Engineering News

September 9, 2016

Advancing 'Materials That Compute'

Printed Graphene For Paper Electronics

Vulnerabilities in Cars Linked to Smartphones

First Ciliary Stroke Motion Microrobots

Latest Headlines

updated 1:15am EDT

Saskatchewan Uranium Mining Emits Few Greenhouse Gases, Study Shows

Sep. 8, 2016 — The mining and milling of Canadian uranium contributes very few greenhouse gases to nuclear power’s already low emissions, a research group ... read more

Team of Robots Learns to Work Together, Without Colliding

Sep. 7, 2016 — When you have too many robots together, they get so focused on not colliding with each other that they eventually just stop moving. Georgia Tech's new algorithms are different: they allow any number ... read more

Tapping the Unused Potential of Photosynthesis

Sep. 7, 2016 — Scientists have reengineered the fundamental process of photosynthesis to power useful chemical reactions that could be used to produce biofuels, pharmaceuticals and ... read more

New Breed of Optical Soliton Wave Discovered

Sep. 6, 2016 — Sharks and minnows: Scientists discover an optical soliton wave that rides with and feeds off of other soliton waves, much like a pilot fish with ... read more

Engineers Use Microwaves to Produce High-Quality Graphene

Sep. 1, 2016 — Engineers have found a simple method for producing high-quality graphene that can be used in next-generation electronic and energy devices: bake the compound in a ... read more

Swarm Robots Can Learn by Simply Observing

Aug. 30, 2016 — It is now possible for machines to learn how natural or artificial systems work by simply observing them, without being told what to look for, according to ... read more

Graphene Key to Growing Two-Dimensional Semiconductor With Extraordinary Properties

Aug. 29, 2016 — The first-ever growth of two-dimensional gallium nitride using graphene encapsulation could lead to applications in deep ... read more

Structural, Regulatory and Human Error Were Factors in Washington Highway Bridge Collapse

Aug. 26, 2016 — When an important bridge collapsed on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Washington, in 2013, questions were raised about how such a catastrophic ... read more

Better Batteries: Next-Generation Smart Separator Membranes

Aug. 26, 2016 — A new class of battery seperator has been engineered by a team of researchers, which is expected to bring unprecedented benefits to ... read more

Designing Ultrasound Tools With Lego-Like Proteins

Aug. 25, 2016 — Ultrasound imaging is used around the world to help visualize developing babies and diagnose diseases. Sound waves bounce off the tissues, revealing their different densities ... read more

Avatar Robot Staves Off Sick Children's Isolation

NATO Pilots Train to Escape from Underwater Cage

Robot Beats Humans at Table Football

New Humanoid Robot Controls Its Own Movements

Underground Radar Used to Locate Post-Katrina Damage

Aug. 25, 2016 — An innovative underground radar technology is helping the City of Slidell in south Louisiana to identify and document underground infrastructure damage that had gone undetected in the months and ... read more

Promising Route to the Scalable Production of Highly Crystalline Graphene Films

Aug. 25, 2016 — Researchers discovered a procedure to restore defective graphene oxide structures that cause the material to display low carrier mobility. By applying a high-temperature reduction treatment in an ... read more

The First Autonomous, Entirely Soft Robot

Aug. 24, 2016 — A team of researchers with expertise in 3-D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics has demonstrated the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. This small, 3-D-printed robot ... read more

Tech Issues Cause Most Drone Accidents, Study Finds

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have found that communications links and other technical problems were the cause of most reported drone accidents. This has led to a call for increased airworthiness regulations for drone ... read more

New Approach to Determining How Atoms Are Arranged in Materials

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel approach to characterizing how atoms are arranged in materials, using Bayesian statistical methods to glean new insights into the structure of materials. The work ... read more

Stretchy Supercapacitors Power Wearable Electronics

Aug. 23, 2016 — A future of soft robots or smart T-shirts may depend on the development of stretchy power sources. But traditional batteries are thick and rigid -- not ideal properties for materials that would be ... read more

New Flexible Material Can Make Any Window 'Smart'

Aug. 22, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new low-temperature process for coating a new smart material on plastic. At the heart of the team's study is their rare insight into the atomic-scale structure of the ... read more

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 another world first by ... read more

Natural Scale Caterpillar Soft Robot Is Powered and Controlled With Light

Aug. 18, 2016 — Researchers, using the liquid crystal elastomer technology have demonstrated a bioinspired micro-robot capable of mimicking caterpillar gaits in natural scale. The 15-millimeter long soft robot ... 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 failure ... 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

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 innovation allows the creation of slim precast pavement slabs for quick ... 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 key requirements for helium gas detector ... 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

Legions of Nanorobots Target Cancerous Tumors With Precision

Aug. 15, 2016 — Researchers have just achieved a spectacular breakthrough in cancer research. They have developed new nanorobotic agents capable of navigating through the bloodstream to administer a drug with ... 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 biological weapons, outlines a new ... 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

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 be the basis for ... read more

Engineering a Better Biofuel

Aug. 10, 2016 — The often-maligned E. coli bacteria has powerhouse potential: in the lab, it has the ability to crank out fuels, pharmaceuticals and other useful products at a rapid rate. A research team has ... 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 brings cost-effective fuel ... read more

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Wednesday, August 24, 2016