Most robots are designed to do one job well. A wheeled robot can move quickly across smooth ground, while a four-legged machine is better suited to uneven terrain. The problem is that once a robot is built, its shape is largely fixed. Researchers at King's College London believe that could eventually change. Working with collaborators in China, the team has completed what … [Read more...] about Origami-inspired mechanism could give robots the ability to change shape
New photonic chip design brings fibre-optic performance onto silicon
Most of the world's internet traffic spends at least part of its journey travelling through optical fibre. It's fast, efficient and remarkably good at carrying light over long distances with very little signal loss. Shrinking that same performance onto a silicon chip, however, has proved far more difficult. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) now … [Read more...] about New photonic chip design brings fibre-optic performance onto silicon
Atomic-scale interface could help push transistors beyond silicon
As transistors shrink towards atomic dimensions, even the boundary between two materials can become an engineering problem. Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), working with TSMC Corporate Research, have developed an insulating interface just 0.42 nanometres thick that could help improve transistors made from atomically thin … [Read more...] about Atomic-scale interface could help push transistors beyond silicon
£4.4m investment to expand engineering skills at University of Birmingham
Engineering students at the University of Birmingham will soon have access to new robotics, autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing facilities as part of a £4.4 million government investment aimed at strengthening the UK's defence skills pipeline. The funding comes from the Ministry of Defence and Department for Education and forms part of a wider £80 million programme … [Read more...] about £4.4m investment to expand engineering skills at University of Birmingham
NASA engineers buy Voyager 2 another year in space
Voyager 2 has survived almost 50 years in space, travelled beyond the planets and crossed into interstellar space. Yet one of the biggest engineering challenges facing the spacecraft today is surprisingly small: finding a few more watts of electricity. The spacecraft has no solar panels to fall back on. Instead, Voyager 2 and its twin Voyager 1 are powered by radioisotope … [Read more...] about NASA engineers buy Voyager 2 another year in space