News and insights from Europe
Offshore Wind
Make It Big: GE Plant That Builds Football-Field-Long Wind Turbine Blades To Expand Production
The blades for the Haliade-X, the most powerful wind turbine in operation, are a sight to behold. Longer than a football field, the sinuous blades stretch 107 meters from end to end, enabling them to wring megawatts of renewable energy from offshore winds.
Jets
Come Fly With Me: Next-Gen Power Systems Offer The Comforts Of Home On Dassault’s New Business Jet
If you’re flying 13 hours nonstop from Los Angeles to Sydney on a business jet, the time will come when you’ll want to take a break from work and lie down to watch some TV, nosh some just-out-of-the-oven pastries, grab a cold beer from the fridge or all of the above. In other words, enjoy the comforts of home at 41,000 feet.
STEM
Think Globally, Act Locally: GE Announces Rollout Of $100M Next Engineers Program In 4 Cities Worldwide
Jordan Finlay has big plans for the shipping container he recently purchased. The principal of Hughes Academy for Science and Technology, a middle school in Greenville, South Carolina, and his students want to transform the empty vessel into a zero-waste concession stand. With the support of local businesses, the repurposed shipping container will be open for business at Hughes athletic events. It will provide students with a real engineering experience that Finlay believes “can open up their world” and also sell some healthy snacks.
Aerospace
We Have Liftoff: The First Clean-Sheet Turboprop Engine Design In 50 Years Completes First Flight In Berlin
It may feel like the end of an era in Berlin these days, with Angela Merkel stepping down as Germany’s leader after 16 years. But if you are an aviation fan, the German capital may have just witnessed the beginning of a new one.
3D Printing
Not-So-Heavy Metal: An Iconic Designer Aims To Reinvent Bikes Again Via 3D Printing
Ever since he was a young bicycle racer in Greece in the 1980s, Dimitris Katsanis has been tinkering with ways to make bikes go faster. Now a celebrated bike designer, Katsanis became an icon in Britain when the bikes he created for its Olympic track cycling team helped win a slew of medals in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
COVID-19
Think Inside The Box: This Parisian Hospital Has A Dedicated CT Cabin For Its COVID-19 Patients
A prefabricated cabin has sprung up just outside the entrance of the giant Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil, a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris. The unassuming module might look like a trailer home or the temporary office for a construction project, but it’s actually a vital outpost in the hospital’s battle against COVID-19.
COVID-19
At Home, But Never Alone: App Helps Doctors Keep Tabs On COVID-19 Patients
A month ago, Jussi Määttä didn’t think he would be part of the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. His Helsinki-based company, Buddy Healthcare, makes an app that helps hospitals ensure that patients are taking the necessary steps — like fasting, avoiding blood thinners and doing stretching — before and after surgery.
Aerospace
Larger Than Life: Ted Ingling Started Out As Car Mechanic. Now He Is Building The World’s Largest Jet Engine
When Ted Ingling was growing up in a small town in Michigan, he wanted to be a car mechanic. But the plan didn’t work out, and the world might be a better place for it.
Healthcare
Breaking News: This Engineer Puts Medical Devices Through The Wringer
Rami Koivunen is quick with a laugh and likes to tell self-deprecating jokes. But if the devices he works on could talk, they might confess that this Finn is no fun when it comes to pushing their buttons.
Offshore Wind
Prime Mover: World’s Most Powerful Wind Turbine To Supply Electricity To Dutch Customers For The First Time
Standing at the windswept mouth of the Port of Rotterdam on Maasvlakte 2, an enormous artificial peninsula that juts like a giant lobster claw into the choppy North Sea, Alex Saldana couldn’t be further away from the throngs of tourists strolling past Holland’s picturesque canals and visiting its renowned museums. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to worry about crowd management.