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Synthetic Diesel Created from Atmospheric CO2
A German company says it has created a synthetic diesel-like liquid distilled from atmospheric carbon dioxide: “Blue Crude.”
Aircraft De-Icing Based on Frog Skin Properties
An aircraft de-icing method in prototype delays icing by up to 10 times and uses 2-8 times less antifreeze than current de-icing procedures. The innovation is based on the mechanics of the Panamanian poison dart frog's gland secretions to its skin.
Bats in Flight May Help Engineers Design Better Aircraft
A study shows that an array of sensory receptors in the wing provides feedback to a bat during flight. The findings also suggest that neurons in the bat brain respond to incoming airflow and touch signals, triggering adjustments in wing position to optimize flight control.
U.S. Nuclear Regulators OK License for ESBWR
Utility DTE Energy received the first approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a combined construction and operation license for Fermi 3 using GE Hitachi's ESBWR reactor design.
Understanding Predicted and Actual Energy Use of Buildings
Building operators need to understand both predicted and actual building energy use as buildings rarely perform as well as their designers predicted. Energy consumption and costs can be as much as double what was expected and the difference has become known as the performance gap.
McLaren Unit and MTS Systems Bring Simulation Technology to Automotive Market
McLaren Applied Technologies and MTS Systems Corp. plan to bring simulators and similar technology to the global automotive market.
New Apple Watch Has Lowest Ratio of Hardware Costs to Retail Price, IHS Teardown Reveals
The new Apple Watch has the lowest hardware costs compared to retail price of any Apple phone, on the order of 24% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
NOAA Mapping Tool Offers Texas-to-Maine Coastal Flood Information
A flood risk mapping tool developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management is now available for coastal areas along the entire East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Tesla Motors Unveils Battery Pack to Store Renewable Energy
Tesla Motors plans to produce a wall-mounted battery pack designed to store renewable energy in the home. The unit will go into small-scale production in three to four months at the company's Fremont, Calif. plant.
U.S. and Canada Announce New Rules for Rail Tank Cars
U.S. and Canadian regulators announced a final rule for the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail.
Construction Costs Fall as Iron Ore Price Softens
Construction costs fell again in April, according to IHS and the Procurement Executives Group (PEG).
Docking Innovation for UAV Refueling While in Flight
A researcher from the University of Sydney has designed and tested a method for autonomously docking unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enable refueling or recharging in mid-air.
Flight Tests Completed for Shape-changing Aircraft Wings, NASA Says
The U.S. space agency NASA says that after six months and 22 research flights, it has completed its initial flight tests of a new morphing wing technology.
GM Canada Expands Connected Car Engineering Center
GM Canada is expanding its engineering center in Oshawa, Ont.
Nepal Rebuilding Cost Could Exceed $10 billion
The cost to rebuild Nepal after its most devastating earthquake in eight decades on April 25 will exceed $10 billion and take years, Finance Minister Ram S. Mahat says.
Optical Tweezers: Merging Physics, Force and a Bit of Fantasy
The optical tweezer was developed by Bell Labs in the 1970s, and the dimensional scale of its use has since been extended down in range from handling individual proteins, viruses and bacteria strands to maneuvering nanoparticles and manipulating neutral atoms.
Researchers Track Failing Lithium-ion Batteries in Lab Tests
A team from the University of College London (UCL) has tracked what happens when lithium-ion batteries overheat and explode.
Solar PV Boom in the UK in Q1 2015, IHS Says
At least 110 photovoltaic (PV) projects with a combined capacity of 1,600 megawatts (MW) were completed in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of 2015.
Assessing Flood Risk Proves to Be a Complex Problem
A team from the University of Adelaide's school of civil, environmental and mining engineering has unveiled findings that shed light on the issue of flood risk in the latest issue of Nature Climate Change.
Gas Pipelines a Weak Link in U.S. Electric Power Structure, Moniz Says
Natural gas pipelines across the United States are aging and are near capacity, creating a weak link in the nation's electric grid, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says.