http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/engineering/ Engineering News and Research. Browse a wide-range of engineering projects and techniques from leading research institutes around the world. Full-text, images, updated daily. en-us Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:05:01 EDT Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/engineering/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172253.htm Researchers are developing a new robotic system to service more than 8,000 satellites now orbiting the Earth, beyond the flight range of ground-based repair operations. Currently, when the high-flying celestial objects malfunction -- or simply run out of fuel -- they become "space junk" cluttering the cosmos. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007132507.htm Scientists have made the first functional optical links embedded in a flexible substrate. The links include optical waveguides, light sources, and detectors. With this technique, it becomes possible to make foils that sense changes in pressure. Such sensing, skin-like foils could be used for monitoring irregular or moving surfaces, e.g. in robots, pliable machinery, or as an artificial skin. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007132507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008203111.htm If mere texting, talking, e-mailing and snapping pictures on mobile devices aren't enough to satisfy your data cravings, now there's the prospect of accessing and displaying 3-D virtual reality simulations and animations on them. New information architecture from researchers in Offenburg, Germany puts 3-D visualizations in the palm of your hand to make this possible. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008203111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151102.htm Scientists have successfully produced two-layer thin films where neither layer is superconducting on its own, but which exhibit a nanometer-thick region of superconductivity at their interface. The work is one step on the path toward making useful superconducting devices. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144333.htm A UC San Diego engineer has revealed a new mode of propulsion based on how water snails create ripples of slime to crawl upside down beneath the surface. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144333.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008203549.htm Scientists want to make micro-algae "less green." That is, they hope to modify the tiny organisms so as to minimize the number of chlorophyll molecules needed to harvest light without compromising the photosynthesis process in the cells. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008203549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001094342.htm The future is a foreign country, and nowhere is it more foreign that the designs thrown up by a surge in robotics research. The feverish imagination and creativity of European robot scientists has led to dozens of robot designs, some bizarre, some beautiful, but all are inspired. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001094342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095710.htm In the tiny realm of nanotechnology, scientists have used a wide variety of materials to build atomic scale structures. But just as in the construction business, nanotechnology researchers can often be limited by the amount of raw materials. Now, scientists have avoided these pitfalls by using cells as factories to make DNA based nanostructures inside a living cell. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130044.htm Engineers have just developed one of the world’s most advanced Smart Electricity Meters. The smart meter monitors energy consumption, giving information not just through a traditional power reading, but in a user-friendly way by displaying animated graphics of money on a large clear screen on the meter. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130044.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170627.htm With nanotechnology yielding a burgeoning menagerie of microscopic pumps, motors, and other machines for potential use in medicine and industry, here is one good question: How will humans turn those devices on and off? Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006130546.htm What does a mixture of two different kinds of cells have in common with a mixture of oil and water? The same basic force causes both mixtures to separate into two distinct regions. That is the conclusion of a new 3-D computer model of the cell sorting process. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006130546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172534.htm Researchers have applied modern engineering design tools to one of the basic units of life. They say that artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells but in fact improve on them, possibly driving future implantable medical devices. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002094842.htm Scientists have tested an 'invisibility cloak' that could reduce the risk of large water waves overtopping coastal defenses. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002094842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926120520.htm With baseball playoffs heating up and the World Series right around the corner, it's guaranteed that fans will see daring slides, both feet-first and head-first, and even slides on bang-bang plays at first. Who gets there faster, the head-first slider or the feet-first? The heads first player, says an engineering professor and big-time baseball fan. It's a matter of the player's center of gravity. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926120520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929144120.htm "Laptops are very hot now, so hot that they are not 'lap' tops anymore," says Avik Ghosh, an assistant professor of computer and electrical engineering at the University of Virginia. "If we continue at our current pace of miniaturization, these devices will be as hot as the sun in 10 to 20 years." Ghosh is seeking ways to reduce the heat of smaller and faster computers. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929144120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085549.htm Robots can take any shape or form and with the explosion in European research and development for every imaginable robot application, there are dozens of completely different designs. Why, then, do we remain fascinated by humanoid robots? Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930075700.htm Almost half of US adults have heard nothing about nanotechnology, and nearly nine in 10 Americans say they have heard just a little or nothing at all about the emerging field of synthetic biology, according to a new report. Both technologies involve manipulating matter at an incredibly small scale to achieve something new. The poll found that about two-thirds of adults say they have heard nothing at all about synthetic biology, and only 2 percent say they have heard "a lot" about the new technology. Even with this very low level of awareness, a solid two-thirds of adults are willing to express an initial opinion on the potential benefits versus risks tradeoff of synthetic biology. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930075700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085551.htm Observers like Bill Gates believe that by 2025 we could have robots in every home. In labs across Europe, researchers are creating designs that could become the robo-butler of the future. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924085551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922185547.htm A new kind of autonomous wheelchair under development can learn all about the locations in a given building, and then take its occupant to a given place in response to a verbal command. Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922185547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925094719.htm Scientists are one step closer to making x-ray vision a reality. They are perfecting radar systems that can detect human activities through barriers and convert the signals to virtual renderings similar to that of a video game. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925094719.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183815.htm Using new "lab on a chip" technology, chemists hope to create a hand-held device that may eventually allow physicians, crime scene investigators, pharmacists, even the general public to quickly and inexpensively conduct DNA tests from almost anywhere, without need for a complex and expensive central laboratory. