Latest Mechanical Stories
Mechanical engineers develop process to 3-D print piezoelectric materialsFebruary 12, 2019
New printing technique and materials could be used to develop intelligent materials and self-adaptive infrastructures and transducers
‘Metallic wood’ has the strength of titanium and the density of waterFebruary 12, 2019
Researchers have built a sheet of nickel with nanoscale pores that make it as strong as titanium but four to five times lighter
Technique identifies electricity-producing bacteriaJanuary 29, 2019
Microbes screened with a new microfluidic process might be used in power generation or environmental cleanup
Tiny satellites could be ‘guide stars’ for huge next-generation telescopesJanuary 29, 2019
Researchers design CubeSats with lasers to provide steady reference light for telescopes investigating distant planets
How Galway’s Ellen Roche blends medicine and mechanical engineeringJanuary 15, 2019
Assistant professor Ellen Roche, originally from Co Galway, develops revolutionary medical devices through research at the crossroads of medical science and engineering
Revealed: Smart car tech saves US drivers $6.2bn in fuel costs each yearDecember 11, 2018
In the first study to assess the energy impact of smart technology in cars, researchers have put a number on the potential fuel-cost savings alone: $6.2bn
Using electricity and water, a new kind of motor can slide microrobots into motionNovember 27, 2018
Microhydraulic actuators, thinner than one-third the width of human hair, are proving to be the most powerful and efficient motors at the microscale
Fleets of drones could aid searches for lost hikersNovember 13, 2018
System allows drones to co-operatively explore terrain under thick forest canopies where GPS signals are unreliable
Human fallibility and automation: Lessons of the Virgin Galactic crashOctober 30, 2018
Sean Brady explores how the lessons of the 2014 Virgin Galactic crash are pertinent to all design engineers, irrespective of discipline
What hovering animals can teach us about flying robotsOctober 30, 2018
To find out, Stanford engineers teamed up with ecologists in Costa Rica to meticulously record the flight of over 100 different bats and hummingbirds, writes Taylor Kubota
Study opens route to flexible electronics made from exotic materialsOctober 16, 2018
Cost-effective method produces semiconducting films from materials that outperform silicon
Engineering team designs technology for smart materialsOctober 2, 2018
With inspiration from squid ring teeth, a multidisciplinary team has invented a novel way to manufacture smart materials, including fabrics, that can regulate their own thermal properties
Robot cities: three urban prototypes for future livingSeptember 18, 2018
From hyper-robotised Tokyo to smartest Singapore and happy, crime-free Dubai, these three examples show that robots are perceived as means to achieve global futures based on a specific national imagination, writes Mateja Kovacic
15 engineers and their inventions that defined roboticsSeptember 4, 2018
Although the concept of the robot has been around since antiquity, it wasn't until the 20th century, and the work of these 15 engineers, that robotics really kicked into gear, writes Christopher McFadden
The heartbreaking story of the flying mathematicians of World War IAugust 7, 2018
Theirs is a tale of technical achievement, flexibility and ingenuity in the context of a new field of engineering, driven apace by the necessities and incentives of conflict, writes Tony Royle
‘The other Fergie’ — why tractor king Harry Ferguson is among Ireland’s best loved engineersJuly 24, 2018
A farmer, mechanic, car designer and aviator, he struck up a business partnership with Henry Ford and is most well known for creating the Massey Ferguson - a common byword for agricultural machinery and the humble tractor
Designing for cleanroomsJuly 24, 2018
Cleanrooms are delicate, therefore choosing components for use in cleanroom equipment shouldn't be taken lightly
‘Blind’ Cheetah 3 robot can climb stairs littered with obstaclesJuly 10, 2018
MIT robot can now leap and gallop across rough terrain, climb a staircase littered with debris, and quickly recover its balance when suddenly yanked or shoved - all while essentially blind - and may be used for exploring disaster zones
Personalised ‘deep learning’ equips robots for autism therapyJuly 10, 2018
Machine learning network offers personalised estimates of children's behaviour
Bridging the skills gap with automated engineeringJune 26, 2018
Martyn Williams examines Britain’s engineering skills shortage and explains how automated engineering can redefine the role of the manufacturing engineer and ultimately bridge the skills gap