https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/engineering-news/ en-us The latest news on engineering technology, engineering science, computer engineering , civil engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering and environmental engineering. It is hard to imagine the modern world without concrete. Enormous quantities are used in construction worldwide, and the production of cement—its main ingredient—generates a great deal of CO₂, a greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change. Lower-carbon cements are therefore a key factor in more climate-friendly construction. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-climate-concrete-steel-corrosion-carbon.html Engineering Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707994721 Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), which charge and discharge by moving lithium ions between two electrodes known as the cathode and anode, remain the most widely used rechargeable batteries worldwide. Over the past decades, however, energy engineers have been assessing the potential of alternative rechargeable batteries based on different materials and ions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-iron-high-energy-sodium-ion.html Engineering Sat, 05 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news707744530 Steel pipelines used for oil and gas transportation remain the backbone of energy infrastructure. Hence, there is heavy focus on their integrity and resistance to degradation in corrosive conditions. Sour corrosion, a dangerous form of pipeline steel degradation when exposed to H2S, typically found in crude oil and natural gas, causes continuous hydrogen uptake into the steel, resulting in hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) and failure. It was of significant interest for us to identify the origin of HIC as it helps in designing new steels resistant to hydrogen attack. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-steels-reveal-unique-mechanisms-hydrogen.html Engineering Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:20:01 EDT news707740757 A new study finds that composite metal foam (CMF) could significantly improve automobile safety during frontal collisions. Using computational models to run detailed simulations, researchers found that incorporating CMF into automobile "front rails" would allow them to absorb more energy during high-velocity impacts. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-metal-foam-front-rails-cars.html Engineering Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news707655062 One drawback of most solar cells made with efficiency-boosting perovskite is the presence of hazardous lead in the materials that turn sunlight into electricity. Next-generation solar cells made with the most promising lead-free replacement—nontoxic tin perovskite—have had their own major weakness: They don't hold up against the elements. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-raincoat-free-solar-cells-elements.html Engineering Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:20:06 EDT news707648941 Physicists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a method to print three-dimensional structures in ice. The researchers show how small pillars can be printed at an angle, making it possible to print arbitrary profiles in ice that don't need additional support. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-supercooled-enables-3d-ice.html Engineering Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:00:04 EDT news707644383 Touchscreens and other touch-based controls, from smartphones and tablets to smart devices and wearable electronics, have become part of everyday life. However, many touch interfaces depend on batteries, external power, electrodes and wiring, which can increase costs and make them difficult to install in places where conventional electronics are impractical. Finding a simpler way to create touch-sensitive controls could therefore open new possibilities for wearable devices and the growing Internet of Things (IoT). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-laser-pvc-interface-tracks-finger.html Engineering Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news707575081 Research led by RMIT University shows the 3D-printed titanium lattice—made up of hollow, interconnected struts filled with foam—not only floats but also withstands seawater exposure and is stronger than the stainless steel or high-density plastic currently used in jetties, buoys and floating sensors. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-world-titanium.html Engineering Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:09 EDT news707568422 To create large-scale grid energy storage that is more affordable, powerful and safe, researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) decided to let a strong side reaction step into the limelight. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-salt-boost-power-grid-batteries.html Engineering Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:00:05 EDT news707561281 "Micromixer" might just sound like a fancy name for a tiny blender, but mixing liquids at the microliter scale is no simple task. Micromixers are essential components of microfluidic devices widely used across the pharmaceutical, life sciences, chemistry and materials engineering industries, where they rapidly and evenly combine tiny amounts of reagents. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-method-efficient-micromixers.html Engineering Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:40:05 EDT news707477342 Researchers have created a 3D-printed electrode that could help make it easier and safer to store large amounts of renewable energy generated by wind and solar farms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-nature-3d-large-scale-renewable.html Engineering Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news707475121 Drones often hover in the air, noisy and whining. They can already be used for many tasks, but not when you need some quiet. Their batteries would also last longer if they could take a "rest" from time to time. But when a drone is monitoring a rainforest, its cluttered surroundings and its own gripper arm become too tricky for its camera-based vision. Until now. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bird-drone-rest.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:20:03 EDT news707414642 If you wanted to take down a power grid or a network of drones, which part of the system should you attack? Researchers at The University of New Mexico School of Engineering posed the question in hopes of developing better network security mechanisms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-analysis-reveals-unexpected-vulnerabilities-power.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:16 EDT news707406241 A new electrochemical process can rapidly strip dissolved carbon dioxide from ocean water while self-cleaning its own mineral buildup, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Environmental Science & Technology. Because one step produces energy while another consumes it, the method could also help flex the load on the grid. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ocean-carbon-capture-device-mineral.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:20:06 EDT news707397182 You might naturally expect a wide, open path to be faster and easier to navigate than a narrow one, just as birds fly freely through the open sky, cars move quickly on empty roads, and a wide hallway seems easier when trying to exit a building. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-worms-narrow-paths-faster-wide.