Extreme Measures Give Us Edge; NEWCASTLE University's Centre for Extreme Environment Technology Has Showcased Its Latest Batch of Durable Innovations. JOHN HILL Talks to the People Working on Devices That Can Withstand the World's Toughest Conditions

Byline: JOHN HILL

AS MANKIND continues to scour the globe for energy, resources and information, we're likely to have to visit quite a few locations that aren't really great spots for a stroll.

There are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of undersea oil and gas pipelines that require maintenance, and it's also occasionally necessary to withdraw data from areas with more than a healthy share of heat or radiation.

Of course, folks from this region are often known for being able to brave temperatures that others would shy away from.

At Newcastle University, they've taken this one big step further, by developing a Centre for Extreme Environment Technology to cook up equipment that can hold its own in deep water, high-radiation and even in the heart of a volcano.

Professor Nick Wright, pro-vice chancellor for innovation and research at Newcastle University, says: "The situations we are planning to use our technology in means it's not enough for the electronics to simply withstand extremes of temperature, pressure or radiation - they have to continue operating absolutely accurately and reliably.

"Increasingly mankind is spreading out into harsher and more extreme environments as our population grows and we explore new areas for possible sources of energy and food in order to sustain it."

The Centre for Extreme Environment Technology was set up at Newcastle University after it received pounds 2.1m in funding from One North East three years ago. The support has enabled it to develop …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Extreme Measures Give Us Edge; NEWCASTLE University's Centre for Extreme Environment Technology Has Showcased Its Latest Batch of Durable Innovations. JOHN HILL Talks to the People Working on Devices That Can Withstand the World's Toughest Conditions. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Journal (Newcastle, England). Publication date: September 23, 2010. Page number: 36. © 2009 MGN Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.