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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The Best of British Engineering


We asked 21 experts to nominate their favourite pieces of British engineering from the
21st century. Here's what they came up with...

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Crossrail Ltd

CROSSRAIL (pictured above)


Ann Watson CEO of Semta, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for skilling British
engineering
Adrian Allen Commercial director of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre with Boeing
Two of our experts plumped for the ambitious project to link areas to the west and east of
London via a 73-mile railway line, 26 miles of it in new tunnels beneath the capital. "Great
British engineers have always made their mark on the world by thinking big, and Crossrail is a
classic 'Great British' engineering project," says Ann Watson. Adrian Allen agrees: "It ticks all

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the boxes for me. It's a shining example of how British engineering in all its forms - from
mechanical to electronic to civil - can be applied to benefit the community, country and the
economy." Work was begun on the central section of the line in 2009 and the new service is
expected to enter full operation in 2019. A total of seven million tonnes of material will be
excavated during the project, and almost all of it will be reused. Around half will go to create a
wetland nature reserve twice the size of the City of London in Essex.
DIAMOND LIGHT
SOURCE
Lord Broers
Nanotechnology
pioneer
One of the
country's better
kept engineering
secrets, the
Diamond Light
Source, opened in
2007 in
Oxfordshire,
produces bright
light that scientists can use for studying a wide variety of subjects, from jet engines to viruses.
"Built and maintained by a UK lead engineering team, Diamond has the same footprint as
Wembley stadium," says Lord Broers, "and its pioneering and world-leading capabilities are
keeping the UK at the forefront of scientific research."
RASPBERRY PI
Abbie Hutty
Senior Spacecraft
Structures
Engineer, Exo

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Mars Rover
Project
"Bringing
engagement with
computers and
programming to a
whole new
generation in a
cheap and accessible way, the Raspberry Pi has been a global success," says Hutty. And
how. The idea of a tiny and affordable computer for kids was first dreamt up in 2006 at
Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory. More than five million of the resulting credit
card-sized, single-board devices have now been sold, making the Raspberry Pi Foundation
the biggest-selling computer manufacturer in the UK of all time.
RED BULL RB6
F1 RACING CAR
Andy Palmer
CEO, Aston
Martin
Launched in
February 2010,
Red Bull Racing's
RB6 would claim
that year's
constructors'
championship, as
well as a first
drivers'
championship for Sebastian Vettel. Andy Palmer compares the car's significance with that of
the mapping of the human genome: "Each represents an extreme of technology and the
pivotal global role the UK plays in pushing the boundaries of innovation," he says. "Nurturing

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scientific diversity is critical to driving the evolution and growth of the British economy."
SELECT
AUTOMATED
CELL CULTURE
SYSTEM
Dr Ranna
Eardley-Patel
Senior bioprocess
consultant,
Exmoor Pharma
Concepts, and
STEM
ambassador for
STEMNET
Developed by TAP
Biosystems, a company based in Royston, near Cambridge, this impressive piece of
technology revolutionises laboratory cell culture. "It harnesses new science by using
engineering, robotics and automation to help discover and develop new medicines that will
one day be used to treat malaria, AIDS, cancers and rare diseases," says Eardley-Patel.
ROLLS-ROYCE
TRENT ENGINE
Yewande Akinola
Environmental
design engineer,
Arup, and IET UK
Young Woman
Engineer of the
Year

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Professor Dame
Ann Dowling
President of the
Royal Academy of
Engineering
"My favourite piece of 21st-century British engineering is the A380 because of its relevance to
my life at the moment," says Akimola. "Granted, this amazing aircraft is the result of the hard
work of engineers from the UK, France and other European countries, but I am particularly
grateful for the engine - it's always such a pleasure to travel in an aircraft with considerably
less engine noise." Dowling is also a fan. "With Rolls-Royce you have a company that just
excels at what it does and has a really good way of pulling innovation through into its
products," she says.
MARTIN-BAKER
MK16E
EJECTION SEAT
Nick English
Co-founder,
Bremont Watch
Company
"Designed for the
F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter, this is just
an incredible
piece of
engineering, and
is really the
culmination of over 70 years of continuous design and development of these lifesaving
escape systems by a family-run British company," English enthuses. Martin-Baker, based in
Denham, Middlesex, is the world's leading ejection seat manufacturer, with more than 16,000
seats currently in service, and its products have saved nearly 7,500 lives to date. "The

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phenomenal Mk16E can cope with differing pilot weights, aircraft heights and speeds and is
the only seat that meets the US Government defined Neck Injury Criteria," continues English.
"Quite amazing."
SWANSEA BAY
TIDAL LAGOON
PROJECT
Peter Brewin
Founder of
engineering
company,
Concrete Canvas
Granted planning
permission in
June this year, this
project in south
Wales will be the
world's first tidal
lagoon power plant. "Although it's still pre-construction, I'm very excited by the ambition and
scope," says Brewin. "By harnessing the exceptional and predictable tidal range in the Bristol
channel, the lagoon could significantly contribute to the UK's sustainable energy generation. It
represents a significant step forward, given the underexploited potential for renewable energy
generation in the UK."
DYSON DUAL
CYCLONE
VACUUM
CLEANER
David Gow
Inventor of the
bionic hand