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:02 EDT news707395801 Inflatable structures are all around us, from pool floaties and archways at the Tour de France to life-saving emergency resuscitators and vehicle airbags. As useful as these structures are, they are limited to only two stable states—inflated and deflated. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-crumples-inflatable-membranes-multiple-stable.html Engineering Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news707133485 Refrigerators, air-conditioning systems and data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, and cooling demand is constantly rising. A research team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Tsukuba in Japan is presenting a new approach demonstrated by a prototype in which heat assumes the role formerly played by an electric motor. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ultrathin-grade-cooling-electric-motor.html Engineering Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:00:10 EDT news707139961 Lithium-ion batteries power transportation and grid storage and enable our digital lives, but these ubiquitous batteries require frequent recharging and can fail over time. To make batteries more reliable and longer-lasting, researchers are exploring how to replace liquids inside batteries with a solid ceramic material that could improve their performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solid-state-batteries-short-circuiting.html Engineering Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:20:03 EDT news707129281 Researchers from North Carolina State University have created teardrop-shaped soft robots that leap upward or forward when exposed to infrared light—and will keep jumping as long as the light is present. The work demonstrates a new mechanism for self-resetting jumping behavior in soft robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-powered-soft-robots.html Robotics Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:00:02 EDT news707128436 A new set of modular components allows users to create reconfigurable smart devices with electrical connections that keep working no matter what shape the structure forms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bifur-circuits-devices-electrical-intact.html Engineering Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:48 EDT news707050816 As the global push for cleaner energy intensifies, solid oxide fuel cells have emerged as a promising option. They turn hydrogen or other renewable fuels directly into electricity and heat without combustion, eliminating virtually all pollution and boosting efficiency to more than 60%. But a major downside has kept them out of everyday commercial use: They require extremely high temperatures to operate. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-forged-frozen-fuel-thermal-advances.html Engineering Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:40:09 EDT news707038741 Today, anyone with a large enough artificial intelligence model can generate millions of new material designs in minutes. Unfortunately, that hasn't led to a huge leap in the number of new materials being used to improve the performance of products like computer chips and rockets. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-unstable-material-chip-cooling.html Engineering Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:40:10 EDT news706964457 "Swarms" of cyborg cockroaches with cameras and miniature medical injectors could deliver supervised emergency care to people trapped in collapsed buildings, caves or other places too dangerous for rescuers to reach. The "Paraborgs" developed by University of Queensland biorobotics researchers, working with biomedical engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), move cyborg insects of the future beyond searching for survivors to actively assisting them. The research is published in the journal Advanced Science. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-giant-cyborg-cockroaches-people-rescuers.html Robotics Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:20:05 EDT news706964223 Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) that use pure lithium (Li) for their negative electrodes are attracting significant attention because of their extremely high theoretical capacity. However, their practical applications are limited by low cycling stability and safety issues arising from dendrite formation, electrolyte breakdown and uneven solid-electrolyte interface formation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-tri-layer-electrolyte-safety-lifespan.html Engineering Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:20:08 EDT news706960742 Shine a light, and the real can be distinguished from the fake. KAIST researchers have developed a security technology that uses unique artificial fingerprints created by the random assembly of nanoparticles. Although extremely difficult to replicate, these fingerprints can be conveniently authenticated using only a smartphone flashlight and a laser pointer, opening up potential applications in anti-counterfeiting and electronic device authentication. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-distinguish-real-fake-hard-replicate.html Engineering Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:20:08 EDT news706957741 Propeller-powered underwater vehicles have long helped scientists explore and monitor aquatic environments. But they're limited by their own mechanics: Spinning blades can snag on vegetation, stir up sediment and startle the wildlife they're often sent to study, making them poorly suited to shallow creeks, dense weeds or close encounters with fish. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-scafi-robot-fish-machine-feet.html Robotics Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news706952581 Researchers at Princeton Engineering have created a semiconductor with unique properties: It is just a few molecules thick and can repeatedly change its properties in response to light. This is a step toward building more energy-efficient sensors, optoelectronic devices and computing technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-erasable-semiconductor.html Engineering Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:20:07 EDT news706893121 Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Bordeaux in France have demonstrated a new way to send information through the atmosphere without correcting for the distortions that normally disrupt optical communication. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-encoded-survive-real-world-atmospheric.html Engineering Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:20:44 EDT news706879193 A passenger jet soars across the sky at 640 mph (1,030 kilometers per hour), its wings pummeled with wind and boundary-layer turbulence, challenging the plane's operation and efficiency. Advancing research from Mahmoud I. Hussein aims to prevent that turbulence with engineered microscopic vibrations from synthetic subsurface materials that can dramatically improve fuel efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-tailored-surface-vibrations-aerodynamic-passenger.html Engineering Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news706811881 Concrete slowly absorbs small amounts of carbon dioxide from the air over its lifetime, a natural process sometimes proposed as a solution to the cement industry's heavy carbon footprint. But a new UCLA-led study finds that this passive absorption process is far too slow and too small in scale to meaningfully offset the emissions released when cement is made. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-concrete-natural-absorption-offset-emissions.html Engineering Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:40:04 EDT news706805348