Engineering
press releases.

Engineering7 Mar 2024

Instruct-ERIC Director Harald Schwalbe welcomes Germany as a member of European Research Infrastructure Consortium

FRANKFURT. Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research, emphasizes: "The rapid and successful development of active substances against the SARS-CoV-2 virus illustrated the importance of good and trusting international cooperation among scientists, especially in the field of integrated structural biology. Exchanging information at an international level is crucial, especially when it comes to using specialist infrastructures. There are many advantages to us joining Instruct-ERIC, which ...

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Engineering6 Mar 2024

Innovation in the skies: Breakthrough in UAV-driven engineering inspections

In a groundbreaking study published in Engineering, a collaborative team of researchers from Shanghai University and international experts have unveiled a cutting-edge approach to optimizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection routes and schedules for engineering projects. The research, led by Lu Zhen, Zhiyuan Yang, Gilbert Laporte, Wen Yi, and Tianyi Fan, introduces an innovative mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model combined with a variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm, constructing a new approach in the field of engineering management. The rapid development and adoption of UAV technology have opened new horizons for various industries, particularly ...

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Engineering1 Mar 2024

Warwick to benefit from £2.5 million funding into “phenomenal” metamaterials

A £2.5m grant will enable a new network driving research into metamaterials, headed up by a researcher from the University of Warwick. Metamaterials have phenomenal potential. They are artificial 3D structures comprised of at least two different materials. This combination and the structure give metamaterials properties beyond those of the materials used to make them. These properties may be electromagnetic, acoustic, magnetic, mechanical/structural, thermal, or chemical. Metamaterials could transform our economy in a digital age, helping to address society’s challenges by contributing to manufacturing in areas of sustainability, health care, ...

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Engineering1 Mar 2024

Innovative domain-adaptive method enables 3D face reconstruction from single depth images

Reconstructing a 3D face from visuals is crucial for digital face modeling and manipulation. Traditional methods predominantly depend on RGB images, which are susceptible to lighting variations and offer only 2D information. In contrast, depth images, resistant to lighting changes, directly capture 3D data, offering a potential solution for robust reconstructions. Recent studies have turned to deep learning for more robust reconstruction from depth data; however, the scarcity of real depth images with accurate 3D facial labels has hindered the training process. Attempts to use auto-synthesized data for training have met limitations ...

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Engineering29 Feb 2024

NYC ranks safest among big US cities for gun violence, new research from NYU Tandon School of Engineering reveals

New York City ranks in the top 15 percent safest of more than 800 U.S. cities, according to a pioneering new analysis from researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, suggesting the effectiveness of the city’s efforts to mitigate homicides there. In a paper published in Nature Cities, a research team explored the role that population size of cities plays on the incidences of gun homicides, gun ownership and licensed gun sellers. The researchers found that none of these quantities vary linearly with the population size. ...

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Engineering29 Feb 2024

Seeing the wood for the trees: how archaeologists use hazelnuts to reconstruct ancient woodlands

If we could stand in a landscape that our Mesolithic ancestors called home, what would we see around us? Scientists have devised a method of analyzing preserved hazelnut shells to tell us whether the microhabitats around archaeological sites were heavily forested or open and pasture-like. This could help us understand not only what a local environment looked like thousands of years ago, but how humans have impacted their habitats over time. “By analyzing the carbon in hazelnuts recovered from archaeological sites in southern Sweden, from Mesolithic hunter-gatherer ...

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Engineering29 Feb 2024

How to make difficult-to-cut materials and components “easy-to-cut”?

Difficult-to-cut materials such as titanium alloys, high-temperature alloys, metal/ceramic/polymer-matrix composites, hard and brittle materials, as well as geometrically complex components such as thin-walled structures, micro channels and complex surfaces, are widely used in aerospace community. Nevertheless, many problems including severe and rapid tool wear, low machining efficiency, and poor surface integrity exist in mechanical machining. How to efficiently and precisely process these materials and components, i.e., make difficult-to-cut ...

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Engineering29 Feb 2024

Defects engineering of layered double hydroxide-based electrocatalyst for water splitting

In the context of the gradual depletion of fossil fuels and the energy crisis, hydrogen energy has attracted widespread attention due to its ultra-high energy density and eco-friendly properties. However, most of the hydrogen production still relies on fossil fuels, with less than 1 million tonnes produced as low-emission hydrogen in 2021, which means it has limited benefits in mitigating the energy crisis and environmental degradation. Alternatively, hydrogen production via water electrolysis has the advantages ...

