The employment of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs, is expanding rapidly across various civil application areas. Some of these domains include real-time tracking, the provision of wireless coverage, sensing, searches and rescue, the delivery of goods, safety and surveillance, security, and safety checks of engineering structures. Smart UAVs represent the next technology revolution in UAV technology. They promise to provide new possibilities in various applications, notably lower risk and costs for civil infrastructure. The military has traditionally used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States to partake in military and dangerous operations. The application and usage of these UAVs have become more commercial. Civilians can easily buy UAVs, commonly known as drones, from online platforms or shops. The main aim of this study is to review selected publications presenting previous efforts on using Civilian Drones in Safety applications. The study was accomplished using a systematic review research approach reviewing 45 publications. Drones have become more common, and it is crucial to understand how they work, especially since they entered the civilian domain. The research shows how civilian drones have been used in numerous safety applications, such as security cameras videotaping a house to ensure its safety.

Shear stress, pressure, and flow rate are fluid dynamic parameters that can lead to changes in the morphology, proliferation, function, and survival of many cell types and have a determinant impact on tissue function and viability. Microfluidic devices are promising tools to investigate these parameters and fluid behaviour within different microchannel geometries. This study discusses and analyses different designed microfluidic channel geometries regarding the influence of fluid dynamic parameters on their microenvironment at specified fluidic parameters. The results demonstrate that in the circular microchamber, the velocity and shear stress profiles assume a parabolic shape with a maximum velocity occurring in the centre of the chamber and a minimum velocity at the walls. The longitudinal microchannel shows a uniform velocity and shear stress profile throughout the microchannel. Simulation studies for the two geometries with three parallel microchannels showed that in proximity to the micropillars, the velocity and shear stress profiles decreased. Moreover, the pressure is inversely proportional to the width and directly proportional to the flow rate within the microfluidic channels. The simulations showed that the velocity and wall shear stress indicated different values at different flow rates. It was also found that the width and height of the microfluidic channels could affect both velocity and shear stress profiles, contributing to the control of shear stress. The study has demonstrated strategies to predict and control the effects of these forces and the potential as an alternative to conventional cell culture as well as to recapitulate the cell- and organ-specific microenvironment.

The unique parameters of graphene (GN)—notably its considerable electron mobility, high surface area, and electrical conductivity—are bringing extensive attention into the wearable technologies. This work presents a novel graphene-based electrode for acquisition of electrocardiogram (ECG). The proposed electrode was fabricated by coating GN on top of a metallic layer of a Ag/AgCl electrode using a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. To investigate the performance of the fabricated GN-based electrode, two types of electrodes were fabricated with different sizes to conduct the signal qualities and the skin-electrode contact impedance measurements. Performances of the GN-enabled electrodes were compared to the conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes in terms of ECG signal quality, skin–electrode contact impedance, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and response time. Experimental results showed the proposed GN-based electrodes produced better ECG signals, higher SNR (improved by 8%), and lower contact impedance (improved by 78%) values than conventional ECG electrodes.

Until vaccines and effective therapeutics become available, the practical solution to transit safely out of the current coronavirus disease 19 (CoVID-19) lockdown may include the implementation of an effective testing, tracing and tracking system. However, this requires a reliable and clinically validated diagnostic platform for the sensitive and specific identification of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report on the development of a de novo, high-resolution and comparative genomics guided reverse-transcribed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. To further enhance the assay performance and to remove any subjectivity associated with operator interpretation of results, we engineered a novel hand-held smart diagnostic device. The robust diagnostic device was further furnished with automated image acquisition and processing algorithms and the collated data was processed through artificial intelligence (AI) pipelines to further reduce the assay run time and the subjectivity of the colorimetric LAMP detection. This advanced AI algorithm-implemented LAMP (ai-LAMP) assay, targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene, showed high analytical sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2. A total of ~200 coronavirus disease (CoVID-19)-suspected NHS patient samples were tested using the platform and it was shown to be reliable, highly specific and significantly more sensitive than the current gold standard qRT-PCR. Therefore, this system could provide an efficient and cost-effective platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 in resource-limited laboratories.

Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material with a hexagonal lattice structure, possesses remarkable properties. Exceptional electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, and high surface area that make it a powerful platform for biosensing applications. Its sp²-hybridised network facilitates efficient electron mobility and enables diverse surface functionalisation through bio-interfacing. This review highlights the core detection mechanisms in graphene-based biosensors. Optical sensing techniques, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), benefit significantly from graphene’s strong light–matter interaction, which enhances signal sensitivity. Although graphene itself lacks intrinsic piezoelectricity, its integration with piezoelectric substrates can augment the performance of piezoelectric biosensors. In electrochemical sensing, graphene-based electrodes support rapid electron transfer, enabling fast response times across a range of techniques, including impedance spectroscopy, amperometry, and voltammetry. Graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs), which leverage graphene’s high carrier mobility, offer real-time, label-free, and highly sensitive detection of biomolecules. In addition, the review also explores multiplexed detection strategies vital for point-of-care diagnostics. Graphene’s nanoscale dimensions and tunable surface chemistry facilitate both array-based configurations and the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers. This adaptability makes graphene an ideal material for compact, scalable, and accurate biosensor platforms. Continued advancements in graphene biofunctionalisation, sensing modalities, and integrated multiplexing are driving the development of next-generation biosensors with superior sensitivity, selectivity, and diagnostic reliability.

Guided Wave Testing (GWT) using novel Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs) is proposed for the inspection of large structures operating at high temperatures. To date, high temperature EMATs have been developed only for thickness measurements and they are not suitable for GWT. A pair of water-cooled EMATs capable of exciting and receiving Shear Horizontal (SH₀) waves for GWT with optimal high temperature properties (up to 500 °C) has been developed. Thermal and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations of the EMAT design have been performed and experimentally validated. The optimal thermal EMAT design, material selection and operating conditions were calculated. The EMAT was successfully tested regarding its thermal and GWT performance from ambient temperature to 500 °C.