Engineering news

Engineering

Safer sodium battery eliminates thermal runaway with a heat-triggered polymer barrier

Some batteries have been known to catch fire or explode at high temperatures or when under stress. This safety concern has pushed researchers to experiment with different ways to design safer batteries that can ideally still ...

Engineering

Bio-inspired structural design improves impact resistance and energy absorption

The delicate butterfly served as the inspiration for a new lightweight lattice structure that also boasts enhanced mechanical strength, impact resistance, and energy absorption capability through advanced structural design. ...

Engineering

Intelligent monitoring pipe detects and predicts 3D soil settlement

Researchers have developed an intelligent monitoring pipe that combines optical sensing with machine learning algorithms to monitor and predict 3D soil settlement. With more development, the system could help provide early ...

Robotics

Too many cooks, or too many robots? Finding a Goldilocks level of randomness to keep robot swarms moving

Picture a futuristic swarm of robots deployed on a time-sensitive task, like cleaning up an oil spill or assembling a machine. At first, adding robots is advantageous, since many hands make light work. But a tipping point ...

Engineering

UV glow test measures air disinfection performance in minutes

The effectiveness of air disinfection devices may now be measured in minutes, rather than hours, with a new technique from University of Michigan Engineering. This is important for researchers developing better antiviral ...

Engineering

Diffusion-based AI model successfully trained in electroplating

Electrochemical deposition, or electroplating, is a common industrial technique that coats materials to improve corrosion resistance and protection, durability and hardness, conductivity and more. A Los Alamos National Laboratory ...

Engineering

AI turns simple text into realistic building designs

When working on projects, architects must quickly turn rough concepts into visual representations. Text-to-image models offer an opportunity in this field, where high-quality designs can be generated simply by typing a description. ...

Engineering

A new way to study how cannabis use impacts safe driving

As marijuana legalization expands across the U.S., it is outpacing research on the impact of cannabis use behind the wheel. Researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) recently spent two years collecting ...

Engineering

Tackling uplift resistance in tall infrastructure sustainably

Tall structures like radio towers experience high wind loads that generate uplift forces at their foundations, a challenge that is increasing burden, as natural occurrences like typhoons and tornadoes become more frequent ...

Engineering

3D printing platform rapidly produces complex electric machines

A broken motor in an automated machine can bring production on a busy factory floor to a halt. If engineers can't find a replacement part, they may have to order one from a distributor hundreds of miles away, leading to costly ...

Engineering

The giant fire tornado that could save our oceans

In the frantic hours following an offshore oil spill, emergency responders face a destructive decision: let the oil spread or ignite it. Once ignited, it creates an "in-situ" fire pool that stops the oil from spreading and ...