Engineering news

Robotics

Why can't robots outrun animals?

Robotics engineers have worked for decades and invested many millions of research dollars in attempts to create a robot that can walk or run as well as an animal. And yet, it remains the case that many animals are capable ...

Engineering

Going with the flow: Research dives into electrodes on energy storage batteries

As a grid-scale energy storage system, flow batteries have gained increasing attention as a means to address the challenges associated with fluctuations and intermittency in renewable energy sources.

Engineering

Using liquid metal to develop energy storage systems with 100 times better heat transfer

The industrial production of steel, concrete, or glass requires more than 20% of Germany's total energy consumption. Up to now, 90% of the fuels used for these processes have been of fossil nature.

Engineering

Single-walled carbon nanotubes doped with 'nitrogen' enhance the performance of secondary battery anode

Researchers have developed a new manufacturing technique for "silicon/nitrogen-doped carbon composite anode materials." These materials aim to enhance the capacity and stability of lithium-ion battery anodes.

Engineering

Students build low-cost cold spray metal 3D printer prototype

A team of Rice University students has developed a cold spray metal 3D printing device that relies on pressure and velocity rather than temperature to create a metal part. Their work could help expand the repertoire of metal ...

Engineering

Extracting high-purity gold from electrical and electronic waste

Korea relies on imports for most of its metal resources, and in recent years, due to resource depletion and rising raw material prices, 'circular resources' that recycle waste metal resources have emerged. In response, SK ...

Engineering

Researchers propose a new method for wind turbine blade recycling

While wind energy is becoming one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world, wind turbine blade waste emerges as a critical issue. Addressing this urgent environmental concern, Lithuanian researchers have developed ...

Engineering

Houses made of waste changing lives in South America

Homes made of discarded plastic bottles, construction waste and old tires are being built across Latin America as new technologies help turn municipal waste into sustainable bricks and tiles.

Engineering

Are tomorrow's engineers ready to face AI's ethical challenges?

A chatbot turns hostile. A test version of a Roomba vacuum collects images of users in private situations. A Black woman is falsely identified as a suspect on the basis of facial recognition software, which tends to be less ...

Engineering

Floating solar's potential to support sustainable development

A study, published in Nature Energy, is among the first to explore the floating photovoltaics (FPV) at the continental scale, finding that FPV installed at existing major reservoirs could produce 20–100% of the electricity ...

Robotics

Octopus inspires new suction mechanism for robots

A new robotic suction cup that can grasp rough, curved and heavy stone, has been developed by scientists at the University of Bristol. The team, based at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, studied the structures of octopus biological ...

Robotics

A rimless wheel robot that can reliably overcome steps

Robots with wheels could potentially navigate a variety of indoor and outdoor environments, traveling for longer distances and with fewer risks of losing balance. While some wheeled robots have achieved very promising results ...

Robotics

How 3D printers can give robots a soft touch

Soft skin coverings and touch sensors have emerged as a promising feature for robots that are both safer and more intuitive for human interaction, but they are expensive and difficult to make. A recent study demonstrates ...