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Our Oct. 30 weekly newscast delves into the inner workings of materials and systems that are only beginning to be fully understood. Topics: getting clear on glass; portrait of a nanoparticle; our self-driving brains.

Using composite materials for high-volume automotive production is a challenge for a variety of reasons such as cost barriers (raw material, manufacturing, equipment costs), material properties and performance, composite manufacturing processes, joining and assembly, finishing and coating, inspection and quality assurance, after-market repair or replacement, capital equipment cost, and composite design knowledge. How can the automotive industry tackle the barriers to broader implementation of composites and increased light-weighting?

Researchers have taken soft sensor technology to the next level by creating a new type of flexible sensor that does not require wiring or electronics to be encased within the material.

Automation can help improve process quality, consistency and throughput by allowing robots to perform repetitive, boring or unsafe tasks while humans engage in operations that require their superior cognitive abilities, skill and judgment.

This week's Engineering360 news brief focuses on biomedical engineering. Read about Google Earth for the brain, cells finding a new purpose, and bacteria under stress.

A new study examines the role that surface characteristics play in ease of ice removal.

Docks or piers are not always available at the new or deeper ports of call that are increasingly required for larger cruise ships. SeaWalk™ self-propelled floating piers has been deployed at many of these ports as they offer lesser environmental impacts, lower cost, and faster installation time.

Scientists gained new molecular-scale process insight when they used a Star Wars motif to create this engaging video depicting the fight for supremacy among sperm.

In development at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the optionally piloted aircraft will have long range strike and reconnaissance capabilities and a top speed twice as fast as its predecessor, the SR-71 Blackbird.

Reducing one’s environmental footprint doesn't have to involve a great deal of effort or expense. Here are some easy and realistic steps anyone can take.

While the blast furnace remains an important tool for ironmaking, newer technologies such as smelting and direct iron reduction are available to produce iron with minimal byproduct generation and slag-free hot metal. Smelting reduction and direct iron reduction can reduce energy input, lower greenhouse gas emissions and minimize slag byproduct generation, resulting in overall cost, productivity and life cycle enhancements.

This week's edition of the Engineering360 news brief includes a Twitter milestone for the Pope, how to get your name onto a NASA mission headed for Mars and the answer to how many robots it takes to screw in a light bulb.

The device could help doctors reach areas of the lung that can be tricky to access using conventional bronchoscopes.

Concealed from detection by the enemy, aircraft equipped with stealth technology can carry out surveillance without interruption, or enter combat engagements with the tactical element of surprise.

When was the last time you listened to a vinyl record? Do you own or even remember vinyl records? You may be surprised to learn that while CD sales are down 20 percent and digital downloads are down 19 percent, vinyl sales have actually increased by 2 percent in the first six months of 2017 following a 25-year high in 2016.

The first step in the production of steel or cast iron alloys is the reduction of iron ore, which contains iron oxide and gangue or mineral impurities, to unrefined hot metal or pig iron. The blast furnace is currently the key tool for ironmaking.

The end of Moore’s law. Nanoparticle interactions inside a “fishbowl.” Nature’s tiniest machines. And the 100 Billion Nanometer Dash. Here's a special “nano” edition of the Engineering360 news brief.