Engineering news

Engineering

3D-printed bridge points the way to greener construction

Concrete is the most widely used building material on Earth, and producing it is one of the largest single sources of carbon emissions. One promising way to reduce its environmental footprint is to 3D-print concrete, laying ...

Engineering

Scientists create interactive screens that can appear on demand

Imagine reaching for a record or glancing at a map and seeing a display bloom from a small box, offering interactive guidance—and then vanishing moments later. A new device, inspired by science fiction and designed by computer ...

Robotics

Engineers develop robot that judges its surroundings and walks, runs, and jumps like an animal

An era in which robots decide "how to walk" on their own has arrived. A four-legged robot has been developed that, much like a person or an animal, autonomously chooses the appropriate gait strategy for its surroundings—changing ...

Engineering

Snapping knits turn fabric into switches that count steps and light LEDs

Knitting has come a long way from sweaters and blankets. Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have turned everyday knitting into a powerful platform for making shape-shifting ...

Engineering

Smaller homes could cut Europe's CO₂ building emissions

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of CO2 emissions in the European Union. This means the building sector has a central role to play in achieving the EU's climate targets by 2050. An EU research project involving Graz ...

Engineering

Sand could be key to safer, stronger structures

Engineers have been working for centuries to protect buildings, bridges and other structures from damage caused by severe weather and natural hazards, but one of the best methods may begin with sand, according to a newly ...

Engineering

Sub-zero green freezer achieves zero emissions

Researchers at the School of Engineering of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed the world's first sub-zero Celsius elastocaloric freezing device, capable of reaching temperatures as low ...

Engineering

Pushing organic solar cell efficiency past 18%

A joint research team from National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National Tsing Hua University has discovered a precise molecular engineering strategy. By adjusting the side chains of organic ...

Engineering

Atomistic model explains how memory metals can change their shape

Shape memory alloys are exotic materials that can be deformed at room temperature and return to their "remembered," pre-deformed shape when heated. They are used in a broad range of applications, such as heart stents, dental ...

Engineering

Novel AI method sharpens 3D X-ray vision

X-ray tomography is a powerful tool that enables scientists and engineers to peer inside of objects in 3D, including computer chips and advanced battery materials, without performing anything invasive. It's the same basic ...

Engineering

Supersonic tests defy a 70-year-old rule of metal strength

When engineers want to make a metal stronger, one of the most reliable strategies is to use smaller grains—the microscopic crystal regions within the material. But when deformed at extreme speeds, this rule flips and metals ...