Engineering articles

Bridges will rock -- safely -- with new quake design
Bridges that "dance" during earthquakes could be the safest and least expensive to build, retrofit and repair, according to earthquake engineers at the University at Buffalo and MCEER.

Scholars develop protocol for 'lbs,' new wireless internet technology
To some, the ability to track the movements of family members using cell phones equates to a violation of privacy. Others – particularly parents, who already are tapping the new technology to keep tabs on their kids – view it as a convenient way to ensure their children's safety in an increasingly ominous world.

Walk like an egyptian -- or a roman -- experience what the past really looked like
Our understanding of what life was like in bygone eras could be boosted, thanks to a new initiative aiming to depict more accurately and realistically how heritage sites may have looked in their heyday.

Carnegie mellon professor creates reverse alarm clock that keeps young children sleeping
John Zimmerman, an associate professor in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design and Human-Computer Interaction Institute, has developed an unconventional alarm clock every new parent needs — a clock to keep their children sleeping. Called the Reverse Alarm Clock, the product aims to keep young children from interrupting their parents' sleep.

Scientists step closer to realising invisible technology
A unique computer model designed by a mathematician at the University of Liverpool has shown that it is possible to make objects, such as aeroplanes and submarines, appear invisible at close range.

ORNL laser-based device offers alternative to video surveillance
Surveillance systems take on a new look with a technology developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Handheld device 'sees' damage in concrete bridges, piers
Engineers at MIT have developed a new technique for detecting damage in concrete bridges and piers that could increase the safety of aging infrastructure by allowing easier, more frequent, onsite inspections that don't interfere with traffic or service.

'Super-fridge' to help improve lives in developing countries
An all-in-one cooker, energy generator and fridge could soon be improving quality of life in developing countries, thanks to an international project launched recently.

Taking it to the streets: UCLA scientists seek to turn cars into a mobile communications network
It's no secret Americans love their cars, and modern computer systems have enhanced vehicle performance and safety. For computer science professor Mario Gerla and researcher Giovanni Pau at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the next step is to take that digital processing power and push it outward even further — by using cars as computer nodes in a mobile network on wheels.

Androids have higher calling than mechanical cousins
Consider the ordinary, garden-variety service robot -- a pretty decent pinch-hitter to do the dirty, drab and dangerous jobs most of us try to avoid. Think "Tin Man" but without heart and ability to communicate and reason.

'Not so fast, supercomputers,' say software programmers
The fastest of the fastest computers - supercomputers used at national research centers, research universities and major corporations - will soon gain even more performance by taking advantage of multicore computing. Despite the promise of almost unimagined computing power, however, even computing experts wonder whether this time the hardware developers have raced too far ahead of many programmers' ability to create software.

Making water from thin air
An architect pursuing a Ph.D. at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and his colleague have devised a low-tech way to collect dew from the air and turn it into fresh water. Their invention recently won an international competition seeking to make clean, safe water available to millions around the world.

Blame the sun for dropped cellphone calls
Those annoying "dropped" cellphone calls that have been largely attributed to atmospheric disturbances, high humidity and heavy vegetation may actually have a more celestial origin: A Queen's-led team suggests instead that a large percentage are caused by solar activity.

The original nano workout: helping carbon nanotubes get into shape
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method of compacting carbon nanotubes into dense bundles. These tightly packed bundles are efficient conductors and could one day replace copper as the primary interconnects used on computer chips and even hasten the transition to next-generation 3-D stacked chips.

Geoengineering: a quick fix with big risks
Radical steps to engineer Earth's climate by blocking sunlight could drastically cool the planet, but could just as easily worsen the situation if these projects fail or are suddenly halted, according to a new computer modeling study.

Aluminum foil lamps outshine incandescent lights
Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing panels of microcavity plasma lamps that may soon brighten people's lives. The thin, lightweight panels could be used for residential and commercial lighting, and for certain types of biomedical applications.

Marine sediment microbial fuel cells get a nutritional boost
Discarded crab and lobster shells may be the key to prolonging the life of microbial fuel cells that power sensors beneath the sea, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

Goodbye wires…
Imagine a future in which wireless power transfer is feasible: cell phones, household robots, mp3 players, laptop computers and other portable electronics capable of charging themselves without ever being plugged in, freeing us from that final, ubiquitous power wire. Some of these devices might not even need their bulky batteries to operate.

Crash risk higher for black cars
Black coloured cars are more likely to be involved in a crash, according to definitive new research linking road safety and vehicle colour.

Researchers examine carbon capture and storage to combat global warming
While solar power and hybrid cars have become popular symbols of green technology, Stanford researchers are exploring another path for cutting emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas that causes global warming.