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Engineering28 Feb 2024

Five Sandia Labs scientists earn 2024 Black Engineer of the Year Awards

Dissecting doorbells, exploring music, mastering retail software, love of the arts and old-fashioned hard work were early paths that led five Sandia National Laboratories engineers to their callings and recently earned them national Black Engineer of the Year Awards. The awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in engineering, science and technology, include Science Spectrum Trailblazer, Modern Day Technology Leader, Most Promising Engineer in Industry and the Senior Investigator Award. Each Sandia award winner has made significant contributions in creative, innovative and science-based systems engineering solutions to help solve our nation’s most challenging national security ...

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Engineering28 Feb 2024

World’s first metamaterial developed to enable real-time shape and property control

Inspired by the remarkable adaptability observed in biological organisms like the octopus, a breakthrough has been achieved soft machines. A research team, led by Professor Jiyun Kim in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST has successfully developed an encodable multifunctional material that can dynamically tune its shape and mechanical properties in real-time. This groundbreaking metamaterial surpasses the limitations of existing materials, opening up new possibilities for applications in robotics and other fields requiring adaptability. Current soft machines lack the level of adaptability demonstrated by their ...

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Engineering23 Feb 2024

Down Under Demo: ONR touts additive manufacturing tech at Australian event

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Office of Naval Research (ONR) — and its international arm, ONR Global — participated in the recent Autonomous Warrior 2023 (AW23) exercise, located at HMAS Creswell in Jervis Bay, Australia. AW23 brought together Australian military allies, as well as industry and international partners, to demonstrate various technologies designed to help the Royal Australian Navy strengthen its capabilities in the area of undersea warfare — including uncrewed (also called unmanned) and autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and logistics, ...

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Engineering23 Feb 2024

New structural insights could lead to mechanical enhancement in alloys

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new class of metallic materials with potential applications in airplane turbines, nuclear reactors and equipment for space exploration can withstand extreme temperatures and resist fractures, but scientists haven’t understood why until now. According to a new study co-led by Penn State researchers, the answer could relate to the material’s short-range order, or the local arrangement of atoms within a material. This knowledge could lead to further improvement in the mechanical performance and damage tolerance of these materials, the researchers said, leading in turn to advancements in the safety and reliability of next-generation ...

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Engineering20 Feb 2024

SwRI to host second Automotive Corrosion Symposium

SAN ANTONIO — February 20, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute will host its second Automotive Corrosion Symposium in Detroit April 11-12. The event, first held in 2022, is designed to foster communication among corrosion experts from within automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as material, paint and other automotive suppliers over a wide spectrum of industry-identified corrosion issues. “Corrosion is a concern within the automotive industry, not just for cosmetic reasons, but because it can affect functionality and safety,” said SwRI Staff Engineer James Dante, one of the organizers ...

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Engineering20 Feb 2024

Zero-index metamaterials and the future

In the realm of materials science, electromagnetic (EM) metamaterials have emerged as a revolutionary class of engineered composites capable of manipulating electromagnetic waves in ways never before possible. Unlike their naturally occurring counterparts, EM metamaterials derive their extraordinary properties from their unique structural arrangements, allowing them to exhibit unattainable electromagnetic characteristics in conventional materials. One of the most fascinating characteristics of EM metamaterials lies in the realm of zero-index metamaterials (ZIMs). ZIMs possess the ...

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Engineering16 Feb 2024

First human trial shows ‘wonder’ material can be developed safely

A revolutionary nanomaterial with huge potential to tackle multiple global challenges could be developed further without acute risk to human health, research suggests. Carefully controlled inhalation of a specific type of graphene – the world’s thinnest, super strong and super flexible material – has no short-term adverse effects on lung or cardiovascular function, the study shows. The first controlled exposure clinical trial in people was carried out using thin, ultra-pure ...

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Engineering13 Feb 2024

Exploring the effect of ring closing on fluorescence of supramolecular polymers

In supramolecular chemistry, the self-assembly state of molecules plays a significant role in determining their tangible properties. Controlling the self-assembled state has garnered significant attention as it can be exploited to design materials with desired properties like charge transport capability and fluorescence wavelength. For years, scientists have been trying to decipher how molecular organization impacts the properties of supramolecular assemblies that are in the nano (

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Engineering12 Feb 2024

SETI institute employs SETI ellipsoid technique for searching for signals from distant civilizations

February 12, 2024, Mountain View, CA -- In a paper published in the Astronomical Journal, a team of researchers from the SETI Institute, Berkeley SETI Research Center and the University of Washington reported an exciting development for the field of astrophysics and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), using observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to monitor the SETI Ellipsoid, a method for identifying potential signals from advanced civilizations in the ...