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145407.htm Someday, your car might have the metallic finish of some insects or the deep black of a butterfly's wing, and the reflectors might be patterned on the nanostructure of a fly's eyes, according to researchers who have developed a method to rapidly and inexpensively copy biological surface structures. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170815.htm A new Bluetooth system designed primarily for blind people places a layer of information technology over the real world to tell pedestrians about points of interest along their path as they pass them. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919075009.htm Unique nanostructures which respond to stimuli, such as pH, heat and light will pave the way for safer, greener and more efficient chemical reactors. Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919075009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918171148.htm Research suggests synthetic carbon molecules called fullerenes, or buckyballs, have a high potential of being accumulated in animal tissue, but the molecules also appear to break down in sunlight, perhaps reducing their possible environmental dangers. Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918171148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916215213.htm In a finding that could speed the use of sensors or barcodes at the nanoscale, engineers have shown that certain types of tiny organic particles, when heated to the proper temperature, bob to the surface of a layer of a thin polymer film and then can reversibly recede below the surface when heated a second time. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916215213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916154924.htm A pressure pulse through a pipeline can locate plugs, saving oil companies lots of money. Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916154924.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910160800.htm Simple exercise machine makes it fun for wheelchair users to fight high obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910160800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185132.htm A team of researchers have made a discovery that is important for producing large quantities of cellulosic ethanol, a leading candidate for a sustainable and secure alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuel. For the first time, the group has genetically engineered a thermophilic bacterium, meaning it's able to grow at high temperatures, and this new microorganism makes ethanol as the only product of its fermentation. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185129.htm Scientists have discovered a fundamental shift in an enzyme's function that could help expand the toolbox for engineering biofuels and other plant-based oil products. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090610.htm Researchers have created the first gecko-like adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals. It's the latest milestone in the effort to create a synthetic version of the remarkable toe hairs that enable the acrobatic feats of the gecko lizard. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908201841.htm Researchers have developed technology enabling robots to obey Asimov’s golden rules of robotics: to do no harm to humans and to obey them. Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908201841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908105402.htm An aircraft is held together by hundreds of thousands of rivets. Fully automatic machines install rivet holes and rivets with precision in numerous materials. A new hybrid technology combines this mechanical joining technique with adhesive bonding. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908105402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134202.htm MIT researchers may have found a way to overcome a key barrier to the advent of super-fast quantum computers, which could be powerful tools for applications such as code breaking. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904102751.htm Electronic fingerprinting, iris scans, and signature recognition software are all becoming commonplace biometrics for user authentication and security. However, they all suffer from one major drawback -- they can be spoofed by a sufficiently sophisticated intruder. Researchers now describe a new approach based on a person's reflexes that could never be copied, forged, or spoofed. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904102751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080830165628.htm Applied scientists have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080830165628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. The accusation is reported in The Chemical Engineer magazine, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829120522.htm The secret of electron heating in low temperature plasmas has been discovered. Scientists found the answer to a question which has been puzzling scientists for decades -- why electrons in such plasmas are so hot. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829120522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104945.htm Engineers have used skin cells to create artificial bones that mimic the ability of natural bone to blend into other tissues such as tendons or ligaments. The artificial bones provide for better integration with the body and handle weight more successfully. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828120320.htm Hundreds of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars could potentially be saved if emergency managers could make better and more timely critical decisions when faced with an approaching hurricane. Now, an MIT graduate student has developed a computer model that could help do just that. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828120320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828220517.htm Researchers have come up with a control system that allows a robot to pick up on cues that the leader is about to turn, predict where it is going and follow it. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828220517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080822131253.htm Engineering researchers have concluded months of rigorous earthquake simulation tests on a half-scale three-story structure, and will now begin sifting through their results so they can be used in the future designs of buildings across the nation. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080822131253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815130425.htm Carbon nanotubes' atomic structure should, in theory, give them mechanical and electrical properties far superior to most common materials. Unfortunately, theory and experiments have failed to converge on the true mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Researchers recently made the first experimental measurements of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes that directly correspond to the theoretical predictions. They used a nanoscale material testing system based on MEMS technology. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815130425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163004.htm Engineers have created a tiny motorized positioning device that has twice the dexterity of similar devices being developed for applications that include biological sensors and more compact, powerful computer hard drives. The device, called a monolithic comb drive, might be used as a "nanoscale manipulator" that precisely moves or senses movement and forces. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160101.htm A new instrument enables researchers to make nanoclusters of 10 to 100 atoms with atomic precision. A new model of nanocatalysts of molybdenum sulfide is the first step in developing the next generation of materials to be used in hydrodesulfurization, a process that removes sulfur, a pollutant, from natural gas and petroleum products. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081159.htm Engineers using the University of Southampton's R J Mitchell wind tunnel have helped the British Cycling team win Gold in Beijing. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081159.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818101155.htm Tracking down cancer at a very early stage, studying cell growth, developing new medicines: future lab-on-a-chip systems will use nanoscale electrical fields to enable the detection and manipulation of cells and biomolecules. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818101155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815170631.htm Carnegie Mellon University researchers are urging companies to embrace new methods for following trail of dangerous carbon emissions. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815170631.htm