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. 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 A research team from IMDEA Materials, the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and the Alfonso X el Sabio University (UAX) has published a systematic map in Advanced Engineering Materials that combines the mechanical and acoustic properties of TPMS cellular structures. The study provides a design guide for creating lightweight 3D-printed materials capable of withstanding complex loads while effectively absorbing sound. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-3d-combine-capacity-absorption.html Engineering Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news704987455 Researchers from Skoltech—a VEB.RF group institution—and Khalifa University of Science and Technology, together with their Venezuelan colleagues in the oil industry, have built a verified numerical model that will refine predictions of how effective enhanced-oil-recovery methods can be at Venezuela's extra-heavy oil fields. Reliable forecasts will enable companies to make sound decisions when developing these fields. The study was published in the journal Fuel. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-oil-field-recovery-potential-venezuela.html Engineering Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:00:03 EDT news704987447 Every year, billions of products are sealed in film packaging. This packaging must be reliably leakproof, especially in regulated sectors such as in the medical and food industry. In the OCTInline project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have developed an innovative testing system. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to non-destructively detect defects in seals in real time during the packaging process, with a resolution in the micrometer range. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-small-defects-packaging.html Engineering Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:20:04 EDT news704973824 For many mechanical engineering seniors, the Senior Capstone Design experience is the first opportunity to solve a problem without a textbook answer. For six Texas A&M University students, that challenge came from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where they were tasked with improving sensor deployment in abandoned oil and gas wells. Months of testing, redesigning and collaboration led to a solution that earned first place in the mechanical engineering division of the Senior Design Showcase. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-students-reusable-tool-abandoned-oil.html Engineering Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:20:03 EDT news704958482 A strong foundation is key to any building, and this doesn't apply only to construction on Earth. As humanity slowly expands throughout the many worlds of our solar system, and possibly beyond, understanding planetary surfaces is key to constructing long-lasting habitats beyond Earth. Thus, it's only natural that this venture begins with our own moon, NASA's target for a permanent base at the lunar south pole. While the moon is covered by a thin layer of dust, also called regolith, engineers need to know the thickness of this regolith to identify the safest locations for future lunar habitats and buildings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-scientists-moon-regolith-aid-lunar.html Engineering Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:00:04 EDT news704622437 As the world's population grows and industry expands, many countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are facing a freshwater scarcity crisis. Finding sustainable ways to produce clean water has become an urgent priority, and solar desalination may be one of the most promising routes available. By using sunlight to evaporate and purify seawater, this technology could serve as an efficient source of freshwater in areas facing water shortages. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-advances-solar-desalination-multifunctional-membrane.html Engineering Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news704722141 Industrial wastewater from electronics manufacturing, metal processing and other sectors often contains two difficult pollutants at once: high levels of salt and toxic heavy metals. Current treatment methods typically address those problems separately, creating costly, complex systems that can produce hazardous brines or metal-laden sludge. Now, a group of researchers at Rice University and Vanderbilt University has created an electrochemical platform that could do both jobs at once. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ion-platform-simultaneously-salty-wastewater.html Engineering Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news704717402 Quadruped robots, which walk on four legs, are increasingly used for tasks such as inspection, transportation and search-and-rescue operations. However, their repeated leg movements consume far more energy than the rolling motion of wheeled robots, making it challenging to improve energy efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-porous-3d-feet-quadruped-robot.html Robotics Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:40:05 EDT news704716201 In a nondescript Idaho Falls warehouse, a nuclear nonproliferation researcher at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) picks up a small plastic bottle and pours tiny bits of rounded black glass across a worktable. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-vacuum-nuclear-fallout.html Engineering Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:03 EDT news704648401 Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized our lives since they first came onto the market in the early 1990s. They are now used in all sorts of devices, such as cellphones, laptops and electric vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-lighter-batteries.html Engineering Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:20:09 EDT news704646901 Breathing clean air is essential for human health, making air filters indispensable in homes, hospitals, workplaces and industrial settings. However, despite decades of advances in filter materials and design, a major challenge remains. Capturing airborne particles is only half the battle; keeping them securely trapped is equally important. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-spray-coating-particles-tightly-air.html Engineering Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:40:01 EDT news704550421 Wireless charging is nothing new for our phones, watches, earbuds and other tech. Now, researchers want to bring wireless power to the skies—recharging drones in flight by beaming a laser under their wings. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-drones-mid-flight-lasers.html Engineering Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:00:12 EDT news704447641 To keep drinks cold on a hot summer day, beverage cooler manufacturers rely on polyurethane foam, which is made from raw chemicals that are hazardous to handle before processing. To reduce health and environmental risks associated with this material, a University of Maine graduate student is designing an insulation component for coolers from an unexpected material: wood. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-wood-based-foam-student-safer.html Engineering Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:20:03 EDT news704527621 When mountain tunnels are constructed in weak ground or under high ground pressure, the surrounding ground may deform significantly inward into the tunnel, a phenomenon known as squeezing ground. Under such conditions, conventional tunnel supports may crack or fail as ground deformation progresses. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-reveal-ductile-tunnel-deform-simulated.html Engineering Tue, 28 Jul 2026 20:00:05 EDT news704440853