Latest News & Analysis
HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Wireless System Charges Electric Vehicles at 3x Speed
The researchers are already looking ahead to their next target of 50-kilowatt wireless charging, which would match the power levels of commercially available plug-in quick chargers.
Inexpensive Tunable Window Technology Developed
Tunable windows aren’t new, but most previous technologies have relied on electrochemical reactions. The new technology uses geometry to adjust the transparency of a window.
Protecting the Grid by Bolstering Cybersecurity
Through research initiatives and more robust standards, the U.S. aims to better protect against cybersecurity and resiliency vulnerabilities in the electric power grid.
Material Softens to Change Shape, Hardens to Stiffen
In addition to displaying stiffness when it’s called for, and elasticity when a change of shape is required, the material also has the ability to self-heal following damage.
Webb Telescope Passes Cryo Tests, Now "Optically Complete"
The testing is critical because at the instruments' final destination in space—one million miles from Earth—they will operate at minus-387 degrees Fahrenheit.
2015 Renewable Investments Double That of Gas, Coal
Global investment in new renewables capacity, at $266 billion, was more than double the estimated $130 billion invested in coal and gas power stations in 2015.
Floating Bridge Opens in Seattle
The new span is one of only a handful of floating bridges in the world and solves the design challenge of building a safe and sturdy roadway over a deep body of water with a soft bottom.
New Membrane Could Boost Efficiency of Carbon Capture
Tests show the hybrid membrane is eight times more carbon dioxide permeable than previous membranes.
Use of Rubber in Structural Concrete Holds Promise
To date, most studies focusing on using rubber aggregate in concrete have employed only small-scale specimens to evaluate its effects on concrete's mechanical properties and durability.
Robot Reads Faces to Personalize Student Learning
The robot began by mirroring the emotional response of students. Over time, it personalized its responses in ways that would optimize each student's experience and achievement.
Americium Removal Method Makes Nuclear Waste Pools Safer
Americium doesn’t have the same name recognition as a plutonium or uranium, but researchers have been trying to remove it from nuclear waste for decades.
Wearable Patch Monitors Sweat, Treats Diabetes
Precise measurements of sweat glucose concentrations are used to gauge blood glucose levels. If abnormally high levels are detected, a drug is released into the bloodstream via microneedles.
Advanced Mine Detection Technology Being Developed
Because Colombia's many landmines were not industrially manufactured, but rather assembled from various everyday objects, they are almost impossible to detect via traditional methods.
Hybrid-Electric Aviation Powertrain Completes Test
Slovenian light-aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel fired up a 200 kW propulsor developed to deliver power equivalent to a typical general-aviation piston engine.
Boston Survey: One-Sixth of Gas Leaks "Potentially Explosive"
The findings differ significantly from results gathered by gas companies and other monitoring groups and highlight the risks that “fugitive” gas emissions pose both for safety and the environment.
U.S. Solar Capacity Projected to Double in 2016
With the federal Investment Tax Credit initially set to expire at the end of 2016, developers and EPCs filled their pipelines with projects.
ORNL to License Low-Cost Carbon Fiber Production Method
High cost has been the single largest roadblock to widespread use of carbon fiber as a strong, stiff reinforcement for advanced composites.
DOI: Climate Change a Growing Risk to Western U.S.
DOI has launched an online tool enabling the public to check, by basin, how temperature, precipitation and snowpack are projected to be affected by climate change.
Auto Sector Buys Every Second Industrial Robot
The Japanese auto industry currently boasts the highest "robot density," with 1,414 industrial robots for every 10,000 employees.
Large Fog Collection System Erected in Morocco
Southwest Morocco is water poor, but fog provides a reliable supplemental water resource that relieves pressure on aquifers and wells.