Engineering news
Robotics
Armored caterpillars offer robot designers lessons in crossing slippery glass
Animals have long been one of the primary sources of inspiration for robotics researchers. This is because they rely on sophisticated biological mechanisms and locomotion strategies that could be artificially reproduced in ...
Oct 30, 2026
0
19
Engineering
Mystery of 60-second fluctuations in power grids solved
TenneT Germany, the largest transmission system operator in Germany, has observed over several years that the frequency in the European power grid dips briefly every 60 seconds. While these deviations were not critical to ...
Oct 30, 2026
0
39
Laser pulses can track extreme airflow in tests for hypersonic spacecraft
Researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington's Aerodynamics Research Center have published a study in the journal Communications Engineering. Their work details a laser-based technique applied to arc-jet flows that ...
Oct 30, 2026
0
8
Solid-state cooling advances toward practical use, but challenges remain
As temperatures rise, the need for cooling is growing worldwide. Conventional cooling systems consume large amounts of electricity and use refrigerants with a high global warming potential. Caloric cooling could offer a sustainable ...
Oct 30, 2026
0
10
Cracks that carry current: Liquid metal forms electrical pathways in soft materials
When electronics need to stretch, bend or flex, like a wearable sensor or a shape-changing robot, liquid metal often carries the electricity that makes them work.
Oct 29, 2026
0
43
Engineering
New virtual assistant streamlines one of the most advanced microscopes
Some of the most important discoveries in materials science and structural biology come down to a simple question: Where, exactly, are the atoms? The arrangement of atoms determines nearly everything about how a material ...
Oct 29, 2026
0
12
Engineering
Angstrom-scale water channels help membranes recover lithium and purify salt
Researchers at Kobe University and their collaborators have developed a polymer membrane that allows singly charged ions to pass through rapidly while effectively blocking multiply charged ions, whether positively or negatively ...
Oct 29, 2026
0
6
Engineering
Making bad weather on purpose to test camera and sensor performance
Many buildings and sites tied to national security rely on cameras and sensor networks to detect people and other objects nearby, but weather conditions can quickly obscure their view. To understand how these systems perform, ...
Oct 29, 2026
0
4
Engineering
Reduced-data impedance analysis enables near-real-time diagnosis and control of fuel cells
Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are a clean power-generation technology that produces no direct carbon dioxide emissions during operation. Their performance and durability depend strongly on effective water management. ...
Oct 29, 2026
0
5
Robotics
Insect-inspired flying robot bounces back after collisions
Flying insects, such as fruit flies, bees, dragonflies and mosquitoes, can dart through narrow spaces and survive collisions with various objects. In contrast, many flying robots fall, suffer damage or even break down when ...
Engineering
Ultrathin films that overcome 'dead layer' effect could enable energy-efficient microchips for AI
Multiferroics are a promising class of materials for making computer chips and other electronic components that can operate at much lower power than today's devices. The materials have coupled electrical and magnetic properties ...
Oct 28, 2026
0
14
Engineering
Designing new nuclear alloys, element by element
The periodic table contains more than 100 elements. Combine them in different ways, and the possibilities quickly multiply. For researchers designing materials for advanced nuclear reactors, the abundance presents an opportunity: ...
Oct 28, 2026
0
14
Robotics
A new flexible foot pad enables this one-legged, hopping robot to go where few robots have gone before
A team of University of Toronto Engineering researchers has developed a flexible foot pad for the "Hopcopter"—a one-legged, hopping robot they developed—significantly enhancing its performance on sand, ice and other difficult ...
Oct 28, 2026
0
10
Robotics
Self-adjusting drone controls could make for smoother formation flying
A new method for controlling groups of drones, technically known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), could make formation flying smoother and reduce energy consumption and mechanical wear, according to research in the International ...
Oct 28, 2026
0
10
Engineering
New engineering method could help prevent buildings from collapsing after column failure
A new engineering method could be the difference between a building surviving a failed support column and a chain reaction that causes the entire structure to collapse, according to research led by the University of Surrey.
Oct 28, 2026
0
11
Engineering
Origami-based construction method yields lightweight, load-bearing structures on architectural scales
MIT researchers have developed a new type of origami-based construction method that could be used to build complex structures that are cheaper and easier to assemble and use less material than those built with some conventional ...
Oct 27, 2026
0
14
Engineering
Living cells inspire tiny channels that could help extract lithium for batteries
Gathering lithium, a crucial element in batteries for smartphones, electric cars and the electrical grid, is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process, but new technology could make it much easier.
Oct 27, 2026
0
13
Engineering
Pulsed 3D printing grows creep-resistant single crystals more than a meter long for high-temperature applications
Researchers from China have developed a new 3D-printing process capable of building titanium-alloy rods more than a meter (3.3 feet) tall composed entirely of a single crystal. The new method, described in the team's recently ...
Engineering
Faster, more accurate airborne radiation detection demonstrated in six-second helicopter flyovers
A new radiation detection method correctly identified single and mixed radioactive sources during six-second helicopter flyovers, according to a University of Michigan Engineering and Paul Scherrer Institute study.
Oct 26, 2026
0
9
Engineering
Lithium removal extends perovskite solar cell lifespan to advance commercialization efforts
The Photovoltaic Research Department of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed a catalytic process that extends the lifespan of perovskite solar cells. The findings were published in Advanced Science.
Oct 26, 2026
0
12
Engineering
Engineers develop stealthy, low-cost tech to detect drones
Florida International University researchers have developed a new way to detect incoming drones using the unique magnetic signatures generated by their motors—offering a detection method that is stealthier, safer and cheaper ...
Oct 25, 2026
0
54
Engineering
Researchers develop new way to reduce metal waste in manufacturing
Manufacturing aircraft components, battery materials, cutting tools, biomedical implants and other precision-engineered parts often involves metals in powder form.
Oct 24, 2026
0
21
Engineering
Curated hydrogen database reveals links between storage capacity and release pressure
Hydrogen's ability to power a cleaner future hinges not only on finding materials capable of efficiently storing and releasing it, but also on understanding the trade-off between storage capacity and practical operating conditions.
Oct 23, 2026
0
9
Engineering
Engineered porous material recovers valuable rare earth elements from industrial wastewater
The rare earth elements that help power electric vehicles, wind turbines, medical imaging machines and other advanced technologies may be hiding in an unlikely place: industrial wastewater.
Oct 22, 2026
0
19
Engineering
Tiny 3D-printed color routers could enable sharper and brighter low-light photography
Almost every sensor in a digital photography device, from a smartphone to a digital camera, relies on color filters to separate incoming light into red, green and blue before it reaches the sensor. Substantial light is lost ...
Oct 22, 2026
0
17
