Professional Development Courses on Sustainable Development Frameworks and Technologies

Sustainable Engineering

A significant amount of thought is going into climate change and its possible long-term effects.  Here's how we know:

• Google the term "climate change," and you'll find 502 Million articles.
• Google "Climate change is here to stay," and 476 Million posts will appear within a fraction of a second.

What does this have to do with engineering? We’ll get to that in a second, but first, let’s go over some basic facts.

A. Carbon emissions must go down

In 2018, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned that rising carbon emissions would have to stop by 2030 to prevent the world from warming by 2° C. The earth is already expected to warm, overall, by 1.5° C. 

Keith Clarke, chairman of Forum for the Future and vice president of the U.K.'s Institution of Civil Engineers, told ENR (Engineering News-Record), "It's not a different version of worse, "it's a different magnitude of worse," Clarke says. Now, he is certain it will impact anyone under 60. Clarke is 67. "It's going to affect your life, big time."

B. All engineering sectors emit carbon

Alright, so we need to reduce carbon emissions. The logical next question is, "Where are these emissions coming from?". The figure below by Our World in Data breaks down global carbon emissions by sector.

Notice something interesting? All of these sectors, electricity and heat production, transport, manufacturing, construction, and buildings, are founded on engineers' brainpower. We can conclude, then, that engineers, not politicians, must put their creativity to work to meet climate goals.

Now, let's talk about sustainable engineering.

C. Sustainable engineering is the solution

Sustainable engineering is,

" the process of designing or operating systems such that they use energy and resources sustainably, in other words, at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment or future generations' ability to meet their own needs. " (Wikipedia)

To learn more about sustainable engineering best practices, take engineering training courses on these topics: 

• climate change, 
• climate adaptation, 
• water treatment, 
• energy efficiency, 
• resource efficiency, 
• green energy technologies such as solar energy, 
• green buildings,
• carbon capture technologies,
• sustainability and, 
• novel design approaches such as biomimicry and life-cycle assessment.
  
  
  

  
  Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

  

We are now in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0. It brings unprecedented levels of factory automation, big data collection, artificial intelligence innovation, and machine learning. 

Gone are the days of machines passively collecting process data and waiting for human intervention. Today, machines can learn by taking in data, analyzing it, taking action, and learning from the results of that action. 

These smart machines will undoubtedly change how engineers work. Machines will not replace engineers but will automate low-value tasks, freeing engineers to perform higher-value tasks --- those which require creativity.

Take These Engineering Training Courses

To keep up with this dramatic change to the profession, take engineering training courses on these topics:

• artificial intelligence,
• big data,
• the Internet of Things (IoT),
• blockchain and,
• machine learning.
  
  

Digital Twins

Digital Twins takes prototyping and testing to a whole new level. A digital twin is a virtual replica of a real-life product or process. It allows engineers to test new ideas and flush out flaws in the virtual world before spending real-world resources.

Once the product becomes a physical reality, it connects to its virtual twin, through the awesome power of the Internet of Things, and sends it information via sensors. According to MIT Sloan Review, the pairing of real-world assets with their digital twins yields in the following benefits:

A.    Continuous evaluation

Did you know that every Tesla car has a digital twin? Sensors continuously communicate data to its digital twin. If a problem is detected, for example, the door is rattling, the system will prompt you to download software that will adjust the door’s hydraulics.

B.    Faster, cheaper prototyping

Conducting tests in the virtual world can save a lot of time and money. Take the development of a new drug, for example. 

This process typically costs billions of dollars, and just the preclinical testing phase can take an average of three and a half years. Using a digital twin, Oklahoma State University was able to test an aerosol drug whose purpose was to reach tumours in the lungs. They varied several parameters virtually, such as inhalation rate and particle size. The result? They increased the number of particles reaching the lungs from 20% to 90%. The virtual twin saved them the effort, time and resources required to run these same experiments in the real world.

C.   Innovating at the limits

Some experiments are too disruptive to society to conduct in the real world but are necessary to optimize performance. Take the design of a new traffic system in an already congested area as an example. 

The town of Cambridge England created a digital twin of the city and removed all traffic from its streets. The digital twin allowed engineers and city planners to experiment with new traffic systems and plan the location of 5G masts. The city sees other uses for its digital twin, such as a training platform for autonomous vehicles, and a foundation for interactive content providers.

Take These Engineering Training Courses 

When putting together your engineering training program, consider taking courses on digital twins.

Generative Design

Generative design is the future of manufacturing. It is made possible by artificial intelligence and the computing power of the cloud which work together to come up with hundreds even thousands of solution to an engineering problem ---saving time and resources.

The engineer's role is to input the design limits, for example, the material, the dimensions and cost constraints, and then select the solution that best solves the problem.

Airbus used generative design to reconfigure an interior partition for its A320 aircraft. The new configuration resulted in a 45% weight reduction of the part (30kg), which translates into jet fuel savings across the fleet equal to taking 96,000 passenger cars off the road for a year.

Take These Engineering Training Courses

Generative design engineering training courses are a great addition to your professional development program. 3D printing courses complement this topic well.

Robotics

We've all seen images of mammoth robots working on manufacturing lines. They reduce costs by reducing human participation significantly. They work around the clock without overtime pay or benefits. 

Surprisingly, the demand for these traditional robots is falling as manufacturing companies look to integrate “cobots” or collaborative robots into their operations. A cobot is capable of learning multiple tasks so it can assist human beings.

They are now affordable thanks to innovations in mobile technology (making them portable), machine vision, cognitive computing and touch technology, which allows them to avoid collisions. They are small and require less power than their large industrial processors. A cobot can learn from its human coworker through demonstration freeing up workers for higher-value, better-paid tasks, without the need to completely reconstruct the whole production process.

Routine manufacturing tasks for cobots include:

1. Pick and Place,

2. Machine Tending (loading or tooling a CNC machine for example),

3. Packaging and Palletizing,

4. Repetitive process tasks such as gluing, dispensing, or welding,

5. Finishing Tasks such as polishing, grinding, deburring, and quality inspection.

Take These Engineering Training Courses 

As we move towards Industry 4.0, manufacturing will become increasingly robotized and smart. To stay informed, take engineering training courses on 

• Robotics especially cobots
• Industry 4.0 and 
• the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Takeaway

Include courses from these five subject areas in your engineering training plan to keep up with the exciting innovations happening in the engineering profession.

1. Sustainable Engineering
2. Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
3. Digital Twins
4. Generative Design
5. Robotics

Check our course catalogue often as we strive to integrate courses from all these topics.