CONTENTS
36
30
3 May 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk
4 Editor’s Comment
The future of the UK’s automotive
sector hinges on our ability to avoid the
mistakes of the past
6 NEWS
Beyond line of sight UAV trials aim to
stimulate innovation and fast-track
commercial applications of drones
8 covid-19 NEWS
Engineers from industry and academia
join forces to fight Coronavirus
10 NEWS ANALYSIS
How SMEs are the unsung heros of the
engineering Covid-19 fightback
12 cover feature
Giant gigafatories for the production of
lithium-ion batteries will be essential to
the future of the UK car industry
16 VIEWPOINT
Ian Risk asks whether Covid-19 could
catalyse the digital revoluion?
18 mailbox
Readers speculate on the long-term
impact of the current pandemic on UK
engineering and manufacuring
20 civil engineering
Why a flood defence scheme for the
city of Hull offers a host of benefits
24 consumer technology
Canadian startup Ora is looking to take
graphene mainstream with innovative
loudspeaker technology
30 Q&A Feature
An expert panel discusses trends
and developments in the fast-moving
field of XR
32 software products
Leading suppliers showcase the lastest
releases and applications
34 late great engineers
The life and times of antiquity’s greatest
scientist, Archimedes of Syracuse
36 from the archive
How automotive engineers turned their
talents to Iron lung design during
the 1956 polio pandemic
38 scifi eye
Forget the Terminator scenario, the
future of AI based warfare could be far
weirder than that writes Gareth L Powell
40 secret engineer
Our anonymous blogger calls for a
more visionary approach to process
improvement
42 digest
Take part in our monthly crossword
Editor Jon Excell
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
jon.excell@markallengroup.com
Features editor Stuart Nathan
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
stuart.nathan@markallengroup.com
Senior reporter Andrew Wade
+44 (0)20 7738 5454 andrew.wade@
markallengroup.com
News editor Jason Ford
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
jason.ford@markallengroup.com
Commercial director Justyn Gidley
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
justyn.gidley@markallengroup.com
Business development manager
Paul Tilston
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
Senior account manager
Lindsay Smith
+44 (0)20 7738 5454
Art Director
Andrew Ganassin
andrew.ganassin@markallengroup.com
Production Kyri Apostolou
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kyri.apostolou@markallengroup.com
Publishing director Luke Webster
01722 714847
luke.webster@markallengroup.com
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ISSN 0013-7758. Printed by Pensord,
Press Ltd, Blackwood, NP12 2YA
VOLUME 300 • ISSUE 7917 • MAY 2020
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10
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164 YEARS OF
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& INNOVATION
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