Robotic surgery can give surgeons greater precision and consistency, but many of the most advanced systems remain concentrated in specialist centres. A new collaboration between engineers at Imperial College London and Smith+Nephew aims to widen access by accelerating the development of technologies for robotic musculoskeletal surgery. The five-year partnership has … [Read more...] about Imperial College London launches centre to advance surgical robotics
Light-powered nanorobots can collect and move bacteria
Working with individual bacteria presents an obvious engineering problem: the tools used to manipulate them need to operate on roughly the same scale. Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have now developed light-powered nanorobots small enough to move through this microbial world and physically interact with the bacteria around them. The devices … [Read more...] about Light-powered nanorobots can collect and move bacteria
Nanoscale coating boosts condensation heat transfer by up to 5.5 times
Getting water to condense isn't particularly difficult. Getting it to condense efficiently, and then move out of the way quickly enough for the process to start again, is rather more complicated. Engineers at KAIST have developed an ultrathin polymer coating that tackles both sides of that problem. Applied to copper tubes, the surface achieved condensation heat transfer … [Read more...] about Nanoscale coating boosts condensation heat transfer by up to 5.5 times
New stainless steel could cut the cost of green hydrogen production
Stainless steel has spent more than a century earning its reputation as one of engineering's most dependable materials. From bridges and chemical plants to kitchen sinks, its resistance to corrosion has made it the obvious choice wherever metals are expected to survive harsh environments. There has always been a catch, though. Push stainless steel into the high electrical … [Read more...] about New stainless steel could cut the cost of green hydrogen production
Unexpected plasma process could reshape graphene oxide production
Some engineering breakthroughs arrive after years of carefully pursuing a single objective. Others appear almost by accident. Researchers at Texas A&M University were investigating new ways to produce hydrogen when they realised the carbon left behind wasn't simply a by-product. It was graphene oxide, one of the most widely used carbon nanomaterials in energy storage, … [Read more...] about Unexpected plasma process could reshape graphene oxide production