Engineering news

Road trains may be coming soon to Europe

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

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 13, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (18) | comments 22

(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 ...


MIT MAV

Flying MAV Navigates Without GPS (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (12) | comments 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, ...


New methods are changing old materials

New methods are changing old materials

Technology / Engineering

created Oct 28, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (10) | comments 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 ...


train

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

Technology / Engineering

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (13) | comments 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 ...


'Fingerprinting' RFID Tags: Researchers Develop Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a unique and robust method to prevent cloning of passive radio frequency identification tags. The technology, based on one or more unique ...


Aircraft that can see for themselves

Aircraft that can see for themselves (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 14, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (10) | comments 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.


This smart wheelchair has laser vision

This smart wheelchair has laser vision

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 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 ...


Ford to put air bags into back seat belts of SUV (w/ Video)

Ford to put air bags into back seat belts of SUV (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(AP) -- Air bags have long been mounted in the steering wheel, dashboard and sides of vehicles. Now, they're in the seat belts. Ford Motor Co. plans to introduce seat belt-mounted air bags in the back seat ...


basketball

Nothing But Net: The Physics of Free-Throw Shooting

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Pay attention, Shaq: Two North Carolina State University engineers have figured out the best way to shoot a free throw - a frequently underappreciated skill that gets more important as the ...


Lasers put a shine on metals

Lasers put a shine on metals

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (8) | comments 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 ...


Driver-less car in high-speed rally assault

Technology / Engineering

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

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


xerox ink

Xerox Develops Silver Ink for Cheap Printable Electronics

Technology / Engineering

created Oct 27, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (12) | comments 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 ...


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

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

Technology / Engineering

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 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 ...


Building the smart home wirelessly

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Like the paperless office, the smart home has been a long time coming, but a report published in the International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology, suggests that radio tags coupled with mobile communications device ...


On the Crest of Wave Energy

On the Crest of Wave Energy

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency, and the ...