Researchers from the University of California, Davis, are working to develop compostable, ecologically sound wind-turbine blades from bamboo and mycelium, the fungal root-like system that bears mushrooms. Wind is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy around the globe and the expanding role of wind is largely good news. However, an environmentally sound … [Read more...] about Making wind power greener with compostable turbine blades
Materials
Discovery makes possible the optimisation of thermal-energy storage
Researchers at Texas A&M University have established foundational design principles for composite phase change materials that can rapidly store thermal energy. The breakthrough should dramatically simplify the design process, allowing a near-optimal composite phase change material to be simply calculated without exhaustive computational fluid dynamic calculations or … [Read more...] about Discovery makes possible the optimisation of thermal-energy storage
Engineers design sutures that can deliver drugs or sense inflammation
Inspired by sutures developed thousands of years ago, a team of MIT engineers has designed ‘smart’ sutures that can not only hold tissue in place, but also detect inflammation and release drugs. The new sutures are derived from animal tissue, similar to the ‘catgut’ sutures first used by the ancient Romans. In a modern twist, the MIT team coated the sutures with hydrogels … [Read more...] about Engineers design sutures that can deliver drugs or sense inflammation
Earthquake testing underway on ten-storey mass timber building
Practical testing is underway at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) on a ten-storey building made of cross-laminated timber, the tallest full-scale building ever to be constructed and tested on an earthquake simulator, or shake table. The shake table will simulate earthquake motions recorded during prior earthquakes covering a range of earthquake magnitudes from … [Read more...] about Earthquake testing underway on ten-storey mass timber building
New programmable smart fabric responds to temperature and electricity
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed an inexpensive new smart material that changes colour and shape in response to heat and electricity, making it the first ever created that responds to two different stimuli. The unique design paves the way for a wide variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up while you walk from the … [Read more...] about New programmable smart fabric responds to temperature and electricity
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