The Islamic Republic of Iran has developed the science and technology skills necessary to be a global player in more than oil and gas, but must invest more in innovation to compete effectively in the global economy, according to an UNCTAD report.

Pokémon Go made Augmented Reality (AR) known to the world. Crunchfish’s software aBubbl for application developers can take Pokémon Go and other applications to the next level by making them truly social. The users get the ability to discover who is nearby, connect and share information.

  Thermopile sensor arrays can solve smart buildings’ challenges without compromising privacy, writes Sally Ward-Foxton. Image left: Melexis’ 32x24 pixel thermopile array, plus its optics, fits into a 4-pin TO-39 can

While 2016 may be remembered for its unexpected political outcomes, technology news has also seen its fair share of publicity. A year that will be remembered for the forced ‘upgrade’ to Windows 10, the short-lived phenomenon that was Pokémon Go and Apple removing the headphone jack from the iPhone, has left 2017 as a year that must generate more positive headlines. Tech blogger Tom Jardine explains.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders. Electronic Specifier’s Daisy Stapley-Bunten looks into the technology that tackles tiredness.

  Steve Rogerson looks at some of the recent news that may have missed the front page.

  A survey of 1,004 British consumers carried out by One4all Rewards for the Consumer Rewards Review revealed that more than 1 in 4 (25%) now expect to be offered some sort of gift or offer, in exchange for their loyalty to a brand. 

With safety concerns arising from the growing number of commercial drones sold in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated its UK Dronecode in an effort to improve safety. The fact is that the skies above the UK, much like our roads, are becoming more congested and incidents of drones narrowly avoiding collisions with passenger planes are becoming commonplace.

The site of the Bletchley Park mansion, near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, played a pivotal role during World War II as it was the headquarters of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), a secret branch of MI6 that included a number of scholars turned code breakers.

What could possibly be better than the Christmas fireworks display at Disney World Florida, you might be asking yourself? Disney and Intel have partnered together to create a new type of light show where 300 colourful lights will fly simultaneously to the sound of holiday harmonies. The drone performance is called ‘Starbright Holidays’.

An applied research programme for metal additive manufacturing, SOFIA ("SOlutions pour la Fabrication Industrielle Additive métallique" - Solutions for Industrial Metal Additive Manufacturing), was initiated by the Fives Michelin Additive Solutions joint venture.

China has the world’s largest market for digital shopping, mobile payments, and Internet-enabled financial services. Close to 400 million people in China make most of their payments using their smartphones. China’s overall business in information technology is a market of well above $300bn, and it is estimated that more than 700 million Chinese have access to Internet. 

Cybersecurity continues to evolve but with the Internet of Things (IoT), security is not just about the safety of the device but also the network. In light of the recent massive Botnet attack on 80 major websites in the US, the ability to exploit one weak point in a network of connected things has made it easier for a hacker to steal an identity to gain access to a corporate network. 

The lifecycles of breakthrough technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) are heavily reliant on mainstream take up. Many believed AR would initially be used by architects to visualise buildings and design companies for 3D graphic imagery. Yet its first major adoption saw more than 100 million people take to the streets to hunt Pokémon.

Light School will be hosted within the Surface Design Show 2017 at the Business Design Centre in London from 79th February. For over ten years Surface Design Show has been the only event in the UK that focuses solely on interior and exterior surfaces, connecting innovative and exciting materials with a specifying audience of architects and designers. 

The results of a recent survey have been published by Mathsworks, in which the company interviewed engineering, tech, maths and science professionals (during MATLAB Expo) on their view of the STEM industries skills gap; How do they think it can be closed? What role should industry play? And how did they get into a STEM career?

The second edition of the INNOspace Masters competition is now set to begin under the theme ‘Space 4.0’. From 14th November 2016 to 13th February 2017, interested participants are invited to submit their ideas and solutions for improving the production and design of satellites, payloads or launchers.

Speaking at the HiPEAC Autumn 2016 Computing Systems Week, Sandro D’Elia of the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission has made clear the shift of focus of the next round of European funding for customised and low energy computing. 2016 has seen a stronger EU policy focus on the technologies for digitising industry, and so it has been possible to allocate funding to a topic on...

Come and visit us at our stand A4 577 at electronica this week and be in with a chance of winning either an Android or Apple smartwatch! 

A range of robotic activities and challenges, that are open to schools, industry sectors and academic institutions, also known as UK Robotics Week 2017 has officially been launched. These activities culminate in a national week of celebration being held 24th – 30th June 2017.