The OceanGate submersible captured the world’s attention when it disappeared during an underwater expedition, just 105 minutes after deployment. OceanGate aimed to unlock the oceans for human exploration and research, however, as we delve into the engineering behind the OceanGate submersible, serious questions arise about the vessel’s design choices, which may have contributed to its catastrophic failure. How did the use of carbon fibre in the submersible’s hull contribute to its failure, what were the major design flaws that led to potential points of failure, and what lessons can be learned from this tragedy to prevent similar incidents in the future?
Top Stories This Week
- OceanGate Titan Submersible Failure: Consequences Of Dodgy Engineering
- Bins With Sensors Set To Be Rolled Out In Derby As Part Of £200,000 Project
- AI Chat Tool For PCBs Aims To Simplify Hardware Design
- AMD Introduces Largest FPGA-Based Adaptive SoC
- 3D BioFibR Launches New Collagen Fiber Products To Enhance 3D Bioprinting Capabilities
- Protecting Power Management Circuits Against Trojan Attacks
- Google Is Using Laser Technology To Bring A New, Cheaper Internet To Remote Areas
- How Printed Electronics Are Shaping The Future Of Space Exploration
- Wearable Wireless Sweat Patch Uses Graphene Sensor
- Intel Tech Helping Design Prototype Fusion Power Plant
- A 32-Bit RISC-V CPU Core In 600 Lines Of C
Hardware Business News
Bins With Sensors Set To Be Rolled Out In Derby As Part Of £200,000 Project
Derby City Council and waste management company REEN have successfully demonstrated litter bins equipped with innovative “fill-level” sensors, marking a significant advancement in waste management. The sensors allow real-time monitoring of bin fill levels, enabling council workers to optimize collection routes and reduce unnecessary visits, and now, with the green light given to the project after positive results from the trial, the city is set to roll out these smart bins across parks, green spaces, and selected street bins. How did the smart bins’ sensors contribute to reducing the frequency of bin visits during the trial, besides reducing overflowing bins, what other benefits did the smart bin technology offer during the trial, how do the “fill-level” sensors work, and what methods will be used to alert workers when bins need emptying?
AI Chat Tool For PCBs Aims To Simplify Hardware Design
Flux, a leading provider of browser-based PCB design tools, has introduced the latest version of Copilot, an AI design assistant integrated into their PCB design tool. This upgraded Copilot marks a significant leap forward on the path to generative AI by transforming from a helpful guide to a proactive design partner. Empowered with a custom-trained large language model (LLM), Copilot is designed to grasp the principles of electrical engineering and circuit design. With its upgraded version, Copilot goes beyond being a mere design guide; it can explain complex circuit elements, clarify the role of specific parts in projects, and even provide a head start for open-source hardware projects. How will Copilot’s transition to a proactive design partner influence the future of hardware engineering, what other advanced tasks can Copilot perform to further enhance the efficiency of hardware design, and with Copilot democratizing the design process, how might it impact the accessibility and adoption of hardware design among engineers with varying expertise levels?
AMD Introduces Largest FPGA-Based Adaptive SoC
AMD has unveiled the AMD Versal™ Premium VP1902 adaptive system-on-chip (SoC), claiming it to be the world’s largest adaptive SoC. This emulation-class, chiplet-based device is designed to streamline the verification of increasingly complex semiconductor designs, offering double the capacity of the previous generation. With this advancement, designers can innovate and validate application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and SoC designs confidently, expediting the introduction of next-generation technologies to the market. How does the AMD Versal Premium VP1902 adaptive SoC’s enhanced capacity and performance impact the development and verification of complex semiconductor designs, in what ways can the advanced debugging capabilities of the VP1902 adaptive SoC influence the efficiency of pre-silicon verification and software development, and how might the collaboration between AMD and EDA vendors benefit designers and accelerate the realization of their technology visions into reality?
3D BioFibR Launches New Collagen Fiber Products To Enhance 3D Bioprinting Capabilities
Canadian tissue engineering company, 3D BioFibR, is launching two innovative collagen fiber products, ?CollaFibR and CollaFibR 3D scaffold, aimed at enhancing the capabilities of 3D bioprinting. Utilizing their proprietary dry-spinning technology, 3D BioFibR can create collagen fibers at commercial scales, offering significant advantages for tissue engineering and tissue culture applications. CEO Kevin Sullivan envisions a future where doctors can 3D print organs like kidneys using a patient’s own cells, bringing regenerative medicine to new heights. How does 3D BioFibR’s proprietary dry-spinning technology enable the creation of collagen fibers at commercial scales, in what ways can the new collagen fiber products, ?CollaFibR and CollaFibR 3D scaffold, revolutionize 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering applications, and how might the advancements in 3D bioprinting, such as volumetric bioprinting and regenerative tissue programs, shape the future of clinical applications in medicine and personalized healthcare?
