Category Archives: Engineering

This unique burrowing robot was inspired by the Pacific mole crab

A look inside the mole crab-inspired robot EMBUR. Images show the cuticle design that keeps out sand grains and a retractable fabric leg design that enables vertical burrowing. Credit: Laura Treers The unassuming Pacific mole crab, Emerita analoga, is about to make some waves. UC Berkeley researchers have debuted a unique robot inspired by this…

Pursuing greater resilience through nature-inspired power grids

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers are looking to nature to build better power grids that are more resistant to various potential disturbances like natural disasters or cyberattacks. Using biological ecosystems as inspiration, research published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Power Systems presented models of improved power systems that displayed greater survivability when faced with…

Advanced plastics recycling yields climate benefits

Credit: City College of New York The City College of New York Grove School of Engineering today released a new report which examined advanced recycling. The report concluded that advanced recycling helps avoid climate impacts, reduces demand for energy resources, and offers key tools for expanding the circular economy. The report was authored by Dr….

Does traffic noise from flying cars cause stress?

Participants watched videos that simulated cars flying in Nagoya city with different noise levels. Credit: Dr Susumu Hara Researchers from Nagoya University and Keio University in Japan have estimated a person’s stress levels caused by the sound of a flying car passing overhead. The research was published in the Technical Journal of Advanced Mobility. The…

Seeing electron movement at fastest speed ever could help unlock next-level quantum computing

Mackillo Kira, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Markus Borsch, PhD student in electrical and computer engineering, work together in Kira’s office going over some of the fundamental light emission properties for semiconductors in the Engineering Research Building on the North Campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, August…

Digital transformation in construction industry requires more support, study shows

Digital transformation in construction industry requires more support, study shows. Credit: XJTLU In recent years, the engineering and construction industries have been exploring the use of digital technologies to boost productivity and improve safety, quality, and sustainability. However, digital transformation in this industry has been slow compared to other sectors due to certain obstacles. In…

Deep learning makes X-ray CT inspection of 3D-printed parts faster, more accurate

Paul Brackman loads 3-D printed metal samples into a tower for examination using an X-ray CT scan in DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL. Credit: Brittany Cramer/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy A new deep-learning framework developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is speeding up the process of inspecting additively manufactured metal…

Watching lithium in real time could improve performance of EV battery materials

Graphical abstract. Credit: Joule (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2022.09.008 Researchers have found that the irregular movement of lithium ions in next-generation battery materials could be reducing their capacity and hindering their performance. The team, led by the University of Cambridge, tracked the movement of lithium ions inside a promising new battery material in real time. It had…

New walking robot design could revolutionize how we build things in space

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers have designed a state-of-the-art walking robot that could revolutionize large construction projects in space. They tested the feasibility of the robot for the in-space assembly of a 25m Large Aperture Space Telescope. They present their findings in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. A scaled-down prototype of the robot also showed…

Researchers want to make salt printing marketable

Lightweight metal components made of various materials created using 3D-printed salt frameworks (white cubes). Credit: Kilian Kessler Materials scientists Nicole Kleger and Simona Fehlmann have developed a 3D printing process for creating salt templates that they can fill with other materials. One area of application is the creation of highly porous lightweight metal components. The…