Engineering

Researchers 3D print sensors for satellites

MIT scientists have created the first completely digitally manufactured plasma sensors for orbiting spacecraft. These plasma sensors, also known as retarding potential analyzers (RPAs), are used by satellites to determine ...

Robotics

A technique to teach bimanual robots stir-fry cooking

As robots make their way into a variety of real-world environments, roboticists are trying to ensure that they can efficiently complete a growing number of tasks. For robots that are designed to assist humans in their homes, ...

Energy & Green Tech

Biden's biofuel: Cheaper at the pump, but high environmental cost

In an effort to ease Americans' pain at the gas pump, President Joe Biden has announced his administration will ease restrictions on the sale of E15—gasoline that includes 15 percent ethanol—and new investments in biofuels ...

Energy & Green Tech

Obtaining hydrogen from methanol: Optimized reformers

Methanol reformers convert easy-to-transport methanol into hydrogen. But conventional reformers still come with a number of drawbacks—catalyst attrition, to name but one example. An innovative methanol reformer for mobile ...

Energy & Green Tech

Solar-powered system offers a route to inexpensive desalination

An estimated two-thirds of humanity is affected by shortages of water, and many such areas in the developing world also face a lack of dependable electricity. Widespread research efforts have thus focused on ways to desalinate ...

Energy & Green Tech

Washington state blackouts hit same customers repeatedly

The rolling blackouts that cut electricity for tens of thousands of Spokane, Washington, residents amid this week's record-breaking heat wave mostly hit the same power customers repeatedly because of strains on equipment ...

Engineering

Solar-powered desalination unit shows great promise

Despite the vast amount of water on Earth, most of it is nonpotable seawater. Freshwater accounts for only about 2.5% of the total, so much of the world experiences serious water shortages.

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