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Most of you recognize the device on the front page as the Archimedes screw, which moved water from one level to another. Archimedes’ ingeniously simple machine was used by the ancients and continues to find applications today.
A New Face for Robotics
Instead of massive robots like those traditionally tethered to automotive welding and assembly lines, Rethink Robotics is creating a breed of smaller, more flexible and user-friendly models aimed at a wide range of light-duty applications.
Taller Wind Turbine Towers Receive DOE Funding
The Energy Department on Sept. 18 awarded $2 million for two organizations that will advance technologies to harness stronger winds available at higher heights, potentially increasing the amount of clean, renewable electricity the nation produces. Through construction processes that will
Utility to Bury Electric Power Lines
Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources plans to bury 4,000 miles of electric power distribution lines over the next 10 to 12 years in an effort to combat outages.
3D Printers Build on Manufacturing Success with New Designs, Materials
3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is gaining market acceptance and momentum as new additive materials, operational expertise and printer designs overcome 3D printing’s traditional challenges of part size, speed limitations and durability.
Neurotechnology Hits Its Stride
Chronic pain, hearing loss, sleep apnea, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, paralysis from stroke or spinal cord injury. These are among a growing array of medical conditions that physicians are now treating with neurotechnology devices, which deliver electrical stimulus to limbs and organs.
Transit Infrastructure Projects Receive Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said that 40 projects will receive a share of $3.59 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help public transportation systems in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to become more resilient.
Transit Infrastructure Projects Receive Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said that 40 projects will receive a share of $3.59 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help public transportation systems in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to become more resilient in order to withstand the impact of future natural
Enabling New Age Knees
Over the course of 50 years, the average person takes about 140 million steps. Add tennis, jogging and a gym membership and it’s no wonder that knee replacement surgeries increase 10% year over year. In 2010, American doctors replaced more than 590,000 knees. All this repair work requires
5MW Battery Storage Unit Enters Service in Germany
One of Europe’s largest commercial battery power plants entered service on September 16. The 5 megawatt (MW) lithium-ion unit was designed by Berlin-based grid and storage company Younicos for WEMAG, an electricity supplier.
Solar Microinverter and Power Optimizer Market to Top $1 Billion in 2018
The market for global photovoltaic (PV) solar microinverters and power optimizers is forecast to more than triple in the coming years, rising to more than $1 billion in 2018, as both established and new regions increase their adoption of the emerging technology, according to a new report, PV
Are Energized Fluids an Economic Alternative?
Suppliers, researchers and service companies working in unconventional oil and natural gas plays look to displace large volumes of hydraulic fracturing water with energized fluids and foams.
Lowering Motor Speed with a Variable Speed Drive
Adding a variable-frequency drive (VFD) upstream of an AC motor can lower energy use, reduce peak demand and improve power factor in many applications. Reducing motor speed at startup and during operation can cut maintenance costs, increase uptime and extend equipment life.
Motor Makers Tackle the Efficiency Challenge
Motor manufacturers have made a number of efficiency-boosting changes to their product designs. One common practice has been to increase the amount of so-called active material in the motor's core to reduce total losses, which translates into higher efficiency.
NRC Approves GE-Hitachi Nuclear Power Plant Design
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a rule to certify GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) design for use to generate electric power in the United States.
Turbine Engine Testing During Extreme Operating Conditions
A research team has developed an in-situ facility for use at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source that accurately simulates extreme turbine engine conditions.
Water Filtration Trends
Demand growth worldwide for water is placing a burden on available resources and creating competition among industrial, agricultural and municipal users. At the same time, environmental regulations continue to impact water intake and effluent purity.
IEEE Forms New Standards Working Groups
IEEE is forming the IEEE P2415 Unified Hardware Abstraction and Layer Working Group and IEEE P2416 Power Modeling Meta-standard Working Group. Both will draft standards that are intended to support development of more powerful and economically affordable electronics.
ISA100 Wireless Standard Gains Final IEC Approval
The International Society of Automation (ISA) says that ANSI/ISA-100.11a-2011, "Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications," has been unanimously approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as an international standard and will be
Unemployment for Engineers and Doctoral Scientists Below National Average
A new National Science Foundation (NSF) report says the 2013 unemployment rate for individuals with research doctoral degrees in science, engineering and health (SEH) fields was one-third the rate for the general population aged 25 and older--2.1% versus 6.3%.