Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new system for turning coffee grounds into a paste that can be used to 3D print objects and then using mushroom spores to create a resilient, fully compostable alternative to plastic. Only 30 per cent of a coffee bean is soluble in water, and many brewing methods aim to extract significantly less than that. So, of … [Read more...] about Coffee grounds and mushroom spores can be 3D printed into a compostable alternative to plastics
New technology for turning waste heat into electricity ‘defies physical limit’
A team of engineers and material scientists from the Paul M Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a new technology to turn thermal radiation into electricity in a way that they say teases the basic law of thermal physics. The breakthrough was discovered by the Cui Research Group, led by assistant professor Longji Cui, … [Read more...] about New technology for turning waste heat into electricity ‘defies physical limit’
New 3D printing method replicates super-fine natural fibres
Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering have developed an innovative method for creating fine, soft fibres similar to those found in nature usingembedded 3D-printing. Biomimicry researchers are constantly trying to find new ways to produce and replicate the various … [Read more...] about New 3D printing method replicates super-fine natural fibres
Donation set to inspire more than 2,000 pupils to consider a career in STEM
Nearly 2,000 pupils will have the opportunity to get a taste of vocational learning thanks to the expansion of the STEM Engagement Fund in the Black Country and Birmingham. The new financial backing is the brainchild of Michael Orlik and his sons, Anthony and Phillip, who have gifted £25,000 to the Training Manufacturing Group (TMG)’s charitable fund in memory of their wife … [Read more...] about Donation set to inspire more than 2,000 pupils to consider a career in STEM
Pterosaur bones could inspire the future of aerospace engineering
The microarchitecture of fossil pterosaur bones could hold the key to lighter, stronger materials for the next generation of aircraft, new research has found. Scientists from the University of Manchester used advanced X-ray imaging techniques to examine fossilised bones of the prehistoric flying reptile at the smallest scale, revealing hidden engineering solutions right in … [Read more...] about Pterosaur bones could inspire the future of aerospace engineering