Engineering

Rise of the rice robots—creating active smart materials
Rice becomes weaker when compressed quickly, while staying stronger under slow pressure—a discovery enabling scientists... Read more
Engineers demonstrate lightweight 'exoskeleton' that helps stroke survivors walk
A leading cause of disability in the United States is hemiparesis, a condition where impaired... Read more
Researchers develop a system that detects subtle defects missed by existing industrial visual inspection
Industrial quality inspection plays a critical role in manufacturing, from ensuring the reliability of electronics... Read more
A new way to study how cannabis use impacts safe driving
As marijuana legalization expands across the U.S., it is outpacing research on the impact of... Read more
A heatshield for 'never-wet' surfaces: Engineers repel even near-boiling water with low-cost, scalable coating
Superhydrophobic surfaces—those famously "never-wet" materials that make water bead up and roll away—have a stubborn... Read more
Mixing generative AI with physics to create personal items that work in the real world
Ever had an idea for something that looked cool, but wouldn't work well in practice?... Read more
Engineers discover new physics principle to break sound absorption barriers in ventilated spaces
In everyday life, designing spaces that both let air flow and absorb sound can be... Read more
Shipping damage, measured in real time: How wireless origami cushioning could improve logistics
Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, has received considerable attention in engineering. By... Read more
Tackling uplift resistance in tall infrastructure sustainably
Tall structures like radio towers experience high wind loads that generate uplift forces at their... Read more
Physics-aware AI algorithm uses Newton's third law to keep simulations stable
A team of EPFL researchers has developed an AI algorithm that can model complex dynamical... Read more
Humanoid robots that 'catch themselves' instead of falling: What a new walking algorithm changes
While the statement, "Humanoid robots are coming," might cause anxiety for some, for one Georgia... Read more
Why city street surveys miss methane leaks, and what that means for safety
The complexities of urban environments—like variable winds off tall buildings or surfaces—significantly impair the ability... Read more
Laser-etched glass can store data for for 10,000 years, Microsoft says
Thousands of years from now, what will remain of our digital era? The ever-growing vastness... Read more
Safer railroads through ultrasound: Beamforming algorithms can improve track safety inspections
Advances in ultrasound—the same imaging technology that uses sound waves to allow doctors to monitor... Read more
Repairable infrared lens can cut costs and bring thermal imaging to more devices
The days of dropping a thermal imaging camera and replacing an expensive lens are coming... Read more