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No list of modern
British engineering
triumphs can be
complete without
the mention of Sir
James Dyson.
Although the Dual
Cyclone cleaner was first launched in the 1990s, Gow cites all of the refinements Dyson has
made to it since 2000 as "a fine example of a designer living his dream".
MICROSOFT
KINECT
Dr Andrew
Herbert Former
chairman,
Microsoft
Research EMEA
Dr Ian Shott CBE
FREng, managing
partner, Shott
Trinova, and chair
of the Enterprise
Committee at the
Royal Academy of
Engineering
A Microsoft product in a list of modern British engineering achievements? Oh yes. As Herbert
points out, "Kinect's software relies on a system developed by Microsoft's Cambridge, UK,
research laboratory that combined computer vision and machine learning technologies to
recognise how the human body moves and gestures." But there's far more to Kinect than
making video games more exciting. "The Kinect is centred on algorithms that have huge
potential for artificial intelligence, moving in the direction of DeepMind, which was recently

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acquired by Google," says Shott. "The potential here to combine exponentially increasing
self-learning computer power with genomic data and sensor technology will have a profound,
game-changing impact on human health and other major emerging societal issues."
TITANIC
BELFAST
BUILDING
Dr Nicola Irwin
School of
Pharmacy,
Queen's
University Belfast,
founder of
Uroglide
Constructed on
the site of the
former Harland &
Wolff shipyard
where the Titanic was built, Titanic Belfast is a hugely successful visitor attraction themed
around the ill-fated passenger liner. "The visually striking architecture, complete with cleverly
designed maritime metaphors, is surrounded by reflective pools of water to enhance the
external aluminium faade," says Irwin. "It's become a major attraction for both tourists and
locals alike!"
ST PANCRAS
INTERNATIONAL
Elspeth Finch
Director of
innovation, Atkins
Originally built in

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the Victorian era,


St Pancras Station
came close to
demolition in the
1960s and was
extensively
renovated and
remodelled in the early years of this century. "It's a perfect example of how our cities can
combine old and new to create inspiring places," says Finch. "From hand-made bricks to
high-tech materials, engineers created a destination, as well as a station, that's fit for the 21st
century and is a catalyst for the transformation of the surrounding area."
MILLAU
VIADUCT
Gerry McGovern
Director of design
for Land Rover
and chief creative
officer
Designed by Lord
Norman Foster
and completed in
2004 at a cost of
around 400m,
the Millau Viaduct
boasts the highest
road bridge deck in Europe and the highest pylons in the world. "It combines incredible, clean
design with mind-blowing scale to create a visually stunning structure," says McGovern. "It not
only fulfils its primary function of connecting two areas over the River Tarn, but offers a
compelling vision, successfully brought to reality by British architectural design."
BLOODHOUND

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PROJECT
Mike O'Driscoll
Group CEO,
Williams F1 Team
Bloodhound SSC
is a jet- and
rocket-powered
car designed to go
at 1,000mph. "I've
been a fan of the
Bloodhound
project since
Richard Noble and Andy Green began their quest to break the ultimate land speed record,"
says O'Driscoll. "It's generating unbelievable interest in engineering and science among the
young and young at heart. It will leave a lasting legacy for sure."
INFINITY
BRIDGE
Giles Taylor
Design director,
Rolls-Royce motor
cars
"The Infinity
pedestrian
footbridge across
the river Tees was
completed in 2009
and joins the
Teesdale
Business Park

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with the Durham University Queens Campus for cyclists and pedestrians," says Taylor. "The
captivating artistic gesture and structural simplicity of the footbridge are two values I really
admire in engineered objects. As a base concept, bridges can be extremely functional, yet this
bridge is expressive, celebrates ingenuity and will be positively affecting people's lives 120
years from now. The elegant nighttime illumination reflected by the river completes the story."
ON-TRAIN WI-FI
Paul Jackson
Chief executive,
EngineeringUK
Ever wondered
how the WiFi
works when you're
on the train? You
probably have
Newcastle-based
company Nomad
Digital to thank it's the leading
global provider of
passenger and fleet-management solutions to the rail industry, with customers including
Heathrow Express. "This is a great example of where engineering helps improve and enhance
customer experience," says Jackson.
TOUCH BIONICS
PROSTHETIC
HAND
Dr Frances
Saunders
President of the
Institute of

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Physics
In 2007, this
Scottish company,
led by David Gow,
launched the
i-LIMB hand, the
first powered prosthetic hand to incorporate articulating fingers. Since then it has launched
even more sophisticated products and continues to lead the world in prosthetic engineering.
"Great engineering is much more than just advanced technology," says Saunders. "It is Touch
Bionics' whole approach to working with patients and health professionals to tailor the
prosthesis and its control to the individual that makes the real difference and improves lives."
LONDON EYE
Andy Kerswill
Director of
engineering,
British Airways
First opened in
March 2000,
Europe's biggest
Ferris wheel,
currently
sponsored by
Coca-Cola, is now
an integral part of
London's skyline.
"It doesn't serve any practical purpose other than making you feel good and it's an iconic
London landmark we didn't know we needed," says Kerswill. "The main reason I chose it? It
makes me feel happy!"
Thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering

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