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‘Refillable’ electric engines developed to solve electric car woesThe technology employs a novel type of ‘flow’ battery that is being successfully tested in golf carts and industrial vehicles such a forklifts. “The jump that this technology has made in the past two years is a testament to its value in changing the way we power […]

Self-aware robots, Turing accolade, Mars rover and more: best of the week’s newsTim Fryer, technology editor Robot that can ‘imagine itself’ built by scientists It has to be the ultimate foundation of science fiction – the rise of the robots. I find this fascinating at the moment, partly because my series of ‘Big Screen’ articles […]

Democrats’ ‘Green New Deal’ aims to slash US carbon emissions to zero in a decadeThe document, which has strong support from Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey, is being used to make climate change a key issue in the 2020 presidential race. While the plan is a non-binding congressional resolution, it is one of […]

Rocket-making start-up Orbex unveils 3D-printed engine at its new Scottish facilityAt the event, Orbex unveiled the engineering prototype of the second stage of its Prime launcher – an innovative vehicle designed to be 20 per cent more efficient and 30 per cent lighter than other similar micro rockets currently in development. Orbex started in 2015 […]

Facebook forbidden from merging data from multiple platforms in GermanyFacebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for $1bn (£0.8bn) in 2012 and encrypted messaging app WhatsApp for $19bn (£15bn) in 2014. In 2017, the European Commission fined Facebook €110m (£94m) for misleading the executive body about its acquisition of WhatsApp; Facebook had publicly claimed that it would […]

Drax becomes the first power station to capture carbon from biomassDrax has long been a testing ground for carbon capture following a government-funded investigation into the technology in 2012, although the subsequent removal of subsidies ended that trial. This latest trial implements a different solution known as bioenergy carbon capture and storage (Beccs). It uses […]

Feel the beep: This album is played entirely on a PC motherboard speakerIf you’re craving a truly different sound with which to slay the crew this weekend, look no further than System Beeps, a new album by shiru8bit — though you may have to drag your old 486 out of storage to play it. Yes, […]