Razors, scalpels, and knives are commonly made from stainless steel, honed to a razor-sharp edge and coated with even harder materials such as diamond-like carbon. However, knives require regular sharpening, while razors ...
Materials Science
Aug 6, 2020
8
384
There are 30,000 wind turbines in operation in Germany, many of which are starting to age. In 2019, 2000 rotor blades had to be discarded; in 2024, this figure will shoot up to 15,000. But where to put these up to 90-meter-long, ...
Materials Science
Mar 2, 2020
0
11
Microplastics are accumulating in Orkney's seagrass beds at much higher rates than in the areas surrounding them. Marine scientists from Heriot-Watt surveyed a 100m transect of a seagrass bed in Orkney and found microplastics ...
Environment
Feb 6, 2020
0
13
Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier and harder ...
Robotics
Jun 24, 2019
0
2
The unmanned aircraft known as drones, used by hobbyists, researchers and industry to take aerial images and perform other tasks, are growing ever more popular—and smaller. But that miniaturization, which has produced drones ...
Engineering
Jun 18, 2019
0
11
If you've ever felt frustrated while staring at a little spinning pinwheel while a computer finishes a task, try waiting for six weeks.
Engineering
May 21, 2019
0
8
Wind turbines are a critical component in the strategy for energy independence, but these massive structures are also killing bats. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the more than 52,000 wind turbines operating in ...
Plants & Animals
May 15, 2019
2
4
The erosion of materials used in wind turbine blades due to the effect of weather conditions is a problem that applies to the whole wind energy sector. VTT's antiAGE project found a functional solution to the material problem ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jan 22, 2019
0
18
Seaweeds create a chemical microenvironment at their surface, providing refuge for calcifying organisms that are at risk from decreasing oceanic pH, shows new research published in the journal Functional Ecology.
Ecology
Mar 21, 2018
0
29
Researchers have taken a key step toward helping wildlife coexist more safely with wind power generation by demonstrating the success of an impact detection system that uses vibration sensors mounted to turbine blades.
Ecology
Mar 19, 2018
0
12
