http://phys.org/technology-news/engineering/ en-us PhysOrg Team Phys.Org provides the latest news on engineering technology, engineering science, computer engineering , civil engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering and environmental engineering. Boeing's Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system (UAS) completed its first autonomous flight June 1 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. http://phys.org/news258055080.html Technology - Engineering 2012-06-04T18:58:11-07:00 It would make life a lot easier if the surfaces of window panes, corrosion coatings or microfluidic systems in medical labs could keep themselves free of water and other liquids. A new simulation program can now work out just how such surfaces have to look for a variety of applications. http://phys.org/news258025427.html Technology - Engineering 2012-06-04T10:43:56-07:00 Engineers are working on intelligent materials that can diminish vibrations and extract power from the environment. These electro-active elastomers could dampen annoying vibrations in a car, for example, or supply wireless power to sensors in otherwise inaccessible places. http://phys.org/news258024942.html Technology - Engineering 2012-06-04T10:35:52-07:00 Too often, communication barriers exist between those who can hear and those who cannot. Sign language has helped bridge such gaps, but many people are still not fluent in its motions and hand shapes. http://phys.org/news257774575.html Technology - Engineering 2012-06-01T13:03:03-07:00 A team of Case Western Reserve University engineers has designed and fabricated integrated amplifier circuits that operate under extreme temperatures – up to 600 degrees Celsius - a feat that was previously impossible. http://phys.org/news257764891.html Technology - Engineering 2012-06-01T10:22:10-07:00 What do you get when you combine a slingshot, a fish tank, a stack of 2-by-4s and five engineering students determined to help the United States Air Force? http://phys.org/news257702390.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-31T16:59:59-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a prototype system that uses advanced imaging technology and a robotic cutting arm to automatically debone chicken and other poultry products. http://phys.org/news257673199.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-31T08:53:45-07:00 Holographic antennas first studied around 40 years ago are again a hot topic given the potential of holographic images for a variety of applications. EU researchers developed novel prototype devices based on the associated technology with excellent commercialization potential. http://phys.org/news257584944.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-30T08:22:40-07:00 Using silk strands pulled from cocoons and gold wires thinner than a spider's web, researchers at Princeton University have created a removable tattoo that adheres to dental enamel and could eventually monitor a patient's health with unprecedented sensitivity. http://phys.org/news257579741.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-30T06:55:57-07:00 Doctors can now get a peek behind the eardrum to better diagnose and treat chronic ear infections, thanks to a new medical imaging device invented by University of Illinois researchers. The device could usher in a new suite of non-invasive, 3-D diagnostic imaging tools for primary-care physicians. http://phys.org/news257528690.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-29T16:46:18-07:00 Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) from EPFL enter the public market. Logitech chose this technology to power its new flagship product. http://phys.org/news257497263.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-29T08:01:17-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers are working on a multi-university, nationwide project for the U.S. Navy that one day will put life-like autonomous robot jellyfish in waters around the world. http://phys.org/news257496935.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-29T07:56:14-07:00 People with moderate visual impairment, particularly those who have difficulty perceiving the full extent of their surroundings, could use the ingenious device that these UC3M scientists have created. “This device is aimed at people who would bump into everything that they fail to see because of their loss of visual field, caused by glaucoma, retinal pathologies, etc.”, states the head of the project Professor Ricardo Vergaz, of UC3M’s Electronics Technology Department. http://phys.org/news257449230.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-28T18:40:41-07:00 A new motor has been installed in the Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel, replacing a 900RPM, 1,000-horsepower synchronous motor from Allis-Chalmers that was surplused by the U.S. Navy back in World War II. http://phys.org/news257413429.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-28T09:50:01-07:00 The larger the reaction vessel, the quicker products can be made – or so you might think. Microreactors show just how wrong that assumption is: in fact, they can be used to produce explosive materials – nitroglycerine, for instance – around ten times faster than in conventional vessels, and much more safely as well. At the ACHEMA trade fair, held June 18-22 in Frankfurt, researchers will demonstrate microreactors they use for a very broad range of chemical processes. http://phys.org/news257412797.