Engineering news

Engineering

Beyond welding: Researchers 3D-print a single complex structure containing two metals

A team of Penn State researchers has used a new 3D-printing method to produce a complex metal build that was once only possible with welding: fusing two metals together into a single structure.

Engineering

Recycling wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics

A new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals resulted in the recovery of high-strength glass fibers and resins that allowed Washington State University researchers to repurpose the materials to ...

Engineering

Turning wastewater into a resource: Advanced filtration tackles water scarcity challenges

With global water scarcity on the rise—impacting 38% of Europe's population in 2019 alone—a novel approach is emerging to transform wastewater into a valuable resource. Water-smart industrial symbioses (WSISs) offer an ...

Engineering

World's tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice

Scientists said Wednesday they have developed the world's tiniest pacemaker, a temporary heartbeat regulator smaller than a grain of rice that can be injected and controlled by light before dissolving.

Engineering

Highly twisted metamaterial rods store large amounts of energy

An international research team coordinated at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has developed mechanical metamaterials with a high elastic energy density. Highly twisted rods that deform helically provide these metamaterials ...

Engineering

Diagnosing a dud may lead to a better battery

A team of chemists led by Feng Lin and Louis Madsen found a way to see into battery interfaces, which are tight, tricky spots buried deep inside the cell. The research findings were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Robotics

Tuna-inspired mechanical fin could boost underwater drone power

Growing up in Spain, Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira was captivated by the elegant movements of aquatic life during frequent vacations to the Atlantic coast. Later, as a doctoral student at the California Institute of Technology, ...

Robotics

That 'uhh... let me think' face you make? Androids need it too

Ever asked a question and been met with a blank stare? It's awkward enough with a person—but on a humanoid robot, it can be downright unsettling. Now, an international team co-led by Hiroshima University and RIKEN has found ...

Engineering

How a new wave of fighter jets could transform aerial combat

The most advanced fighter jets in the world are known as "fifth generation." They contain technologies developed in the first part of the 21st century. Examples of fifth generation fighter jets include America's F-35 Lightning ...

Engineering

US earthquake safety relies on federal employees' expertise

Earthquakes and the damage they cause are apolitical. Collectively, we either prepare for future earthquakes or the population eventually pays the price. The earthquakes that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025, collapsing buildings ...

Robotics

Engineers create world's smallest wireless flying robot

Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets. Less than 1 centimeter ...

Engineering

Programmable pixels could advance infrared light applications

Without the ability to control infrared light waves, autonomous vehicles wouldn't be able to quickly map their environment and keep "eyes" on the cars and pedestrians around them; augmented reality couldn't display realistic ...

Engineering

Transforming plastic waste into high-quality 3D-printed products

Every year, some 5.6 million metric tons of plastic packaging winds up in household waste in Germany after being used just once. So far, less than a third of it can be recycled. Working in partnership with Hochschule Bremen—City ...

Engineering

Holograms boost 3D printing efficiency and resolution

While traditional 3D printers work by depositing layers of material, tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM) involves shining laser light at a rotating vial of resin until it hardens where accumulated energy ...

Engineering

Engineers identify key obstacle to longer-lasting batteries

Lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2) has emerged as a potential new material to power next-generation, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries. Commercialization of the material, however, has stalled because it degrades after repeated ...

Engineering

Creating smart buildings with privacy-first sensors

Gaining a better understanding of how people move through the spaces where they live and work could make those spaces safer and more sustainable. But no one wants cameras watching them 24/7.

Robotics

Robot acrobatics: Mammal tails offer surprising design insights

While exploring how best to design robots that use tails to reorient their bodies in midair, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan and University of California San Diego found that mammals had already figured ...