Engineering news

Aircraft that can see for themselves (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

23 hours ago | 4.6 / 5 (9) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian researchers have made two important advances in the development of unmanned aircraft capable of seeing for themselves as they fly fast and low over dangerous terrain.

Road trains may be coming soon to Europe (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

Nov 13, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (11) | 17

(PhysOrg.com) -- Road trains linking vehicles together in a traveling convoy are planned for Europe. With only the lead vehicle being actively driven, the road trains would allow commuters to sleep, read a ...

This smart wheelchair has laser vision

Technology / Engineering

Nov 10, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Disability, John Spletzer believes, should no longer pose any obstacle to mobility. A blind person may not be able to see or a paraplegic to walk, but each can access the technology available ...

New research could help protect frontline troops

Technology / Engineering

Nov 04, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

A team of researchers at Queen's University Belfast's Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) is working to develop futuristic communications systems that could help protect frontline troops.

A delicate grip

Technology / Engineering

Nov 04, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Solar wafers for use in the production of photovoltaic systems are extremely sensitive. In a test and demonstration center research is being conducted on grippers to determine the best way ...

Lasers put a shine on metals

Technology / Engineering

Nov 03, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (8) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Polishing metal surfaces is a demanding but monotonous task, and it is difficult to find qualified young specialists. Polishing machines do not represent an adequate alternative because they ...

Perfectly proportioned: Working to improve dry compaction and sintering

Technology / Engineering

Nov 03, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The manufacture of parts by compaction and sintering involves filling a die with metal powder. Research scientists have simulated this process for the first time to achieve an evenly distributed ...

Flying MAV Navigates Without GPS (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

Nov 02, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (12) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- During the last several years, researchers have been building micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can autonomously fly through different environments by relying on GPS for navigation. Recently, ...

Driver-less car in high-speed rally assault

Technology / Engineering

Nov 02, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (16) | 3

Imagine driving at top speed on a steep, winding mountain pass in the Alps, or the Himalayas, or the Rocky Mountains.

Modified Bluetooth speeds up telemedicine

Technology / Engineering

Nov 02, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

A telemedicine system based on a modified version of the Bluetooth wireless protocol can transfer patient data, such as medical images from patient to the healthcare provider's mobile device for patient assessment almost ...

Micro Sparky: Engineering the tiniest Sun Devil

Technology / Engineering

Oct 30, 2009 | 2 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- An Arizona State University engineering student may have found the tiniest - yet most cleverly inventive - way to show school spirit.

Underground mission to Mars

Technology / Engineering

Oct 29, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 1

The Netherlands is home to around 120,000 kilometres of underground gas pipelines. Researcher Edwin Dertien of Dutch University of Twente is working on a robot which can inspect the gas pipelines independently. ...

New methods are changing old materials

Technology / Engineering

Oct 28, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (10) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- A company that makes steel for bearings used in heavy trucks had a big problem. The trucks travel through harsh, perilous environments such as Siberia, and an unexpected bearing failure on ...

Embedded systems -- the whole picture

Technology / Engineering

Oct 28, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Embedded computer systems must be fast and efficient. A European consortium has created a new modelling framework that lets designers strike the best balance between static, reconfigurable ...

Xerox Develops Silver Ink for Cheap Printable Electronics

Technology / Engineering

Oct 27, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (11) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Xerox has developed an ink which can be used to print circuits onto plastics, films, and textiles. Although circuits printed on flexible materials aren't new, Xerox's method may be cheap and ...

Research continues on secure, mobile, quantum communications

Technology / Engineering

Oct 27, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

Researcher Dr. David H. Hughes of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y. is leading a team investigating long-distance, mobile optical links imperative for secure quantum communications capabilities in theater.

Tiny Train Model May be World's Smallest (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

Oct 26, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (13) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- David Smith, who has been building model railroads since 1965, has always had a preference for the smaller scale train models. His most recent project is a five-car train that runs through ...

Fingerprint technology beats world's toughest tests... including 100s of builders' thumbs

Technology / Engineering

Oct 26, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (4) | 1

Technology developed by the University of Warwick that can identify partial, distorted, scratched, smudged, or otherwise warped fingerprints in just a few seconds has just scored top marks in the world's two ...