Engineering news

Robotics

3D printing strategy can upgrade soft robots and extend their lifespan

Over the past decades, robotic systems have been rapidly advancing, fueled by the continuous introduction of more advanced electronics, mechanical components and software solutions. As a result, robots can easily become obsolete ...

Engineering

Insect-eye-inspired camera captures 9,120 frames per second

The compound eyes of insects can detect fast-moving objects in parallel and, in low-light conditions, enhance sensitivity by integrating signals over time to determine motion. Inspired by these biological mechanisms, KAIST ...

Engineering

New framework designs scalable 3D transistors based on 2D semiconductors

Conventional electronics based on silicon are approaching their limits in terms of performance and scalability. In recent years, engineers have thus been trying to introduce alternative designs that could help reduce the ...

Engineering

Nature-inspired design uses elastic pillars to eject freezing droplets, preventing ice buildup

Water droplets under freezing conditions do not spontaneously detach from surfaces as they do at room temperature due to stronger droplet-surface interaction and lack of an energy transformation pathway. Since accumulated ...

Engineering

Stress tests for the Swiss power system

Researchers from ETH Zurich and ZHAW Winterthur are simulating in a new study how the future Swiss power system could be structured to withstand a drastic fall in gas and electricity imports. By doing so, they aim to contribute ...

Engineering

Engineers 3D print tiny, intricate antennas

Today, nearly all personal electronic devices rely on antennas to send and receive data. In fact, demand is also rising for lightweight antennas for new applications, including the latest in 5G/6G networks, advanced wearable ...

Engineering

The new age of infrastructure maintenance using data from space

The concentration of the population in cities is accelerating, and difficulties in maintaining various infrastructures are arising due to extreme weather. Extensive infrastructures like waste landfill facilities face significant ...

Engineering

3D-printed fungal fuel cell offers biodegradable power solution

A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what Empa researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors for agriculture or ...

Robotics

Developing underwater robots to venture deep below polar ice

On a remote patch of the windy, frozen Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California huddled together, peering down a narrow hole in a thick layer of sea ice. Below them, ...

Engineering

NASA develops pod to help autonomous aircraft operators

For self-flying aircraft to take to the skies, they need to learn about their environments to avoid hazards. NASA aeronautics researchers recently developed a camera pod with sensors to help with this challenge by advancing ...

Engineering

Sprayable gels could protect buildings during wildfires

As climate change creates hotter, drier conditions, we are seeing longer fire seasons with larger, more frequent wildfires. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have destroyed homes and infrastructure, caused devastating ...

Robotics

Improving workplace safety: The Bilateral Back Extensor Exosuit

In an innovative leap forward for workplace safety, a research team at Seoul National University has developed the Bilateral Back Extensor Exosuit (BBEX), a robotic back-support device designed to prevent spinal injuries ...