Engineer David Mummery has developed the Swimmer Turbine, a small-scale tidal generator that can power about 30 homes and is designed to be installed by local people. Tests have taken place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and on the island of Islay, where local fishermen launched the device from their own slipway.
Researchers from the University of Bath are trialling a new machine at a lake in Warminster, Wiltshire, that uses bubbles to break down toxic blue-green algae. Early results showed up to 20% degradation of toxins and many algal cells destroyed. The team hopes to secure funding for a bigger version that councils could borrow.
A German submarine that went missing in World War Two has been identified about 20 miles off Salcombe in Devon, after divers found it at around 70 metres deep. All 52 crew members survived when the U-boat was scuttled after a Royal Navy attack, and the discovery has been welcomed by the divers and historians involved.
Dawn Aerospace and Spaceport Cornwall have signed an agreement for a project that could see reusable spaceplanes make regular, possibly daily, flights from Cornwall Airport Newquay. The unmanned Aurora spaceplane is designed for a quick turnaround and could support research, defence and commercial missions. Project leaders say it would open new possibilities for researchers and technology developers.
