wire

Our scientists have helped to solve a puzzle that could lead to cheaper and more efficient solar power.

A recent University of Cambridge spin-out company, Paragraf, has started producing graphene - a sheet of carbon just one atomic layer thick - at up to eight inches in diameter, large enough for commercial electronic devices.

A new green technology to generate electricity from discarded cocoa pod husks is set to benefit African farming communities currently with little or no access to grid power. The project, led by the University of Nottingham, aims to spawn an entirely new bio-fuel industry that would also improve socio-economic stability for cocoa producers in rural Ghana.

Scientists from around the world visited the University of Bristol last week to hear progress on the important Gallium Nitride (GaN)-on-Diamond microwave technology.

High speed internet could be delivered through the lights in homes and offices, revolutionising the way we download and upload information in the future, finds UCL researchers. Academics from UCL, Northumbria University and Newcastle University are developing a new type of organic LED (light-emitting diode) which will communicate with smart devices such as tablets and phones to download and upload huge amounts of data.

A multidisciplinary team of engineers from the University of Nottingham and Teledyne e2v are to receive this year's Colin Campbell Mitchell Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering for developing MicroHammer, a revolutionary process for extracting copper from its ore using microwave technology.

New research that could transform the future of healthcare will investigate whether it is possible to reuse WiFi radio waves as a medical radar system.

Mistaken belief in mythical causes of cancer is rife, according to new research from UCL and the University of Leeds.

With robotics on the rise, Imperial researchers look to the future, exploring everything from nature-inspired robot swarms to the ethics of AI. Robotics is often still considered futuristic sci-fi, but the rapid rate of innovation suggests that we are well and truly living in a robot age. Where do we go from here? The journal Science Robotics , edited by Imperial researcher Professor Guang-Zhong Yang , who is Director and Co-founder of the Hamlyn Centre , recently formed an expert panel and identified ten ' grand challenges ' facing modern robotics science.

Researchers have shown that certain superconductors - materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance at very low temperatures - can also carry currents of 'spin'.

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Southampton, in collaboration with Microsemi, have demonstrated reliable operation of microelectromechanical relays by coating the contacts with nanocrystalline layers of graphite, to enable ultra-low-power electronics for harsh environments.

UCL and Xtera , a provider of innovative subsea fibre optic technology, have broken current world records by transmitting 120 Terabit/s over a single fibre spanning 630 km.

A blueprint to cut UK electricity prices to bring them into line with competitor countries such as Germany and France as we move to low-carbon power generation has been proposed by UCL researchers.

Mapping common pathways along which the effects of natural and man-made disasters travel allows more flexible and resilient responses in the future, according to UCL researchers.

Imperial is a partner in a new project funded by Ofgem that is researching how to make electricity networks more responsive to change.

More materials for electronic applications could be identified, thanks to the discovery of a new metal-organic framework (MOF) that displays electrical semiconduction with a record high photoresponsivity, by a global research collaboration involving the University of Warwick.

UCL scientists are seeking new links with Peking University (PKU) to create a new generation of "green" electronic devices that use nanotechnology to reduce the energy needed to generate their power.

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has been awarded a £1m grant to help set-up a world-leading centre of excellence for nuclear robotics in the UK.

An international team of researchers has developed a new light-based manipulation method that could one day be used to mass produce light-based devices and electronic components for smartphones, computers and other electronics. Optical traps, which use light to hold and move small objects in liquid, are promising as a non-contact method to assemble electronic and optical devices.

Researchers have successfully incorporated washable, stretchable and breathable electronic circuits into fabric, opening up new possibilities for smart textiles and wearable electronics. The circuits were made with cheap, safe and environmentally friendly inks, and printed using conventional inkjet printing techniques.

A Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) spin out company has received investment to commercialise a new material technology which would both drastically cut energy use and increase the speed of optical communications.

The "drone race" between countries is underway and the UK can be a leader, said an Imperial aeronautical engineer at the launch of a new centre.

Slow internet speeds and the Internet 'rush hour' - the peak time when data speeds drop by up to 30% - could be history with new hardware designed and demonstrated by UCL researchers that provides consistently high-speed broadband connectivity.

In this edition: We discover Imperial's involvement in the IPCC, meet underfloor robots and explore the Imperial universe at the latest Fringe.

Liquid metal brings soft robotics a step closer Scientists have invented a way to morph liquid metal into physical shapes.

Calling all Lego fans..the University of Nottingham is looking for school teams to take part in the regional heat of the global FIRST LEGO League challenge taking place on Tuesday 19 th December.

Could replicants ever be a reality? In this article from The Conversation , Fumiya Iida (Department of Engineering) discusses what it would take to make a truly life-like robot.

WMG researchers, at the University of Warwick, will be a significant part of a new £65 million national battery research initiative.

Imperial and one of Japan's top universities joined forces at a two-day workshop in London this week.

Lancaster engineers are looking at advanced materials for roads and pavements that could generate electricity from passing traffic Researchers are looking at advanced materials for roads and pavements that could generate electricity from passing traffic.

Mark Shorrock, Chief Executive of Tidal Lagoon Power, used a Cardiff University event to outline his company's ambitions to harness the energy of the Seven Estuary.

A major new international research programme is responding to the overwhelming demand of internet traffic to develop ubiquitous wireless data coverage with unprecedented speed at millimetre waves.