A group of Dutch researchers has produced a relatively inexpensive catalyst for use in Fischer-Tropsch reactors, opening up the possibility of a cheaper industrial process to make synthetic fuels from natural gas and biomass. The Fischer-Tropsch process is used for Continue reading
More than half of a £21 million fund for research into graphene has been awarded to Cambridge University to develop applications in electronics, it was revealed today. Cambridge has won over £12 million to develop and commercialise flexible electronics and Continue reading
Researchers in Israel and Germany have successfully integrated nano-antennae into a microchip, opening up the possibility of cheaper, more portable security scanners and communications devices. The chip, which measures 0.5 mm by 0.5 mm, can receive and transmit millimetre wave Continue reading
Most people now accept the prospect of UAV drones patrolling the skies. But few people know that engineers throughout Europe are also busy developing a force of autonomous “first response” robots to patrol European land and sea borders. Two EU Continue reading
The UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) has shown it is possible to turn radioactive waste into nuclear batteries to use in deep space, writes the Financial Times. The NNL, a government-owned nuclear research organisation, has managed to extract americium Continue reading
Researchers from Exeter and Tel Aviv University have developed software for wave energy converters that could more than double their output and significantly reduce their operating costs. The system can be used in so-called “point-absorbers” – wave energy converters that Continue reading
The Giradora washing machine is an excellent reminder that innovation doesn’t always have to be about smartphones and web apps to impact on people’s lives. Hurtled into internet famedom by its entry into the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, the Continue reading
A French biotechnology firm has developed “plant milking technology” to extract rare chemical compounds that can be used in the manufacture of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Plant Advanced Technologies, based in Nancy in North East France, cultivates rare, slow-growing plants in Continue reading
In East London the clean-up has begun and preparations for the Paralympics are well underway. But just in case there is an Olympic-sized void in your life post London 2012, the Robo World Cup kicks off in Bristol next week, Continue reading
It is widely accepted that the limited range of electric vehicles (EVs) is the largest barrier to their introduction. Current battery and materials technology limits the range and size of EVs. Combined with the EVs’ relatively high cost, “range anxiety” Continue reading