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. Picture a futuristic swarm of robots deployed on a time-sensitive task, like cleaning up an oil spill or assembling a machine. At first, adding robots is advantageous, since many hands make light work. But a tipping point comes when too many crowd the space, getting in each other's way and slowing the whole task down. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-cooks-robots-goldilocks-randomness-robot.html Robotics Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news694708981 New research into the crystallization process of additively manufactured Finemet alloys offers a promising roadmap toward optimizing the production of soft-magnetic components produced via metallic glasses. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-crystallization-additively-finemet-alloys.html Engineering Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:50:03 EDT news694698301 While mixing materials typically leads to instability, there exists a phenomenon known as high entropy, where increasing compositional complexity can actually enhance stability. KAIST researchers have leveraged this principle to enable faster proton transport and more efficient reactions within electrochemical cells, developing a technology that significantly improves hydrogen production efficiency. This breakthrough is expected to reduce hydrogen costs and accelerate the transition to clean energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-high-entropy-hydrogen-production.html Engineering Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news694694242 To be safely and reliably deployed in outer space, underwater and in other extreme environments, robots need to be able to withstand harsh conditions without breaking. In addition, they should be able to promptly and rapidly adapt to dynamic changes in their surroundings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-resilient-actuator-potential-space-ready.html Robotics Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:00:03 EDT news694354306 The effectiveness of air disinfection devices may now be measured in minutes, rather than hours, with a new technique from University of Michigan Engineering. This is important for researchers developing better antiviral air purifiers, helping to mitigate outbreaks of viral respiratory diseases and prepare for the next pandemic. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-uv-air-disinfection-minutes.html Engineering Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news694364942 From birds flying in formation to students working on a group project, the functioning of a group requires not only coordination and communication but also trust—each member must be confident in the others. The same is true for networks of connected machines, which are rapidly gaining momentum in our modern world—from self-driving rideshare fleets, to smart power grids. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-framework-networks-robots-vehicles-safer.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news694354745 As the demand for more reliable power systems grows in the renewable energy sector, the race is on to develop batteries that cost less but have a longer lifespan. While zinc-based batteries are safer and more cost-effective than lithium-ion batteries, a major obstacle to their use in large-scale, grid storage is their shorter lifespan. They fail sooner because they develop tiny, tree-shaped metal structures on the anode called dendrites, which cause the battery to short-circuit. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-gold-coating-zinc-batteries.html Engineering Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:40:03 EDT news694354561 Researchers at Arizona State University are developing bio-inspired robotic "muscles" that will enable robots to operate in boiling water, survive abrasive surfaces, bypass impediments that keep their motorized counterparts benched, and still lift up to 100 times their own weight. The new heavyweight champions of robotics will be lighter, smaller, and disconnected from a power source. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-air-powered-artificial-muscles-robots.html Robotics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news694343881 Imagine a paint that changes color depending on how hard its surface is hit. It could be used on football helmets to monitor concussion-level impacts, to record the handling history of shipped packages, or placed on insoles to analyze an orthopedic patient's gait. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-revealing-strength-impact.html Engineering Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:40:03 EDT news694343515 The New York Yankees took the baseball world by storm with the newly designed torpedo bat last year, but the revolutionary design has ended up being no better than a standard bat for hitting the ball out of the park. In the first-ever laboratory experiments done on the bat, a research team determined that the torpedo bat and traditional bat perform equally well in hitting power with only a slight difference in the location of the bat's sweet spot. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-lab-yankees-torpedo-standard-power.html Engineering Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:00:10 EDT news694340571 As the electric vehicle and energy storage system (ESS) markets experience rapid growth, the development of next-generation batteries capable of surpassing the energy density limitations of existing lithium-ion batteries is drawing significant attention. Among these, the lithium-air battery is considered a technology with the potential to dramatically increase electric vehicle range, as it can theoretically achieve an energy density more than 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-lithium-air-batteries-barriers-newly.html Engineering Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:00:03 EDT news694266662 Designers, makers, and others often use 3D printing to rapidly prototype a range of functional objects, from movie props to medical devices. Accurate print previews are essential so users know a fabricated object will perform as expected. But previews generated by most 3D-printing software focus on function rather than aesthetics. A printed object may end up with a different color, texture, or shading than the user expected, resulting in multiple reprints that waste time, effort, and material. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-visiprint-generates-realistic-3d-previews.html Engineering Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:20:07 EDT news694263782 Electrochemical deposition, or electroplating, is a common industrial technique that coats materials to improve corrosion resistance and protection, durability and hardness, conductivity and more. A Los Alamos National Laboratory team has developed generative diffusion-based AI models for electrochemistry, an innovative electrochemistry approach demonstrated with experimental data. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-diffusion-based-ai-successfully-electroplating.html Engineering Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news694261201 A LEGO brick is not smart. It doesn't compute. It doesn't plug in. It just fits. A team of Georgia Tech researchers has applied that logic to robotics. Bolei Deng, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and Xinyi Yang, an aerospace engineering Ph.D. student, build swarms of tiny robotic particles that latch, release, and reorganize without a single electronic component. No sensors, no processors, and no code. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-robotic-swarm-electronics-batteries-brains.html Robotics Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:00:02 EDT news694255561 We often imagine robots as machines with rigid arms, rotating joints, and targeted mechanical movements. The famous Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from the "Transformers" movies appear to fit these criteria. However, such robots would be unable to function in environments that are too confined and cramped. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-framework-flexible-robots-tight-spaces.html Robotics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:40:06 EDT news694195441 A joint research team from the Helmut Schmidt University/ University of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg and the Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon has developed and presented an innovative metal hydride compressor system. For the first time, hydrogen takes on a dual function: it serves not only as the medium to be compressed but also simultaneously as a heat transfer agent. The results were recently published in the journal Communications Engineering and have been patented in advance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-hydrogen-coolant-gas-metal-hydride.html Engineering Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:20:05 EDT news694185542 When working on projects, architects must quickly turn rough concepts into visual representations. Text-to-image models offer an opportunity in this field, where high-quality designs can be generated simply by typing a description. Some of these systems can also incorporate rough sketches or depth information, offering additional control over the results. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-simple-text-realistic.html Engineering Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:00:10 EDT news694173421 Solar cells, devices that can convert sunlight into electricity, are among the most promising solutions to source energy without contributing to air pollution. While most commercially available solar cells are based on silicon, energy researchers have been exploring the potential of other materials that could be more affordable and might yield better power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-molecular-additive-boosts-silicon-perovskite.html Engineering Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:30:01 EDT news694094756 A research team from Taiwan has developed a novel hybrid air-conditioning system integrating shallow geothermal energy and a desiccant wheel. Field tests confirm it significantly reduces energy consumption by up to 34.3% in hot and humid climates, offering a promising solution for net-zero buildings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-hybrid-desiccant-shallow-geothermal-cooling.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:20:09 EDT news694101065 A research team, including Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, is using pressure sensors—tiny devices, roughly the size of a paperclip, that can measure the force applied over an area—to design a highly sensitive electronic "skin" to use alongside robots and prosthetic limbs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-qa-robots-sensors.html Robotics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EDT news694108622 In biology, defects are generally bad. But in materials science, defects can be intentionally tuned to give materials useful new properties. Today, atomic-scale defects are carefully introduced during the manufacturing process of products like steel, semiconductors, and solar cells to help improve strength, control electrical conductivity, optimize performance, and more. But even as defects have become a powerful tool, accurately measuring different types of defects and their concentrations in finished products has been challenging, especially without cutting open or damaging the final material. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-based-atomic-defects-materials.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:20:03 EDT news694104719 Machining, involving the precise cutting and shaping of materials, is a key manufacturing process. As industries increasingly adopt the use of high-performance materials with high strength and hardness, traditional machining methods often fall short in delivering the required precision. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-multi-energy-field-diamond-technology.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:50:03 EDT news694100821 Researchers at the University of Sharjah have demonstrated that concrete can be reinforced using polymer plates instead of steel bars, with the new material showing superior strength, ductility, and energy dissipation. The details of their findings, published in the journal Construction and Building Materials, could pave the way for more sustainable and environmentally friendly construction materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-eco-friendly-plastic-plates-steel.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:20:04 EDT news694091762 To help small aerial robots navigate in the dark and other low-visibility environments, my colleagues and I developed an ultrasound-based perception system inspired by bat echolocation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ultralightweight-sonar-ai-tiny-drones.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:08 EDT news694089871 Alkaline industrial wastewaters from steel or cement production are ideally suited to bind and sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) chemically, safely, and for the long term. This is the result of a study conducted by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. Until now, this wastewater has been disposed of into rivers without using its CO2-sequestration capacity. In the future, it could neutralize millions of tons of CO₂—offering an attractive and implementable option to mitigate climate change. The study was recently published in the journal Environment, Science & Technology Letters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-alkaline-steel-cement-wastewater-capture.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:40:05 EDT news694087682 The world cannot have enough of the third element on the periodic table. From smartphones and laptops to state-of-the-art EVs, all are powered by lithium batteries. The demand for metal is only going to rise, and projected values suggest nearly a triple increase in demand by 2030. The traditional process of lithium mining is both water and energy-hungry. One such step is the dissolution of lithium salts from other competing minerals during the separation process. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-hygroscopic-salts-lithium-moisture-air.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:40:04 EDT news694085480 Concrete may be one of the world's most familiar materials, yet much is still unknown about its inner microbial world. Researchers from Hiroshima University and Kyoto University found that once concrete hardens, microbes introduced through raw materials are sealed inside, forming interior communities largely isolated from those on the surface—and whose DNA signatures can survive the 70°C heat of drilling for routine core sampling. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-concrete-distinct-microbial-zones-health.html Engineering Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:00:04 EDT news694077901 Researchers at UNIST have unveiled a novel interface engineering technique that significantly improves both the performance and durability of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells (POTSCs). Published in Energy & Environmental Science, their study demonstrates how precise control of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) at the molecular level can lead to more stable, high-efficiency solar devices and open new pathways for solar-driven hydrogen production. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-molecular-interface-tuning-tandem-solar.html Engineering Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:02 EDT news693831061 Two stacked layers comprise tandem solar cells (TSCs), with each subcell absorbing different wavelengths of sunlight, which makes TSCs more efficient than single-layer solar cells. All-perovskite TSCs hold great promise for next-generation photovoltaics, with a theoretical efficiency exceeding 40%. However, their practical performance is hampered by mismatched crystallization kinetics between their wide-bandgap (WBG) and narrow-bandgap (NBG) subcells, leading to phase segregation and defect accumulation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-strategy-efficiency-perovskite-tandem-solar.html Engineering Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EDT news693757081 A KAIST research team has solved the "solar cell dilemma," in which increasing efficiency shortens lifespan, while extending lifespan lowers efficiency. The team developed a technology to precisely control the internal structure of a surface passivation layer in perovskite solar cells, successfully achieving both high efficiency exceeding 25% and long-term stability at the same time. The study is published in the journal Joule. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-perovskite-solar-cells-efficiency-lifespan.html Engineering Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:01 EDT news693822601