Engineering news

Printable batteries

Technology / Engineering

10 hours ago | 4.8 / 5 (5) | 2

For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through ...

Sound imaging: clever acoustics help blind people see the world (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

7 hours ago | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Video from portable cameras is analysed to calculate the distance of obstacles and predict the movements of people and cars. This information is then transformed and relayed to a blind person ...

All in sight: Scientists test infrared system for the protection of whales

Technology / Engineering

9 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

A new measurement system for the detection of whales is used for the first time on board of the research vessel Polarstern. Whales are usually difficult to spot. On the one hand, they spend the greater part ...

Tunnel vision: Border Patrol agents to spot tunnels with advanced ground-penetrating radar

Technology / Engineering

Jun 29, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 2

Criminals of all kinds are digging tunnels along the U.S. border at a fast and furious pace. Of every tunnel ever discovered by U.S. border patrol agents, 60 percent have been found in the last three years. ...

Engineers developing bullet proof vests from cement

Technology / Engineering

Jun 29, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (6) | 1

Engineers at the University of Leeds are working on a new type of body armour made from cement.

Engineers research effects of heat expansion on economically efficient bridge design (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

Jun 26, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Kansas State University researchers are studying the effects of integral bridge expansion resulting from heat to make these types of bridges a more viable alternative.

Explosives prevent technology theft

Technology / Engineering

Jun 25, 2009 | 3.6 / 5 (5) | 3

Product piracy causes billions worth of damage worldwide. A combination of visible and invisible copy protection is really effective against this. Explosive embossing is an economical procedure and can be ...

Fitting squares into circles

Technology / Engineering

Jun 25, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 3

Particle filters are standard in the basic fittings for cars. Construction machines, city buses and garbage trucks must now follow suit. This can be achieved effectively and inexpensively thanks to a new material ...

Getting the most out of gemstones

Technology / Engineering

Jun 25, 2009 | 3 / 5 (1) | 1

Emeralds, rubies and the like are referred to as colored gemstones by experts. They sparkle and shine with varying intensity, depending on the cut. A new machine can achieve the best possible cut and extract ...

Programming tools facilitate use of video game processors for defense needs

Technology / Engineering

Jun 24, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 3

Video gaming computers and video game consoles available today typically contain a graphics processing unit (GPU), which is very efficient at manipulating and displaying computer graphics. However, the unit's ...

Students create portable device to detect suicide bombers (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

Jun 24, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (9) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapons of suicide bombers, are a major cause of soldier casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. A group of University of Michigan engineering undergraduate students have ...

Artificial noise saves energy

Technology / Engineering

Jun 24, 2009 | 2.5 / 5 (2) | 0

Against the background of climate change, how can xDSL systems function more energy-efficiently and cost-effectively? Scientists are providing a solution combining existing methods which network providers ...

A Glimpse of the Future MEMS-based Storage: Totally Green & Thumbnail Size

Technology / Engineering

Jun 23, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (12) | 0

The University of Twente--Enschede, The Netherlands published newly conferred PhD Mohammed Ghiath Khatib's thesis, "MEMS-based Storage Devices: Integration in Energy-Constrained Mobile System". The new MEMS, ...

Microfabricated device measures cellular forces during tissue development (w/Video)

Technology / Engineering

Jun 22, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

A University of Pennsylvania-collaboration of bioengineers studying the physical forces generated by individual cells has created a tiny micron-sized device that allows researchers to measure and manipulate ...

Energy-saving method checks refrigerant level in air conditioners

Technology / Engineering

Jun 22, 2009 | 2.5 / 5 (2) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers have developed a technique that saves energy and servicing costs by indicating when air conditioners are low on refrigerant, preventing the units from working overtime.

Intelligent DJ Emerges from Fundamental Research

Technology / Engineering

Jun 22, 2009 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- An Austrian project has made the leap from research bench to shop shelf and is breathing musical intelligence into a digital audio system. This achievement has been made possible by a computer ...

Physicists develop unique new calibration tool for radio frequencies

Technology / Engineering

Jun 22, 2009 | 3 / 5 (1) | 1

A scientist from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has helped Fluke Precision Measurement to prove the effectiveness of a unique new tool for calibrating radio frequency (RF) devices.

World's fastest and most sensitive astronomical camera

Technology / Engineering

Jun 18, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (12) | 0

The next generation of instruments for ground-based telescopes took a leap forward with the development of a new ultra-fast camera that can take 1,500 finely exposed images per second even when observing extremely ...