Engineering News

August 20, 2016

Little Light Powered Soft Robotic Caterpillar

Nanorobots Target Cancerous Tumors

Engineering a Better Biofuel

Researchers Find Brain's 'Physics Engine'

Latest Headlines

updated 11:15am EDT

Spider Silk: Mother Nature's Bio-Superlens

Aug. 19, 2016 — Hot on the heels of a paper revealing that a team of researchers has used a nanobead-derived superlens to break the perceived resolution barrier, the same team has achieved ... read more

New Method to Identify Microscopic Failure in Polymers Before Total Failure Occurs.

Aug. 17, 2016 — Scientists have recently found a new way to identify microscopic damage in polymers and composite materials before total ... read more

DNA Naturally Fluoresces: Discovery Opens Door for Staining-Free, Super-Resolution Imaging

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientist shave recently caught DNA doing something that has never been seen before: it ... read more

Researchers Test-Bed New Bendable Concrete That Is Stronger and More Durable

Aug. 17, 2016 — A new concrete has been developed to reduce the time needed for road works by more than half, report scientists. This ... read more

Curbing the Life-Long Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury

Aug. 17, 2016 — A fall down the stairs, a car crash, a sports injury or an explosive blast can all cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients often recover. But in the days or weeks following the hit, they can ... read more

Hexagonal Boron Nitride Semiconductors Enable Cost-Effective Detection of Neutron Signals

Aug. 16, 2016 — Researchers have developed an alternative material -- hexagonal boron nitride semiconductors -- for neutron detection. This material fulfills many ... read more

Five Ways Bioengineers Want to Use 3-D Printing

Aug. 11, 2016 — Now that 3-D printing has made it easier to generate custom-made prosthetics, bioengineers are looking ahead at manufacturing actual cellular material. Such technology could ... read more

De-Icing Agent Remains Stable at More Than a Million Atmospheres of Pressure

Aug. 12, 2016 — Scientists have examined the high-pressure structural behavior of magnesium chloride, which could work to neutralize ... read more

Lack of American Engineers and Scientists

Aug. 11, 2016 — A new study identifies factors that could lead more young students to successful careers in the science, technology, engineering and math ... read more

Simulating Complex Catalysts Key to Making Cheap, Powerful Fuel Cells

Aug. 9, 2016 — Using a unique combination of advanced computational methods, chemical engineers have demystified some of the complex catalytic chemistry in fuel cells -- an advance that ... read more

Robot Beats Humans at Table Football

New Humanoid Robot Controls Its Own Movements

Augmented Reality on the Slopes

Virtual Reality on the Slopes

New Class of Artificial Proteins Created

Aug. 9, 2016 — Researchers report that they have developed a new class of artificial proteins. In the long term, the results could lead to better treatment of cancer and ... read more

Synthetic Biology: Engineering a Chemical Switch Into a Light-Driven Proton Pump

Aug. 9, 2016 — Synthetic biology is an emerging and rapidly evolving engineering discipline. Now scientists have engineered a chemically switchable version of the light-driven proton pump proteorhodopsin -- an ... read more

1400 Km of Optical Fiber Connect Optical Clocks in France and Germany

Aug. 9, 2016 — For years, researchers have been working on an optical fiber connection between the German and the French national metrology institutes, PTB and LNE-SYRTE. The 1400 km long link is now completed: it ... read more

How to Engineer a Stronger Immune System

Aug. 9, 2016 — With a trick of engineering, scientists have improved a potential weapon against inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Their work could one day benefit patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel ... read more

Transmitting Energy in Soft Materials

Aug. 8, 2016 — Soft materials are great at damping energy -- that's why rubber tires are so good at absorbing the shock of bumps and potholes. But if researchers are going to build autonomous soft systems, ... read more

Prototype Chip Could Help Make Quantum Computing Practical

Aug. 8, 2016 — An important step toward practical quantum computers has been made, with a new paper describing a prototype chip that can trap ions in an electric field and, with built-in optics, direct laser light ... read more

Shape-Changing Metamaterial Developed Using Kirigami Technique

Aug. 5, 2016 — Engineers have developed a new shape-changing metamaterial using Kirigami, which is the ancient Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to obtain 3-D ... read more

Newly Discovered 'Blue Whirl' Fire Tornado Burns Cleaner for Reduced Emissions

Aug. 5, 2016 — Researchers say their discovery of a type of fire tornado they call a 'blue whirl' could lead to beneficial new approaches for reduced carbon emissions and improved oil spill ... read more

Biofuel Production Technique Could Reduce Cost, Antibiotics Use

Aug. 4, 2016 — A new technique gives biofuel-producing microbes the upper hand against unwanted invaders. The development could reduce the cost and environmental impact of producing liquid biofuels and biochemicals ... read more

Computer Modeling for Designing Drug-Delivery Nanocarriers

Aug. 4, 2016 — Researchers have developed a computer model that will aid in the design of nanocarriers, microscopic structures used to guide drugs to their targets in the body. The model better accounts for how the ... read more

Quick-Destructing Battery to Power 'Transient' Devices

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many challenges, ... read more

‘Liquid Fingerprinting’ Technique Instantly Identifies Unknown Liquids

Aug. 4, 2016 — A new company will commercialize sensing technology that can perform instant, in-field characterization of the chemical make-up and material properties of unknown liquids. Validere aims to develop ... read more

Next Generation Anode to Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries

Aug. 3, 2016 — Researchers have created a new silicon-tin nanocomposite anode that could lead to lithium-ion batteries that can be charged and discharged more times before they reach the end of their useful lives. ... read more

Recycling Carbon Dioxide

Aug. 3, 2016 — Turning carbon dioxide into stored energy sounds like science fiction: researchers have long tried to find simple ways to convert this greenhouse gas into fuels and other useful chemicals. Now, ... read more

Perpetual 'Ice Water': Stable Solid-Liquid State Revealed in Nanoparticles

Aug. 3, 2016 — Researchers have discovered that gallium nanoparticles can form a solid core surrounded by a liquid outer layer over a temperature span of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery marks the first time ... read more

Paving the Way Toward Novel Strong, Conductive Materials

Aug. 3, 2016 — Bulk metallic glasses are metallic alloys whose neatly ordered atomic structure can be altered into an amorphous, non-crystalline structure -- giving metal the malleability of plastic, while ... read more

Microscope Imaging System Integrates Virtual Reality Technology

Aug. 3, 2016 — CaptiView is a microscope image injection system that overlays critical virtual reality imaging directly onto the brain when viewed through the eyepiece during ... read more

Aerospace Engineering Graduate First to Flight Test UAV With Mass-Actuated Controls

Aug. 3, 2016 — A recently graduated university student is the first person to successfully flight test an unmanned aerial vehicle that uses moving weights in its wings instead of traditional control surfaces or ... read more

New Metamaterials Can Change Properties With a Flick of a Light-Switch

Aug. 2, 2016 — Invisibility cloaks have less to do with magic than with metamaterials. These human-engineered materials have properties that don't occur in nature, allowing them to bend and manipulate light in ... read more

Crystallization Frustration Predicts Metallic Glass Formation

Aug. 2, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a way to predict which alloys will form metallic glasses, materials with numerous desirable properties. The research could pave the way for new strong, conductive ... read more

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Monday, August 8, 2016

Friday, August 5, 2016

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Wednesday, August 3, 2016