FEBRUARY 2021 | EUREKA!
VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 02
10
10 COVER STORY
TECHNOLOGY TAKES
THE STRAIN
While it may be hard not to
see them as something from
science fiction, exoskeletons
are proving incredibly valuable
in real-world applications in
industry and elsewhere.
16 ON THE TOPIC OF…
PANDEMIC PUSHES
INNOVATION FORWARD
The pandemic has hit
businesses hard, but it may
have accelerated the adoption
of new technology and given
innovation a boost.
20 DESIGN SOFTWARE
TECH TRENDS IN 2021
Three trends will gain
importance in 2021: Simulation,
Designing with Artificial
Intelligence, and Model-based
Definition (MBD), according to
Brian S. Thompson of PTC.
22 MATERIALS
SETTING STANDARDS
FOR NEW MATERIALS
Determining accepted technical
standards for graphene will
play a large part in making it a
success. Thurid Gspann, chair
of the Graphene Flagship
Standardisation Committee
(GFSC), explains how the
process works.
25 MOTORS
NEW APPLICATIONS
FOR STEPPER MOTORS
The latest developments in
stepper motor design not
only increase the benefits
over brushless DC motors in
many applications, but also
offer improved performance
to address a broader range of
tasks that were once the sole
province of servomotors, says
Dave Beckstoffer, Business
Development Manager at
Portescap.
31
28 FASTENING &
ADHESIVES
BOLTS FROM THE BLUE
While it may seem a humble
player in any given design, liquid
thread locker can have huge
impacts in terms of efficiency,
productivity and safety.
31 SENSORS, TEST &
MEASUREMENT
WEARABLES GET
SMART
Wearables may be relatively
commonplace now, but
one shouldn’t make the
mistake of thinking that
means they’ve achieved their
potential yet – not even close.
34 COFFEE TIME
CHALLENGE
FACE VALUE
This month’s challenge is how
we can make the facemasks
we all have to wear now more
comfortable and effective.
16
25
REGULARS
05 COMMENT
With a trade agreement
in place and the United
Kingdom having left the
EU, can we finally say
goodbye to Brexit?
06 NEWS
■ Renishaw recruits
UK graduates and
apprentices
■ New robot defies water
■ Babcock showcases
military innovations
■ Big energy savings with
new polymer
■ Scientists develop
safer X-rays for
children
■ CPI joins quantum
sensor consortium
■ VEGA invests in
training centre and UK
HQ
FEBRUARY 2021 | WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK 3
/WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK