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. Decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector has slowed, leaving it both a major emissions source and increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts and energy price shocks, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-houses-greener.html Engineering Wed, 20 May 2026 10:20:01 EDT news698491081 On April 24, the Architectural Robotic Construction Lab ( ARC Lab) in The University of Texas at Arlington's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs demonstrated its new large-scale 3D printing technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-future-robotic.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 19:40:02 EDT news698413596 Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air, a process called direct air capture (or DAC), is one of several approaches being developed to help reduce the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Among the methods being scaled up, one of the more established involves exposing air to a strongly alkaline liquid, typically a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH), commonly known as lye. The liquid chemically binds the CO2, converting it into dissolved salts called carbonates and bicarbonates. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-custom-device-carbon-capture-reactions.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news698429101 Solar energy is a cornerstone of the energy transition. Tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon can achieve higher efficiencies than conventional silicon cells, but their industrial manufacturing remains a challenge. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Valencia have now jointly further developed a fast, solvent-free vacuum process that uniformly deposits perovskite layers at high throughput, even on textured silicon surfaces. The results are published in Nature Energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-scalable-perovskite-photovoltaics-fast-solvent.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 14:40:07 EDT news698419501 Naphtha, an essential feedstock for the petrochemical industry, has faced sharp price increases and supply instability in recent years, driving demand for sustainable alternatives. The KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology Research Institute, has secured bio-technology capable of mass-producing eco-friendly raw materials for plastics and textiles using waste resources, offering an alternative to petroleum-derived naphtha. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-microbes-biodiesel-plastic-ingredient-liter.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 11:40:03 EDT news698408824 A common fungus can break down hard-to-recycle construction waste and turn it into sustainable insulation that rivals traditional and petrochemical-based options, according to researchers at the University of Bath. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-fungi-unrecyclable-carbon-insulation.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 10:40:01 EDT news698405341 Long before sunlight sustained life on the surface, Earth's internal heat powered the deep-sea vents where scientists believe life began. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-geothermal-superhot-underground-power-australia.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 07:20:04 EDT news698393042 Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a multifunctional Kevlar-based composite material capable of combining structural performance with integrated strain sensing, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and de-icing functionalities. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-multifunctional-kevlar-fabric-emi-de.html Engineering Mon, 18 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news698329981 For the first time, researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have produced a magnesium foam made entirely from natural marine raw materials. No toxic additives are required for its production. Ground oyster shell powder from the food industry serves as the blowing agent. The foam has a wide range of applications in automotive manufacturing and is fully recyclable. The researchers published their results in Discover Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ground-oyster-shells-ultra-magnesium.html Engineering Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT news698327821 Metal additive manufacturing (AM), widely regarded as a revolution in modern manufacturing for its ability to produce lightweight and geometrically complex components, has long faced a critical barrier to widespread adoption: microscopic internal defects that are invisible to the naked eye yet significantly compromise structural integrity. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-invisible-ai-framework-accounts-hidden.html Engineering Fri, 15 May 2026 12:00:06 EDT news698064721 Researchers at Skoltech conducted a comparative study of two techniques for evaluating mesoscale residual stresses in the aerospace alloy VT6 (Ti-6Al-4V) used to manufacture fan and compressor blades in aircraft engines. The study, published in the journal Measurement, demonstrates how combining gallium (Ga⁺) and xenon (Xe⁺) ion beams within the FIB-DIC (Focused Ion Beam—Digital Image Correlation) method enables reliable measurement of residual stresses in the critical mesoscale range from 0.05 to 0.5 mm. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-multiscale-residual-stress-reliability-aircraft.html Engineering Fri, 15 May 2026 11:20:10 EDT news698062501 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method that uses additive manufacturing (AM)—3D printing—to fabricate custom canisters for powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP), streamlining production of large-scale metal components used in aerospace, energy and medical applications. Their work is published in the journal Powder Technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-3d-enables-powder-metallurgical-hot.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 17:12:16 EDT news697997521 According to many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, clarity—not volume—is one of the most challenging parts of understanding speech in enclosed spaces. In many types of rooms, sound reflecting off multiple walls muddies conversation, making it harder to understand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-wall-centers-deaf-hard-individuals.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 14 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news697966321 Researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Mechanical Engineering have shown that agricultural waste from prickly pear cactus plants could be used as a low-cost, low-carbon reinforcement for construction materials, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional composites. The research is published in the Journal of Natural Fibers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pear-cacti-materials-tomorrow.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 15:04:18 EDT news697989843 As robots enter hospitals and care facilities, questions remain about whether they actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it. A new Cornell Tech-led study approaches that challenge by inviting health care workers, long-term care residents, and community members to help design the robots themselves. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robots-reveal-health-staff-patients.html Robotics Thu, 14 May 2026 11:36:00 EDT news697977317 Ideas to reduce carbon emissions often revolve around renewable power, electric vehicles and energy efficiency. But there's another, less colorful character that's often overlooked: cement. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-basalt-key-greener-cheaper-cement.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:12 EDT news697884602 Engineers at the University of California San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering and Qualcomm Institute have developed a more efficient, scalable way to handle satellite communication traffic, one that could significantly increase throughput by rethinking the ground station to work with satellites already in orbit. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-rooftop-antenna-panels-faster-smarter.html Engineering Wed, 13 May 2026 16:59:21 EDT news697910342 Lithium-ion batteries are essential to modern life, powering electric vehicles, portable electronics, and energy storage systems. While major advances have improved battery materials, important challenges remain in manufacturing, especially in preparing the electrode slurry, a mixture that directly affects electrical conductivity, stability, and overall battery performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-batteries-optimized-slurry.html Engineering Wed, 13 May 2026 16:34:29 EDT news697908841 Each year, 4 to 6 million cars are scrapped in the EU—resulting in the loss of resources. The EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation is intended to ensure that these materials are recovered and reused in new vehicles in the future. Researchers at the TUM have now analyzed a process developed within the Car2Car research project that enables plastics to remain within the recycling loop. The study, published in Waste Management, shows potential climate benefits as well as the possibility of meeting upcoming EU requirements. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-shredded-car-plastics-reenter-vehicles.html Engineering Wed, 13 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news697904079 From the heartbreak of an early flight failure to a resounding triumph over the Norwegian Sea, the Boundary Layer Transition and Turbulence (BOLT) Program spent nearly a decade launching rockets into the atmosphere, to investigate boundary layer transition and turbulence, key phenomena in hypersonic flight. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-code-hypersonic-flight-decade-turbulent.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 17:00:08 EDT news697820702 At Sandia National Laboratories, a new inspection workflow is taking shape that could help catch tiny defects earlier in the manufacturing process for ceramic components. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-scans-aim-ceramic-defects.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 16:40:04 EDT news697810103 An international team led by Penn State's Institute of Energy and the Environment Director Bruce Logan has developed a new reactor design that efficiently converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane—the primary component of natural gas—while scaling the system up by roughly an order of magnitude without sacrificing performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-reactor-renewable-methane-carbon-dioxide.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 16:20:06 EDT news697818721 CIRCE—the Technology Center has coordinated the design and construction of an electric furnace for ceramic frit melting that has successfully completed its first operational tests. This milestone is the result of the joint work of several eLITHE partners on top of CIRCE coordination: Plustherm Point AG for the development of the inductive heating system at the furnace outlet; Glass Service, a.s. for the design support of the electric smelter; Insertec Furnaces & Refractories for the design and supply of refractory materials; and CSIC—Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio (ICV) for the formulation and characterization of the frits suitable for electric melting. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-electric-furnace-ceramic-frit-1500c.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news697817941 Every year, the spring freeze-thaw cycle leads to significant structural damage to critical infrastructure. Visible cracks in roads, bridges and buildings are the first signs and, if left undetected, can present serious dangers to the public. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-infrastructure.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 15:20:06 EDT news697815241 A Korean research team has successfully developed a technology that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into liquid hydrocarbons such as gasoline and naphtha, achieving pilot-scale production of 50 kg per day. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-gasoline-kilograms-day.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 15:00:06 EDT news697814461 A research team led by Principal Researcher Kim Jaehyun from the Division of Energy and Environmental Research at DGIST has developed a solid electrolyte technology for lithium metal batteries that operates stably even at low temperatures while reducing fire risks. The research is expected to help improve both the safety and performance of batteries and contribute to the commercialization of high-energy-density batteries in the future. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-batteries-temperature.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 14:40:01 EDT news697814761 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, have developed a new strategy to transform low-value battery waste into a next-generation cathode material with higher energy density and strong long-term performance, offering a promising new pathway for more sustainable and economically viable battery recycling. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-life-batteries-yield-generation-cathode.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 13:20:03 EDT news697810502 A technology that surpasses the limitations of existing sensors, which fail to distinguish between water and asphalt on dark roads, has emerged to enhance the accuracy of autonomous driving and medical diagnostics. A research team has developed a next-generation polarization sensor that can read the direction of light and change its own response. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tunable-polarization-sensor-sharpen-cars.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:04 EDT news697808522 A Carnegie Mellon University research team has developed a pioneering technology that manipulates thermal radiation with the precision of pixels. The work, published in Science Advances, outlines a method for "digitizing heat," allowing for the intelligent, high-speed, and continuous control of thermal emission. This breakthrough holds significant promise for applications ranging from advanced thermal camouflage to chemical sensing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tiny-thermal-barcode-flips-invisible.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 10:20:05 EDT news697799247 Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed bioinspired composites that mimic bone and bamboo structures to improve strength and toughness simultaneously. Using artificial intelligence, simulations, and 3D printing, the team discovered how soft layers near cracks can prevent catastrophic failure. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-soft-layers-boost-strength-toughness.html Engineering Mon, 11 May 2026 18:20:04 EDT news697733357