developments in fabrics and communication methods also help personnel to do their jobs as safely as possible. Some of those innovations, while being piloted for military use, may also have huge benefits in other sectors.
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