Engineering news
Engineering
New spinning drone hides in plain sight: 'Phantom Twist' harnesses motion blur to nearly vanish in flight
By exploiting the quirks of human vision, Northwestern University engineers have designed a drone that nearly disappears before the eyes. For years, researchers have tried to design invisible drones and robots using camouflage, ...
20 hours ago
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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 ...
Jul 16, 2026
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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 ...
Jul 15, 2026
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AI-run lab discovers six 3D-printable alloys for extreme heat
Using AI-driven materials design, a team of researchers at the University of Toronto Engineering has discovered a new set of metal alloys that retain their strength under extreme conditions.
Jul 15, 2026
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Human-machine learning boosts noninvasive brain-computer control in untrained users
Implantable devices in the brain have been used for about 30 years to assist people with disabilities in completing motor tasks. However, the devices are simply not accessible to the vast majority of people who need help. ...
Jul 15, 2026
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Engineering
Researchers mimicked bird bones to create lightweight, high-performance structures
Using bird bone structure as inspiration, Xin Ning and Sepideh Ebad Sichani, Ph.D. '26, have created a new class of aircraft wing structures—unbound by traditional designs of ribs, spars and stiffeners. The researchers are ...
Jul 15, 2026
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Engineering
Lower printing temperatures cut defects in aluminum 3D-printed parts, study finds
Scientists at The University of Manchester have uncovered how subtle changes in temperature during a promising metal 3D printing process can significantly affect the quality of aluminum components.
Jul 14, 2026
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Engineering
Stable from unstable: Beam holds steady only in 20-millisecond timing window
A new discovery in physics could help engineers stabilize robots and structures without relying on complex sensors and control systems, and design metamaterials and network systems that are currently beyond reach.
Jul 14, 2026
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Engineering
Molten salt reactors: A new testing facility improves pump shaft seals
Molten salt nuclear reactors may generate energy more efficiently than conventional water-cooled reactors while producing less waste, but the reactors must safely contain the salt's hazardous byproducts. Experiments on a ...
Jul 14, 2026
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Engineering
Paintable electrodes could power creative and colorful wearable sensors
Engineers at Penn State are blending art and science to create cute, paint-on tattoos that could help spot heart attacks early, power robotic prosthetics and read brain waves—all within a colorful, customizable system that ...
Jul 13, 2026
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Engineering
Metals' atomic arrangement can create 'corrosion highways' in nuclear reactors
Nuclear reactors are traditionally powered with dense fuel rods that can produce about 1 gigawatt of carbon-free electricity, enough to power about 100,000,000 lightbulbs. Newer power plant designs using molten salt for cooling ...
Jul 13, 2026
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Hardware
Ultra-fine bubbles tune drying ink droplets without chemical additives
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University studying inkjet printing have introduced ultra-fine bubbles into ink droplets and showed that their drying behavior can be tuned without additives. They discovered that the shape ...
Jul 13, 2026
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Engineering
Designing high density data centers: Computational fluid dynamics analysis eliminates costly guesswork
As data centers and crypto-mining facilities expand to handle growing digital demands, keeping massive banks of servers cool has become a primary operational challenge. To address the energy inefficiencies plaguing these ...
Jul 13, 2026
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Robotics
New test measures how well humanoid robots handle real-world forces
As technology advances, more is expected from humanoid robots. What were once seen as gimmicks that could walk, if not like us, then close to it, are now pulling their weight and doing more work in places like factories. ...
Robotics
Birdlike robot swims underwater, then flaps into flight without paddling
Loons, gulls, puffins and petrels are some of the 100 species of birds that can both fly and swim. These diving birds can plunge into water to swim after prey, and leap back into the air to fly away.
Jul 9, 2026
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Engineering
New pellet-making method points to safer, more predictable high-explosive manufacturing
For decades, manufacturing plastic-bonded high explosives, or PBXs, has relied on legacy processes like slurry coating. In this method, explosive crystals are mixed with a binder, a polymer that helps hold the material together, ...
Jul 9, 2026
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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 ...
Jul 9, 2026
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Engineering
Can the buckling Manhattan skyscraper be saved? Engineers weigh in
As officials continue to investigate the cause, experts say that if the conversion is to proceed, "extensive work" would need to be done to shore up the damage and evaluate the building's safety and integrity.
Jul 9, 2026
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Engineering
Student engineers, designers develop mountable wheelchair light with (dis)Ability Design Studio
Powered by collaborative and empathic design, the next generation of designers and engineers are working to make life easier for wheelchair and mobility device users.
Jul 9, 2026
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Engineering
Cheaper catalyst turns captured carbon dioxide, methanol and hydrogen into ethanol
An international team of researchers has developed a homogeneous catalytic process that converts methanol, carbon dioxide and hydrogen into ethanol using inexpensive and stable catalyst precursors.
Jul 8, 2026
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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 ...
Jul 8, 2026
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Engineering
New analysis framework for developing stronger foundations during urban redevelopment
Urban redevelopment in densely populated areas often requires demolition and replacement of aging buildings. As buildings are replaced, existing foundation piles must be removed, leaving cylindrical voids that must be backfilled ...
Jul 8, 2026
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Engineering
Holographic printer produces 3D shapes in one shot
University of Utah researchers have demonstrated a new method of 3D printing that avoids the leaky seams that come with the layer-by-layer process. Using a nanoscale "mask" that diffracts laser light into a holographic pattern ...
Jul 7, 2026
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Robotics
EleTac: An elephant-inspired soft robotic gripper with a sophisticated sense of touch
Soft grippers, which are built from flexible materials that can bend and deform, are attracting a lot of attention from robotics researchers worldwide. Unlike conventional robots made from rigid metal or plastic, soft grippers ...
Jul 7, 2026
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Engineering
New field-tested design framework improves bored pile foundations in weathered rock
Large-diameter bored piles are essential for major infrastructure, from elevated railways and long-span bridges to high-rise buildings. Yet when these piles extend into weak, weathered sedimentary rocks such as siltstone ...
Jul 7, 2026
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