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. Researchers have developed a new LiDAR approach that makes it possible to image small objects with much greater precision and accuracy than conventional LiDAR. The method could be useful for acquiring noncontact measurements of critical parts or features during manufacturing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-lidar-approach-factory-tiny-hard.html Engineering Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:02 EDT news702045062 Today's antipersonnel land mines are small and often have plastic casings that standard metal detectors cannot register. Geophysical techniques such as ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry and electromagnetic induction are significantly less effective with plastic mines than with those made of metal. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-drone-mounted-camera-plastic-landmines.html Engineering Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:12 EDT news702038641 A research team led by Kyung Mun Min and Seonghwan Choi of Materials Processing Research Division (Korea Institute of Materials Science) has developed a new analysis model capable of predicting the anisotropic mechanical behavior of sheet metals within seconds using only microstructural information of metallic materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-microstructure-based-sheet-metal-behavior.html Engineering Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:40:09 EDT news702037382 Wave energy has long been seen as a promising source of clean electricity. The ocean is always moving, and that motion carries a huge amount of energy. But many wave energy devices have one important limitation: They do not naturally move in sync with ocean waves. When that happens, they capture less power. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-simple-tune-energy-devices-higher.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news701969821 Storing solar and wind energy to meet the increasing power needs of the electrical grid calls for devices that can deliver power quickly, recharge quickly and last for decades at low cost. A new study led by UCLA has uncovered a technology that could meet all these criteria: a zinc-ion hybrid battery with a 3D-printed electrode that stores more than seven times the charge of similar hybrids. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-team-3d-zinc-ion-hybrid.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:40:13 EDT news701965741 A team of engineers at Rice University and Kyung Hee University has developed a soft, shape-shifting mechanical surface that can respond to touch, sense its own movements and visually communicate changes in real time—an advance that could open new possibilities for human-machine interaction, wearable devices and immersive tactile displays. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-shifting-surface-morphs-real-generation.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:20:10 EDT news701957029 A plastic bottle tossed into a recycling bin could one day help power an electric vehicle, smartphone or renewable energy storage system, according to a team of Penn State researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-plastic-bottles-life-batteries-graphite.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:00:05 EDT news701947741 Scientists from NTU Singapore and Waseda University have developed a flexible "diving suit" for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the insects to survive and move underwater and in low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. Published today in Nature Communications, the study could expand the use of cyborg insects in search-and-rescue missions, especially in disaster zones where flooded rubble, puddles or partially submerged spaces can block access for conventional robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-cyborg-cockroaches.html Robotics Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:40:07 EDT news701947321 A bio-inspired robotic bird capable of mimicking the key movements of kestrels is helping researchers unravel the mysteries behind the species' exceptional hovering capabilities. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robotic-bird-uncover-mysteries-flight.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:00:06 EDT news701944741 Concrete, although the most common building material in the world, is brittle and can easily crack under tension. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a special class of concrete known for its dense structure and extreme durability. This class uses internal metallic fibers to flex and resist cracking—the downside being these fibers can lead the material to cost up to 30 times more than traditional concrete. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-approach-slash-price-ultra-durable.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:00:03 EDT news701928841 Stanford researcher Ellen Kuhl estimates that there are some 1043 potential burger recipes in the world. And with BurgerAI, a new tool developed in her lab, artificial intelligence can now design the best one for you based on your age, taste, nutritional needs and even your sustainability goal. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-burgerai-custom-burgers-tailored-health.html Engineering Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news701684017 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory use a slew of autonomous robots to design and implement experiments. However, setting up an experiment on an autonomous lab robot is surprisingly slow. The effort requires a lengthy back-and-forth between a scientist and an engineer to design the experimental steps—a process that can take weeks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-agentic-ai-bot-scientists-robots.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:20:02 EDT news701626622 An international research has developed a membrane technology that could significantly reduce the energy required for crude oil refining by replacing part of the century-old distillation process. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-energy-membrane-crude-oil-room.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news701624041 A new invention from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) could soon help manufacturers more easily adopt the lab's patented Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) technology, enabling faster manufacturing of superior extrusion products. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-extrusion-retrofit.html Business Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:00:09 EDT news701602981 Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could conquer the mass market within a few years, perhaps even being produced in Europe. Their large-scale production is highly cost-effective, and unlike silicon solar cells, their production is less energy-intensive. However, perovskite solar cells ideally need to achieve decades-long warranties, which remains a challenge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-perovskite-solar-cells-decades-durability.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:00:01 EDT news701603206 Microcapsules containing a reactive two-component adhesive can simplify bonding processes in industry and assembly while improving occupational safety. The adhesive is initially safely enclosed in capsules, contact with exposed reactive components can be reduced, and activation takes place only during pressing at room temperature. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam Science Park is looking for partners from industry and research who would like to contribute specific components, carrier materials or assembly processes for application-oriented testing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-safer-adhesives-component-microcapsules-bond.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:00:03 EDT news701599201 Just like the cathedral itself, the wood that will be used for the new doors may hold secrets. That's why researchers need to test the oak before the doors are built. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-oak-wood-doors-nidaros-cathedral.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:06 EDT news701592901 Growing economic activity in the ocean space is increasing the need for more regular monitoring and inspection of underwater infrastructure and its surroundings. Autonomous underwater vehicles capable of monitoring and inspecting pipelines, cables and underwater installations are becoming increasingly important in an uncertain global security situation. In addition, we need more knowledge about the seabed and the ocean space. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-underwater-robots-pave-pipeline-cable.html Robotics Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:04 EDT news701592841 In 1927, the term "picture element," later abbreviated to "pixel," appeared for the first time in the American technology magazine Wireless World. Today, pixels are everywhere: in computer screens and television sets, where they create colorful images, but also in cameras, where they capture images. In any case, however, they do one or the other—either they control light, as in the case of a display, or they analyze it in a camera sensor. Until now, there have been no pixels that could do both. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-pixel-paving-devices-function-camera.html Engineering Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:20:05 EDT news701539801 An inchworm has provided the inspiration for a robot that can move without any rigid parts. The robot mimics a flexing muscle and can be used to inspect sewer pipes or as an explorer on the planet Mars, according to a thesis from the University of Gothenburg. The research is published on the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-inchworm-robot-rigid-enable-remote.html Robotics Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:40:05 EDT news701530141 Researchers have demonstrated how to use the power of the sun to turn plastic waste, such as drink bottles, into clean hydrogen fuel at a scale large enough to be genuinely useful in the real world, using a scalable approach. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-scientists-solar-powered-plastic-recycling.html Engineering Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:04 EDT news701523180 In 2022, global production of construction materials accounted for more than 7% of total carbon emissions. But how many of those materials were truly necessary to build houses, buildings and bridges? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-smarter-optimization-bridge-materials.html Engineering Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:40:04 EDT news701522909 Perforated landing pads could significantly reduce the noise of delivery drones and electric aircraft during takeoff and landing, new research by the University of Bristol has found. As electric air taxis move from the realm of science fiction to reality, the study, published in Applied Acoustics this week, could influence the design of landing pads to help these futuristic vertical aircraft limit noise, addressing one of the biggest challenges facing the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-pad-noise-futuristic-vertical-air.html Engineering Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:20:06 EDT news701521442 When a building inspector takes a photo of a cracked wall, a leaking pipe or a faulty ceiling panel, that image carries almost no information about where exactly it was taken. There's no GPS signal indoors, and manually recording locations is slow, error-prone and easily forgotten. As a result, thousands of inspection photos sit in folders with no spatial context, making it hard to track problems over time or link them to the correct part of a building's maintenance records. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-photos.html Engineering Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news701440291 Korean researchers have secured flexible electronic skin technology that can be fabricated directly in the field. This achievement has increased the feasibility of commercializing electronic skin for use in various fields, including robots and wearable devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-onsite-fabrication-large-area-electronic.html Engineering Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:00:08 EDT news701445302 For years, builders and developers have treated "sustainable" homes as someone else's problem. Solar panels, batteries, double-glazed windows, correct insulation, good ventilation and better materials have been thought to be too expensive, too niche and too unprofitable to include in new homes, so they were left out. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-green-home-features-homeowners-money.html Engineering Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:06 EDT news701434322 Researchers have developed a tiny, electrically tunable infrared filter that could help shrink bulky thermal sensing systems onto portable chips—a technology that could lead to handheld pollution detectors, compact multispectral cameras and next-generation chemical sensing devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-infrared-filter-pollution-disease.html Engineering Tue, 23 Jun 2026 07:00:02 EDT news701416682 Misjudge a curb or miss a step on the stairs, and there is a split second of panic as your foot doesn't land when you expect it to. That brief loss of pressure can be enough to throw off your balance entirely. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-haptic-insoles-forearm-band-substituting.html Engineering Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:40:01 EDT news701367483 In the Lofoten Islands off Norway's northwestern coast, a rescue helicopter circles over a cruise ship. Soon, two people and a large bag are lowered onto the deck. Then a line is launched over to the coast guard ship right next to it. The cruise ship is ready to be towed. Fortunately, this is only an exercise to test the new equipment and not a real emergency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-emergency-equipment-helicopters-fly-worse.html Engineering Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:40:03 EDT news701365021 Today's refrigerants, which are specialized working fluids used in air conditioners, refrigerators and heat pumps, come with a host of issues, including leakage, emissions concerns, flammability and limited reclamation of used refrigerants. However, a recent study by University of Notre Dame researchers published in Materials Horizons describes a promising alternative for next-generation cooling using thermoelectric technology, which has no moving parts and no gaseous refrigerants, allowing for zero leaks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ink-based-thermoelectric-technology-solution.html Engineering Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news701353148