Slideshow: Is Tesla's Model S the Best Ever?
News 5/16/2013 36 comments Tesla Motors’ Model S sedan “blew away” its $90,000 gasoline-burning competitors in a recent review and may be the best car Consumer Reports has ever seen.
Slippery Material System Can Start, Stop Liquids
News 4/17/2013 12 comments A new material system invented by researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is continuously "tunable" for transparency and wettability: it repels water or oil to a greater or lesser degree as it becomes more or less transparent.
Can EV Batteries Last 20 Years?
News 4/12/2013 42 comments Lithium-ion batteries for electric cars may last far longer than we’ve been led to believe, a battery expert told the American Chemical Society in a speech this week.
Lithium-Ion Batteries Overheated in Mitsubishi Vehicles
News 3/28/2013 43 comments In yet another setback for lithium-ion battery technology, Mitsubishi Motors has acknowledged that it recently had a fire and an overheating incident involving the high-energy batteries.
Boeing: New Enclosure 'Keeps Us From Ever Having a Fire'
News 3/15/2013 49 comments The Boeing Co. took the issue of 787 battery fires head-on last night, definitively declaring that with pending modifications to its lithium-ion battery packs, a “fire can’t begin, develop, or be sustained.”
Slideshow: 'Boeing Battery Needs Liquid Cooling'
News 3/8/2013 35 comments With the root cause of the Boeing 787 battery fire still unclear, one leading battery expert suggested this week that the need for an active cooling system on Dreamliners is even more important.
NASA Awards Bigelow Aerospace $17.8M to Add New Module to ISS
News 2/20/2013 11 comments NASA has awarded Bigelow Aerospace a contract to deliver its Bigelow Expandable Activity Module to the International Space Station for experimental use for two years upon its launch to the station in 2015.
Ford, GM Face Off on Truck Engines
News 2/14/2013 32 comments Two of the world's biggest automakers are squaring off for a multi-year truck engine battle, with one company trying to win by addition, while the other aims for victory by subtraction.
NTSB: Short Circuit Caused 787 Battery Fire
News 2/12/2013 44 comments The Boeing 787 battery fire in Boston last month was caused by a battery short circuit that led to a thermal runaway condition, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Dow Plans North American Plastic Waste Recovery Facilities
News 1/28/2013 18 comments Dow Chemical and Klean Industries are collaborating to build waste recovery facilities throughout North America for recovering energy, chemicals, and oil from nonrecycled waste plastics. The agreement especially targets used plastic packaging materials.
Were the Boeing 787 Batteries Cooled Properly?
News 1/25/2013 57 comments The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's high-profile battery fire may have been the result of an engineering double-whammy: an energetic battery chemistry combined with a possibly inadequate cooling system.
NHTSA Wants Hybrids, EVs to Be Noisier
News 1/16/2013 60 comments In an effort to make streets safer for pedestrians, the National Highway Traffic Administration has proposed a rule that could require engineers to add more sound to hybrids and electric vehicles.
Ford Builds Metal Prototypes With 3D Printing
News 1/8/2013 27 comments Ford Motor Co. is raising the stakes in rapid prototyping, making testable prototype metal parts ranging from brake rotors to transmission cases with three-dimensional printers.
Plastic Makes a Better Light Bulb
News 1/8/2013 34 comments Wake Forest University scientists have devised a shatterproof, white light, flicker-free lighting device based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology.
Video: Fish Slime Makes Tough, Silk-Like Fiber
News 12/27/2012 14 comments Researchers have discovered that the defensive slime exuded by hagfishes may be a source of high-performance protein fibers that could replace petrochemical-based polymers, such as nylon and plastic fibers, and fabrics woven from them.
Strong, Flexible Composite Combines Minerals, Thermoplastic
News 12/20/2012 23 comments A strong, flexible mineral/thermoplastic composite that replicates wood's fibrous structure is contending with wood, wood plastic composites, plastics, and metal in a range of potential structural applications.
3D Print Your Own Personal Electronics
News 12/14/2012 52 comments If it's possible to 3D print blood vessels, robots, and guns, then why shouldn't you be able to 3D print your own personal electronics?
KiOR's Non-Food Biofuel Scales Up
News 12/12/2012 10 comments Renewable fuels company KiOR has left the development stage and entered scaled-up production of its biofuel based on non-food biomass.
Update on Thought-Controlled Robots
News 11/27/2012 14 comments By focusing their attention on patterns shown on a PC screen, users can control which actions they want a robot to perform, where the robot moves, and how it interacts with its environment.
Underwater Robot Tracks Sand Tiger Sharks
News 11/1/2012 18 comments An underwater robot is stalking sand tiger sharks tagged with transmitters to help University of Delaware researchers understand shark migration patterns and behavior as it happens.
One-Piece Composite Wing Built for Perpetual-Flight Plane
News 10/29/2012 10 comments An unusual wing, made in a single piece from carbon fiber composite, has been built for an unmanned aircraft designed for high-altitude perpetual flight. The wing has no fasteners or adhesive joints.
New Standard Will Cut EV Charging Time
News 10/24/2012 48 comments A revised SAE standard will let plug-in hybrids charge their batteries in as little as 10 minutes and battery-electric cars charge in 20 minutes.
GM President: It's Time to Electrify & Educate
News 10/18/2012 59 comments This week, General Motors North American president Mark Reuss reinforced his company's commitment to electrified vehicles, but cited a need for better education to foster the breakthroughs needed for next-generation EVs.
Faster Industrial 3D Printer Boosts Build Volume
News 10/17/2012 11 comments Industrial 3D printing supplier ExOne's M-FLEX midsized metal printer is three times as fast and has a build volume more than seven times as large as the company's previous midsized machine.
Cellulose Could Replace Short Glass Fibers in Composites
News 10/15/2012 19 comments Wood and pulp giant Weyerhaeuser has figured out how to make a thermoplastic composite using engineered cellulose fiber from trees, instead of the short glass fibers usually used for reinforcement.
Ford, GM Team Up on Transmissions
News 10/10/2012 23 comments General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are preparing to jointly develop nine- and 10-speed vehicle transmissions to help them meet future fuel economy standards.
Fruit Juice Guards Against Aluminum Corrosion
News 10/10/2012 19 comments Extracts of juice from the common date palm fruit may be a greener way to prevent corrosion in the strong, lightweight aluminum alloys in aircraft, cars, and industrial machines.
Focus on the Future of Machine Controllers
News 10/9/2012 14 comments A Design News reader survey shows engineers are leveraging more powerful controllers to achieve smoother integration of more sophisticated machine control.
Study: Wind Could Power World Energy Needs
News 9/28/2012 50 comments Researchers at Stanford University's School of Engineering and the University of Delaware claim there's enough wind over land and at sea combined to produce at least half the world's power demand by 2030.
Toyota's Latest Robot Lends a Hand
News 9/25/2012 11 comments The robot is meant to help elderly people or those with limited arm or leg mobility perform everyday tasks more efficiently and easily in the home.
Video: Robotic Plane Flies Indoors Without GPS
News 9/14/2012 20 comments MIT’s Robust Robotics Group flew a fixed-wing vehicle around the parking garage under a university building, navigating pillars safely, with only the use of onboard sensors to direct the path of the plane.
Automakers Drive Carbon Composites
News 9/11/2012 11 comments The lightweight material isn't ready for high-volume automotive manufacturing, but three consortia are working to fast-track material and process development.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
Lantronix Inc. has expanded its line of controllers for sensor networks with the release of a rugged controller that improves management of automation systems used in a number of industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, and chemicals.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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