Engineering1410 articles archived since 1845

Watch Liquid-Based Magnet Droplets Twirl and Morph

Droplets filled with nanoparticles behave just like bar magnets

Why Two Moonships Were Better Than One

Engineer John Houbolt pushed for a smaller ship to land on the lunar surface while the command module stayed in orbit around the moon.

Backpack Harvests Energy as You Walk

The pack produces a steady trickle of electricity from the swinging motion of your stuff. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Advanced Food Tracking and Packaging Will Save Lives and Cut Waste

A combination of two technologies could vastly improve food safety

Tiny Lenses Will Enable Design of Miniature Optical Devices

Thin, flat metalenses could replace bulky glass for manipulating light

Social Robots Play Nicely with Others

Droid friends and assistants are penetrating deeper into our lives

Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2019: Introduction

World-changing technologies that are poised to rattle the status quo

The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2019

New Sensor Could Detect Electrical Failures in Ships or Buildings

A monitoring device could measure overall power consumption and identify critical malfunctions 

In the Wiggle of an Ear, a Surprising Insight into Bat Sonar

It could lead to drones that fly like bats

An “Internet of Plants” Could Tell Farmers When Crops Need Watering

A system that transmits radio waves through fruit could help farmers monitor soil moisture

Levees Won’t Save Louisiana from a Climate “Existential Crisis”

A stark new report lays out the ways the state will need to adapt, beyond traditional engineering approaches

Rescue Drones Need to Learn How Lost Humans Think

New research seeks to improve the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles in search and rescue operations

Simulating Evolution to Determine the Fastest Wing

Researchers combined laboratory and simulated experiments on 3-D-printed wings to find the ideal wing shape

Can Robots Help Pick Up after the Recycling Crisis?

They will have to overcome the challenges of America’s convenient single-stream recycling system

Robots Have an Increasingly Important Role in Construction

With 400,000 people around the world entering the middle class daily, old methods of creating housing won’t cut it

Doglike Robots Learn New Tricks

Quadruped robots simulate their skills before going out in the real world

To Cut Emissions, China’s Global Infrastructure Plan May Need a Greener Path

Nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative could do much to push low-carbon investments

Notre Dame’s Architectural Legacy

This religious center, cultural icon and UNESCO World Heritage Site is also an engineering marvel

How France Can Rebuild Notre Dame

An expert offers a scientific perspective on what has been lost and what can be restored