BTEC First Engineering Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. New technologies Optical Fibres  Optical fibres are cables not metal but are thin strands of glass.  Communication signals (internet, phone etc) are sent down the glass by shining light which is reflected along the fibre.  They are able to send data at much faster speeds, with greater bandwidth. Much more information can be transmitted along the same size of cable.  Copper wire is easier to connect (Optical fibres are difficult to join easily) but are slower, heavier and carry less information BTEC First Engineering re_2011/radiation/sendingrev1.shtmlhttp:// re_2011/radiation/sendingrev1.shtml

BTEC First Engineering Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. BTEC First Engineering _Illustr_2.htm#step-headinghttp://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/ss/Physics _Illustr_2.htm#step-heading New technologies Hydrogen fuel cells  Hydrogen Fuel cells are used to power cars but do not BURN fuel so do not create pollution  Instead they use Hydrogen in a CHEMICAL REACTION which produces Electricity and Water (and no pollution)  They are also quieter and simpler than traditional combustion engines although at the moment they Cost more and petrol stations don’t sell Hydrogen  It is also important that the Hydrogen is gathered using renewable sources of energy. Otherwise getting the Hydrogen in the first place can use fossil fuels and cause climate change

BTEC First Engineering Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. New technologies Surface nanotechnology  Surface NanoTechnology is where a microscopic coating is applied to surfaces so that nothing sticks to them  Self cleaning windows can be made this way so that even though dust and dirt may land on the glass, whenever it rains they will wash off on their own  The big advantage is not having to pay window cleaners or put up with dirty windows  However there is a cost involved in applying the coating in the first place. BTEC First Engineering erials_choices/nanotechnologyrev1.shtmlhttp:// erials_choices/nanotechnologyrev1.shtml keeps-surfaces-clean-and-transparenthttp:// keeps-surfaces-clean-and-transparent

BTEC First Engineering Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. New technologies Telematics  GPS, Mobile Telecommunications and ICT combined to track and manage the location of Cars and Trucks  GPS = Global Positioning System  Helps with: Navigation, Logistics (making sure the right vehicles are in the right place at the right time) and communication BTEC First Engineering

Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. New technologies Blended Wing Bodies  Advanced aircraft designs consisting of large aerofoil wings joined to an aircraft body.  different from ‘flying wing’ designs. These aircraft have a distinct wing and body, although much more aerodynamic than existing designs.  Reduce fuel costs. Combined with lightweight composite materials for maximum fuel efficiency BTEC First Engineering

Unit 1: The Engineered World © Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. New technologies Bionics  small electronic devices can be used for medical purposes to improve the medical condition of individuals.  A pacemaker fitted to regulate a person’s heartbeat is a good example.  Prosthetic Limbs with electronic motors or bluetooth control BTEC First Engineering