Hardware Engineering News
Protecting Power Management Circuits Against Trojan Attacks
As the complexity of cyberattacks continue to increase, engineers are having to consider all kinds of new attack vectors. But as hardware components become more dependent on software, the ability to damage physical parts is becoming a more viable option for hackers. This report published by semiengineering investigates the impact of a Trojan attack on power conversion circuits, specifically a switching signal attack on the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to a power FET. How does the attack trigger overvoltage and functional failure, how effective is the proposed bypass capacitor solution, and how can its limitations be overcome?
Google Is Using Laser Technology To Bring A New, Cheaper Internet To Remote Areas
Google’s innovation hub, X-lab, is utilizing laser technology in its Taara project to provide affordable Internet access to remote and rural regions. After learning from past failures with stratospheric balloons, Taara now employs terminals that transmit data-carrying lasers over fixed distances, effectively creating a cable-free fiber-optic Internet. With successful trials in India and plans for broader deployment, the project aims to connect people in 13 countries, including Australia, Kenya, and Fiji. How does the Taara project’s laser technology work, what challenges did X-lab face with previous initiatives, and how might this laser-based Internet technology impact Internet connectivity and accessibility in underserved regions worldwide?
How Printed Electronics Are Shaping The Future Of Space Exploration
The challenges of space exploration have always been formidable, from the complexities of rocket design to the careful considerations for payload delivery. Sending anything into space comes at an exorbitant cost, requiring engineers to meticulously weigh every gram. As the demand for lighter and more versatile payloads grows, printed electronics emerge as a potential game-changer. With the ability to create thin, lightweight circuits and integrate sensors directly onto the payload structure, printed electronics offer promising advantages. However, these technologies still face significant obstacles, such as fragility and limited complexity. Can printed electronics truly overcome these challenges and find their way into space missions on a larger scale, how does the flexibility, lower cost, and sustainability of printed electronics align with the requirements of the space industry, and what potential breakthroughs could emerge from combining traditional silicon electronics with printed electronics in hybrid printing?
Hardware R&D News
Wearable Wireless Sweat Patch Uses Graphene Sensor
Revolutionizing wearable medical sensors, researchers at CalTech have achieved a remarkable breakthrough by developing a graphene-based wearable sensor capable of detecting the onset of inflammation through sweat analysis. This wireless sensor targets C-reactive protein (CRP), a key biomarker associated with inflammation and various health conditions. Overcoming the challenges of detecting CRP in low concentrations, this cutting-edge technology opens up new possibilities for health monitoring and chronic disease management. In this article, we explore the innovative features of the graphene-based sensor and its potential implications for the future of medical applications. How could the graphene-based sensor be integrated into existing wearable technologies for seamless health monitoring, what other biomarkers could this sensor potentially detect, and with the ability to monitor inflammation through sweat, how might this technology impact at-home health monitoring for individuals at risk of chronic diseases?
Intel Tech Helping Design Prototype Fusion Power Plant
In an exciting collaboration between Intel, Dell Technologies, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), and the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab, plans are underway to create a “digital twin” of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype fusion power plant. By leveraging cutting-edge supercomputing and Intel technologies, the project aims to streamline the development of fusion energy and pave the way for sustainable power in the future. What is the significance of a “digital twin” in advancing the engineering of fusion power plants, how will oneAPI and open software solutions optimize simulation functionality for fusion research, and what impact could this collaboration have on the journey to achieving commercially viable fusion power by the 2040s?
Open-Source Hardware News
A 32-Bit RISC-V CPU Core In 600 Lines Of C
Have you ever wanted to delve into the world of RISC-V CPU cores but felt overwhelmed by their complexity? Well, mnurzia’s rv project has got you covered! This impressive project presents a user-level RV32IMC implementation in ANSI C, offering a simple two-function API. In this introduction to RISC-V, the rv project specifically focuses on a 32-bit base integer instruction set (RV32I), featuring the multiplication and division extension (M), and the compressed instruction set extension (C). How does mnurzia’s rv project simplify the implementation of a RISC-V CPU core, what are the specific features of this RISC-V implementation, and how can emulating RISC-V enhance the RP2040’s capabilities for running Linux and other applications?