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Engineering12 Feb 2024

Innovation to overcome deficiencies in 3D printing

The University of Houston is collaborating with Texas A&M University to tackle the challenge hindering the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, for a variety of commercial applications – the need for real-time monitoring and analysis to ensure consistent quality and reproducibility throughout the production process. At present, quality control and qualification of metal AM parts is mostly carried out through offline inspection and characterization, but ideally, a broad range of sub-surface and bulk microstructural ...

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Engineering9 Feb 2024

New adhesive tape picks up and sticks down 2D materials as easily as child’s play

Fukuoka, Japan – Materials just atoms in thickness, known as two-dimensional (2D) materials, are set to revolutionize future technology, including in the electronics industry. However, commercialization of devices that contain 2D materials has faced challenges due to the difficulty in transferring these extremely thin materials from where they are made onto the device. Now, a research team from Kyushu University, in collaboration with Japanese company Nitto Denko, have developed a tape that can be used to stick 2D materials to many different surfaces, in an ...

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Engineering8 Feb 2024

New process allows full recovery of starting materials from tough polymer composites

In a win for chemistry, inventors at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed a closed-loop path for synthesizing an exceptionally tough carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, or CFRP, and later recovering all of its starting materials. A lightweight, strong and tough composite material, CFRP is useful for reducing weight and increasing fuel efficiency of automobiles, airplanes and spacecraft. However, conventional CFRPs are difficult to recycle. Most have been single-use materials, so their carbon footprint is significant. By contrast, ORNL’s closed-loop ...

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Engineering8 Feb 2024

A new “metal swap” method for creating lateral heterostructures of 2D materials

Electronically conducting two-dimensional (2D) materials are currently hot topics of research in both physics and chemistry owing to their unique properties that have the potential to open up new avenues in science and technology. Moreover, the combination of different 2D materials, called heterostructures, expands the diversity of their electrical, photochemical, and magnetic properties. This can lead to innovative electronic devices not achievable with a single material alone. Heterostructures can be fabricated in two ways: vertically, with materials ...

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Engineering7 Feb 2024

University of Houston researcher part of $5 million DOD grant to support defense manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a $5 million grant to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)-led America’s Additive Foundry Consortium, which includes the University of Houston as a key partner. This is one of six grants – totaling about $30 million – to help enhance national security through community investments. The funding will enable the consortium to undertake a $7.5 million project designed to ensure that the U.S. military has a stable supply of domestically produced, high-quality tactical alloys critical for national defense. The ...

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Engineering7 Feb 2024

Many hookah manufacturers have not complied with FDA-mandated nicotine warning labels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2024 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Many Hookah Manufacturers Have Not Complied with FDA-Mandated Nicotine Warning Labels Only half of the hookah packages assessed in a new study included the required nicotine warnings, two years after this federal regulation was implemented to alert consumers about the health risks of nicotine addiction. Since August 2018, the US Food & Drug Administration has mandated that all hookah (also known as waterpipe tobacco or shisha) manufacturers include a nicotine warning ...

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Engineering7 Feb 2024

Researchers develop and test the first unmanned forestry machine

A study published in the Journal of Field Robotics assessed the world’s first unmanned machine designed for autonomous forestry operations. Investigators demonstrated that using computer vision, autonomous navigation, and manipulator control algorithms, their newly developed machine can safely, accurately, and efficiently pick up logs from the ground and maneuver through various forest terrains without the need for human intervention. The research represents a significant milestone in the field of autonomous outdoor robotics, which could reduce the need for human labor, thereby increasing productivity and reducing labor costs, while ...

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Engineering7 Feb 2024

ORNL’s Sholl elected to National Academy of Engineering

David Sholl, director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions in addressing large-scale chemical separation challenges, including carbon dioxide capture, using quantitative materials modeling. Being elected to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinction accorded to an engineer. New members are selected by their peers, with this new class bringing total U.S. membership to 2,310. The newly elected class will be formally inducted during ...

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