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. The moment a nuclear reactor begins operation, a complex chain of events is initiated within the fuel: Heavy atoms split into fission products, knocking other atoms out of place and creating defects that can change how the fuel swells, transfers heat and reacts chemically over time. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-hidden-pore-networks-nuclear-fuel.html Engineering Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news705841267 Optical fiber has already transformed the modern world. New research now suggests it could do even more. A new flat-fiber fabrication technique produces a high-fidelity sensor for a wide range of applications, from batteries to bridges, according to a recently published study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ribbon-fiber-pressure-sensitivity-higher.html Engineering Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:03 EDT news705840781 Researchers at the A*STAR Quantum Innovation Center (A*STAR Q.InC), part of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) Flagship in Semiconductors, have developed a levitated, millimeter-scale rotor that continued spinning for more than 10 hours after its drive was switched off, achieving the lowest energy loss reported for a mechanical rotor of its size. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-levitated-device-gps-unavailable.html Engineering Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news705834601 The human hand is a dexterous and versatile machine. Scientists have conventionally tried to replicate these traits in robots by copying the biological mechanics of the hand, resulting in complex and difficult-to-control structures. An alternative solution to these challenges was proposed in a new study published in Advanced Science: the BioflexBot, a novel robot that mimics and even exceeds core motions of the hand with a simple design. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-simple-robot-exceeds-human-core.html Robotics Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:10:01 EDT news705748981 Gas turbine engines, like those powering passenger planes, operate under extreme conditions during everyday use. These engines regularly reach temperatures well over 800°C (1,470°F), which creates challenges for long-term durability and efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-coating-gas-turbines-reliable-longer.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:20:06 EDT news705754682 Magnesium supplements are gaining popularity to treat conditions such as insomnia, migraines and constipation. Most magnesium salts are extracted from rocks by crushing and heating them, which requires a lot of energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have developed bismuth electrodes that selectively pull magnesium ions from seawater, another abundant source of the element. They say their electrochemical approach could be more sustainable and less expensive than current methods. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-electrochemical-method-seawater-source-magnesium.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:03 EDT news705753901 A new physics-based analytical model can accurately predict ferroelectric behavior under real-world, complex voltages, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The model bridges the longstanding gap between fundamental switching physics and practical device engineering. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bridges-ferroelectric-physics-circuit.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:40:09 EDT news705753481 Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research have developed tiny rolls that can be unrolled and rolled up in a controlled manner using a magnet. The model for this was the proboscis of butterflies. These smart materials enable the development of more efficient drive technologies for micro- and soft robotics, a field of research of great economic importance. The results have been published in the journal Advanced Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-butterfly-ceramic-microscrolls-unroll-magnets.html Robotics Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news705751501 A major review of current mitigation strategies to prevent bird and bat collisions with wind turbines concludes that future wildlife-safe wind energy will depend on smarter, combined approaches that balance biodiversity protection with renewable energy production. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-farms-smarter-site-specific-strategies.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 07:40:01 EDT news705735917 Researchers have developed a full-color near-eye display that uses three stacked holographic gratings, each engineered to direct red, green or blue light. The new design could help advance compact, energy-efficient augmented reality (AR) glasses for use in a variety of professional and consumer applications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-holographic-layers-red-green-blue.html Engineering Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:00:06 EDT news705682502 Chinese scientists have developed a method that could facilitate the large-scale production of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. The method employs a multidentate anchoring molecule-assisted co-deposition strategy to improve the fabrication of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) through blade coating—a technique that applies a thin film to a substrate with a blade and is suitable for large-scale manufacturing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-blade-coating-strategy-advances-scalable.html Engineering Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news705680821 Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering (CDE), led by Professor Heng Chye Kiang (NUS Department of Architecture), have developed a computational framework for reconstructing the genealogy of vernacular architecture. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-method-reconstructs-architectural-lineages.html Engineering Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:20:09 EDT news705672361 Most batteries spend more than 70% of their lifetime at rest. Yet few studies have examined calendar aging, which is how a battery degrades when it is neither charging nor being used. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-aim-battery-aging-idle.html Engineering Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news705601261 Soft materials that change shape in response to heat are attracting growing interest in applications ranging from soft robotics to wearable technologies and biomedical devices. However, conventional extrusion-based 3D printing limits how these materials move because molecules inside each printed filament align in only one direction, restricting every filament to a single actuation mode. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-3d-method-soft-actuators-switchable.html Engineering Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:00:01 EDT news705580261 A team from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has successfully demonstrated an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven system to automate a powerful simulation method that predicts how atoms in materials interact. Known as atomistic simulations, this method can potentially accelerate the discovery of materials for areas such as batteries, aerospace and electronics. The research is published in the journal Digital Discovery. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-agents-automate-atom-simulations.html Engineering Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:20:10 EDT news705322075 Over the past two decades, a powerful but highly specialized branch of control engineering—known as negative imaginary (NI) systems theory—has quietly evolved into a key tool for stabilizing complex, vibration-prone systems, from flexible structures to advanced robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-negative-imaginary-theory-math-niche.html Engineering Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:20:03 EDT news705323042 The Yixing Zisha teapot sits neatly at the intersection of art, engineering and heritage. As such, it makes for an intriguing test case for a technology increasingly taking on creative tasks across almost every field of human endeavor: artificial intelligence, or AI. Research published in the International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications describes a computational system that can help AI generate new teapot designs without losing the cultural characteristics that make the craft distinctive. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-generative-ai-proper-cuppa-pot.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:20:09 EDT news705243729 Imperial and Arup pioneer a new approach to designing tall buildings that uses the building's own weight to reduce movement in high winds and earthquakes. Inspired by traditional Japanese pagodas, it makes towers safer while cutting carbon and construction costs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-pagoda-floors-tower-sway-material.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:20:01 EDT news705241142 Researchers from Skoltech—a VEB.RF group institution—and their colleagues from State Marine Technical University and others have found a way to improve the balance between the mechanical strength and ductility of 3D-printed aluminum bronze. An alloy of copper and aluminum with a minor addition of iron, this material is a promising candidate for making additively manufactured heat exchange units that cool sensitive electronic components, such as processors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-treatment-strength-ductility-3d-aluminum.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:16 EDT news705231566 The same overheating problem that happens to our laptops also plagues computer servers and data centers around the world—and heat management is only getting harder as computer chips get more compact and powerful. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-electronics.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705228241 Imagine a bottle of hazardous chemicals sitting on a laboratory shelf that changes its appearance to alert scientists that its lid is not properly secured, potentially preventing a dangerous spill. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-3d-theyre-properly.html Engineering Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:09 EDT news705155390 A renewable energy future will rely on cheap and scalable battery technologies. A promising option is an all-iron redox flow battery, which uses iron—an abundant, low-cost, and safe material. Battery performance depends on how iron ends up on the negative electrode during battery use. Uniform iron deposits are best, but this doesn't always take place. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-neutron-imaging-peers-iron-redox.html Engineering Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705154321 A next-generation heat pump system that can provide cooling using low-temperature waste heat of approximately 40°C (104°F) from factories and data centers has been developed. Unlike conventional air conditioning systems, which use electricity to compress refrigerant, the newly developed system uses waste heat as its energy source. It has also achieved world-leading adsorption-bed performance, paving the way for lower electricity consumption and greater energy efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-cooling-energy-team-generation.html Engineering Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news705136958 Lithium-ion batteries are the leading choice in today's electric vehicle and battery energy storage system industries, but they contain a number of critical minerals—including lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite—that are considered essential for economic and national security reasons and therefore vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. As renewable energy, electrified infrastructure and high-power digital technologies continue to grow, there is an increasing need for energy storage systems that are low-cost, resource-abundant and capable of fast charging and discharging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solvent-problem-sodium-metal-batteries.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news705078121 Soft sensors convert movement, temperature and moisture into electrical signals. Repeated bending and friction can cause their metal conductors to peel from the underlying polymer, while physical damage, such as cuts, can disable the device. Commonly used petroleum-derived substrates are also environmentally unfriendly because they are difficult to recycle. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-recyclable-substrate-durable-soft-sensors.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:00:04 EDT news705076321 In light of rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves, the Institute of Architecture and Media at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) is presenting an energy-efficient solution to urban heat islands: 3D-printed cubes made from highly porous ceramics that combine centuries-old knowledge of passive cooling with state-of-the-art additive manufacturing. The ceramic cubes are suitable for cooling both indoor spaces and outdoor air. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-cooling-ceramic-wall-combat-urban.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:40:10 EDT news705072723 Flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FW-MAVs) are small, lightweight robots inspired by the flight mechanisms of birds and insects. By using rapidly moving wings instead of propellers, these robots can achieve unique flight capabilities, such as hovering like hummingbirds and independently controlling their wings like dragonflies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-advance-wing-robot-stability-disturbances.html Robotics Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:07 EDT news705067021 Researchers at Kyushu University have shown that microwave (MW) radiation can dramatically speed the conversion of biomass into useful gases by creating localized high-temperature regions on nickel nanoparticles. Using advanced X-ray techniques to observe the catalyst during conversion reactions, the team found that these microscopic hot spots form on the catalyst even when the surrounding material remains much cooler, helping explain why MW-assisted catalytic reactions can outperform conventional heating. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-microwave-bamboo-hydrogen-fuel-conversion.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705066421 Michael Sweeney roasts coffee beans using energy from the sun at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Sweeney has been collaborating with Sandia as part of a program to use solar energy to heat his coffee roasters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solar-bed-powers-coffee-roaster.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:20:05 EDT news705059600 A team of international researchers has found a way to turn carbon dioxide from industrial emissions directly into a key fuel ingredient without first cleaning or purifying the gas. The study, published in Nature Communications, overcomes one of the biggest challenges facing carbon capture technologies: the complex mix of gases found in industrial flue gas, a major source of global CO₂ emissions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-liquid-dirty-factory-exhaust-key.html Engineering Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:40:05 EDT news704993221