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-28T08:33:29-07:00 Sensors that work flawlessly in laboratory settings may stumble when it comes to performing in real-world conditions, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. http://phys.org/news257079956.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-24T12:06:13-07:00 Getting a shot at the doctor’s office may become less painful in the not-too-distant future. http://phys.org/news257059673.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-24T06:28:16-07:00 University of Granada researchers have developed a 3D imaging system that scans 3D models of historical buildings using data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)–an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. This is the first 3D imaging system to combine the use of UAVs, image-based 3D modeling technologies, and virtual representation of models to produce a realistic modeling of 3D objects from images. http://phys.org/news256986025.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-23T10:00:31-07:00 (Phys.org) -- In 1505 Leonardo da Vinci began painting a mural – to commemorate the Battle of Anghiari – in the Palazzo Vecchio’s Great Hall, the seat of government in Renaissance Florence. http://phys.org/news256900983.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-22T10:23:29-07:00 Researchers have shown how to create morphing robotic mechanisms and shape-shifting sculptures from a single sheet of paper in a method reminiscent of origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. http://phys.org/news256842511.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-21T18:09:33-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Traffic lights on highway access ramps can help prevent traffic jams. Swiss engineers are testing this approach to increase the capacity of Swiss highways. http://phys.org/news256809330.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-21T08:55:37-07:00 It’s easy to see that University of Cincinnati design students Alex Broerman and Ashley Ma are on to something with their new design and prototype for a prescription-medicine pill bottle that better serves the needs of the blind and visually impaired by means of a simple and inexpensive innovation. http://phys.org/news256804453.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-21T07:34:31-07:00 University of Nevada, Reno computer science engineering team Kostas Bekris and Eelke Folmer presented their indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments at two national conferences in the past two weeks. The researchers explained how a combination of human-computer interaction and motion-planning research was used to build a low-cost accessible navigation system, called Navatar, which can run on a standard smartphone. http://phys.org/news256565780.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-18T13:21:01-07:00 A Georgia Tech research team has developed a novel technology that could change how industry designs and casts complex, costly metal parts. This new casting method makes possible faster prototype development times, as well as more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing procedures after a part moves to mass production. http://phys.org/news256559996.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-18T11:40:11-07:00 Tiny beads may act as minimally invasive glucose sensors for a variety of applications in cell culture systems and tissue engineering http://phys.org/news256559817.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-18T11:38:24-07:00 A team of researchers from the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) will conduct groundbreaking tests on May 23-25 aimed at better understanding the effects of earthquakes on building systems designed to suppress or prevent the spread of fires. The test are part of a major $5 million study, supported by a coalition of government agencies and industry partners, seeking to learn what needs to be done to ensure that high-value buildings, such as hospitals and data centers, can remain operational in the aftermath of earthquakes. http://phys.org/news256404247.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-16T16:24:25-07:00 Like other professionals, architects have used computer-aided design (CAD) software in their work for decades. Typically, the resulting digital files are converted to hard-copy plans, which are then used to support traditional construction practices. http://phys.org/news256385529.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-16T11:13:07-07:00 (Phys.org) -- Aeronautical engineers believe hypersonic planes flying at seven to 15 times the speed of sound will someday change the face of air and space travel. That is, if they can master such flight's known unknowns. http://phys.org/news256379570.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-16T09:33:10-07:00 Instead of building a better mousetrap, a team of Rice University freshmen took a mousetrap and built a better way to treat dehydration among children in the developing world. http://phys.org/news256316089.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-15T15:55:02-07:00 U.S. Navy divers take on dangerous tasks every day—and starting this week, they will be part of a multinational effort near Estonia to help clear the Baltic Sea of underwater mines left over from as long ago as the First and Second World Wars. http://phys.org/news256314104.html Technology - Engineering 2012-05-15T15:23:46-07:00