Engineering news
Engineering
Inspired by armadillos, this soft robotic shell flips from flexible to fortress in an instant
Researchers have drawn inspiration from armadillos to create a protective structure that responds to external threats by curling into a protective ball to protect electronic devices or other payloads. The structure is designed ...
5 hours ago
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Engineering
Safer all-solid-state sodium battery could cut grid storage costs and reduce lithium dependence
Lithium-ion batteries dominate the market for large-scale energy storage today. However, the element's uneven global distribution and rising costs are driving the search for alternatives. Sodium is roughly a thousand times ...
10 hours ago
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Transparent oxide glass tops 130 GPa using conventional melt-quenching
Glass is a versatile material used in a wide range of applications, from light bulb casings to optical fibers. Recently, high-strength glass has become an important focus of materials research, as new technologies demand ...
8 hours ago
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Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells reach 32.89% certified efficiency with peak-selective passivation strategy
A team of Chinese scientists has developed a new passivation strategy that significantly improves both the efficiency and operational stability of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The study has been published in the ...
May 21, 2026
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Novel origami pattern turns flat sheets into load-bearing 3D technology
McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and ...
May 21, 2026
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Engineering
Holographic light engine boosts tissue-like 3D printing efficiency by 70 times
In 2025, EPFL scientists published an improved approach to tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM): a 3D printing method that uses laser light to harden a rotating vial of photosensitive resin into a desired ...
May 21, 2026
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Robotics
Robotic collective flows like matter, adapting without centralized control
Cornell engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows, reshapes, and adapts to its environment without centralized control. The system, called the Cross-Link ...
May 21, 2026
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Engineering
These brick walls are built to come apart, move, and rise again after demolition
The construction sector still has some way to go in terms of reducing the consumption of resources and greenhouse gas emissions. One of these relates to the construction waste produced during the demolition of buildings. ...
May 21, 2026
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Engineering
Error correction tech boosts the 3D printing of big composite parts
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have created a new tool that can catch and correct potential mistakes in real time while 3D printing large plastic parts. The automated ...
May 21, 2026
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Engineering
To make houses more affordable, we need to make them greener, says report
Decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector has slowed, leaving it both a major emissions source and increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts and energy price shocks, according to a new report from the UN Environment ...
May 20, 2026
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Engineering
Scalable manufacturing of perovskite photovoltaics achieved through fast, solvent-free vacuum deposition
Solar energy is a cornerstone of the energy transition. Tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon can achieve higher efficiencies than conventional silicon cells, but their industrial manufacturing remains a challenge. ...
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Fungi transform unrecyclable building waste into low-carbon insulation
A common fungus can break down hard-to-recycle construction waste and turn it into sustainable insulation that rivals traditional and petrochemical-based options, according to researchers at the University of Bath. The research ...
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Engineered microbes turn biodiesel waste into plastic ingredient at 300-liter scale
Naphtha, an essential feedstock for the petrochemical industry, has faced sharp price increases and supply instability in recent years, driving demand for sustainable alternatives. The KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology ...
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Custom device maps carbon capture reactions in real time
Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air, a process called direct air capture (or DAC), is one of several approaches being developed to help reduce the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Among ...
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Building the future with robotic construction
On April 24, the Architectural Robotic Construction Lab ( ARC Lab) in The University of Texas at Arlington's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs demonstrated its new large-scale 3D printing technology.
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Geothermal 2.0: How superhot rocks underground could help power Australia
Long before sunlight sustained life on the surface, Earth's internal heat powered the deep-sea vents where scientists believe life began.
May 19, 2026
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Engineering
Multifunctional Kevlar fabric unlocks sensing, EMI protection and de-icing without losing strength
Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a multifunctional Kevlar-based composite material capable of combining structural performance with integrated strain sensing, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding ...
May 18, 2026
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Engineering
Ground oyster shells unlock ultra-light magnesium foam for vehicles and protective gear
For the first time, researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have produced a magnesium foam made entirely from natural marine raw materials. No toxic additives are required for its production. Ground oyster shell powder from ...
May 18, 2026
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Engineering
'Reading the invisible': AI framework accounts for hidden defects in metal 3D printing
Metal additive manufacturing (AM), widely regarded as a revolution in modern manufacturing for its ability to produce lightweight and geometrically complex components, has long faced a critical barrier to widespread adoption: ...
May 15, 2026
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Engineering
Multiscale residual stress evaluation can improve the reliability of aircraft engine blades
Researchers at Skoltech conducted a comparative study of two techniques for evaluating mesoscale residual stresses in the aerospace alloy VT6 (Ti-6Al-4V) used to manufacture fan and compressor blades in aircraft engines. ...
May 15, 2026
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Engineering
Basalt could be the key to greener and cheaper cement
Ideas to reduce carbon emissions often revolve around renewable power, electric vehicles and energy efficiency. But there's another, less colorful character that's often overlooked: cement.
May 14, 2026
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Engineering
Prickly pear cacti show promise as the building materials of tomorrow
Researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Mechanical Engineering have shown that agricultural waste from prickly pear cactus plants could be used as a low-cost, low-carbon reinforcement for construction materials, ...
May 14, 2026
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Robotics
Co-designed robots reveal what health care staff and patients actually need
As robots enter hospitals and care facilities, questions remain about whether they actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it. A new Cornell Tech-led study approaches that challenge by inviting health ...
May 14, 2026
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Engineering
3D printing enables powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing of large, critical parts
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method that uses additive manufacturing (AM)—3D printing—to fabricate custom canisters for powder metallurgical hot ...
May 14, 2026
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Consumer & Gadgets
Wall design centers experience of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
According to many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, clarity—not volume—is one of the most challenging parts of understanding speech in enclosed spaces. In many types of rooms, sound reflecting off multiple walls muddies ...
May 14, 2026
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