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OSHA Seeks Entries for Workplace Hearing-Protection Challenge
The ‘Hear and Now’ competition encourages submissions on technologies that abate workplace noise exposure and related hearing loss.
Mapping a Future Role for U.S. Hydropower
A roadmap from DOE outlines how to increase hydropower capacity within a sustainable national energy mix.
Biofilm Protects Mortar Against Damaging Moisture
While water droplets' contact angle is typically 30 degrees or less on untreated mortar, it is three times as high for drops on the hybrid mortar.
ASTM Standard Developed for Large-size Concrete Pavers
The specification provides a baseline acceptance standard using any of three manufacturing processes: dry cast, wet cast and hydraulically pressed.
Licensing Deal Could See RoboGlove Developed for Health, Industrial Applications
The RoboGlove uses sensors, actuators and tendons that are comparable to the nerves, muscles and tendons in a human hand to allow the wearer to hold a grip longer and more comfortably.
Suction-Based Adhesive Material Inspired by the Octopus
The rubbery material polydimethylsiloxane was utilized to create an array of microscale suckers that incorporate pores coated with a thermally responsive polymer to create sucker-like walls.
Laser Airspeed Sensor Successfully Trialed
The Laser Air Speed Sensing Instrument works by bouncing ultraviolet laser light off air molecules and measuring the change in "color" of the reflections caused by the Doppler Effect.
Improving Catalyst Efficiency for Clean Industries
Platinum is used as a catalyst to facilitate chemical reactions for many common products and processes, such as converting carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in catalytic converters.
Honda and Daido Steel Develop Hybrid Car Motor Free of Heavy Rare Earth Metals
A reduction in the use of heavy rare earth elements has been one of the major challenges needing to be addressed to use neodymium magnets in the drive motors of hybrid vehicles.
Fuel-Efficient Engines May Not Emit Fewer Harmful Emissions
Although GDI engines emit lower levels of CO2, they emit more black carbon, as well as toxic volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and toluene.
Ethane-Fueled Engine Readied for Use in LEG Carriers
The ME-GI engine gives ship owners and operators the option of utilizing gas or fuel depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations.
Efficient Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Ethylene Achieved
A team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum has now successfully used copper films treated with oxygen or hydrogen plasmas as catalysts.
BAE Systems Looks at "Growing" UAVs in Chemistry Labs
A "Chemputer," now under development at the University of Glasgow, could enable advanced chemical processes to grow aircraft and their complex electronic systems.
Vibrating Shoes Could Help the Visually Impaired Avoid Obstacles
Early tests will focus on the problem of stepping over obstacles of different heights.
Titanium-Gold Alloy Is Up to 4x Harder Than Steel
The compound is neither difficult to make nor is it a new material.
Cookstove Program Fails to Deliver Hoped-For Carbon Cuts
Indoor air pollution was only moderately lower for the new stoves than for traditional stoves.
Device May Help Combat Medics Save Lives
A new device may improve the success rate of emergency neck incision procedures performed by combat medics in the field.
Bendable Water Pipeline Passes Quake Tests
Wave features help absorb large ground deformation during earthquakes and landslides.
E-commerce and the Drive to Automate the Supply Chain
A slew of robots looks to replace tasks traditionally done by people in distribution and warehouse settings. Sizable barriers to adoption remain, however.
Lightweight Solar Material Aims to Power Off-grid Markets
The product is less than half as efficient as silicon cells, but weighs just one-twentieth as much, a possible advantage for remote applications.