Engineering

A guide to the structures, machines, and systems that power and connect our world.

Latest in Engineering

Invinity's power system installed in Scotland
Environment

‘Workhorse of batteries’ could give California tribe’s new clean-energy microgrid a jolt

By Colleen Hagerty

a timelapse of batteries discharging and transforming from yellow to dark red in the process
Technology

How a design tweak could help pacemaker batteries last longer

By Helen Bradshaw

new flex wiring in the cryogenic quantum computer infrastructure
Technology

IBM’s biggest quantum chip yet could help solve the trickiest math problems

By Charlotte Hu

How drones are helping monitor Kyrgyzstan’s radioactive legacy
Technology

How drones are helping monitor Kyrgyzstan’s radioactive legacy

By Kelsey D. Atherton

a stage filled with lights and music equipment
Technology

This AI can harness sound to reveal the structure of unseen spaces

By Charlotte Hu

Inside the ambitious project to turn a 1961 Volvo into a powerful modern hybrid
Technology

Inside the ambitious project to turn a 1961 Volvo into a powerful modern hybrid

By Kristin Shaw

Empty parking lot underneath blue sky with clouds
Technology

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop is being demolished for more SpaceX parking spots

By Andrew Paul

pile of sticks
Technology

A drone made out of sticks? In the UAV space, anything flies.

By Kelsey D. Atherton

A new silicone tire sealant stops nails in their tracks
Technology

A new silicone tire sealant stops nails in their tracks

By Kristin Shaw

Swiss train crossing bridge in Alps
Technology

Switzerland sets world record for longest passenger train—and it’s electric

By Andrew Paul

a star wars action figure
Technology

How I turned myself into a Star Wars action figure

By Chelsey B. Coombs

Lunar surface with stars in the sky
Technology

NASA could build a future lunar base from 3D-printed moon-dust bricks

By Andrew Paul

battery equipment
Technology

Scientists are getting energized about a massive battery ‘genome’ project

By Rob Verger

Harvard robotic arm with tentacle filaments gripping succulent plant
Technology

This spooky robot uses inflatable tentacles to grab delicate items

By Andrew Paul

Roofgarden in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Technology

Pumping carbon dioxide waste to rooftop gardens boosts crop yields

By Andrew Paul

brain cells on a multi-electrode array
Technology

What Pong-playing brain cells can teach us about better medicine and AI

By Charlotte Hu

Medium-sized shark swimming through dark waters
Environment

Shark skin is nearly impossible to engineer. A 3D look shows why.

By Marina Wang / Hakai Magazine

ibm diamondback tape storage library
Technology

Why a tech giant is embracing old-school magnetic tape storage

By Charlotte Hu

illustrations of a person being teleported in a 1960s style
Science

Could quantum physics unlock teleportation?

By Bill Gourgey

brilliant-10-2022
Science

The Brilliant 10: The top up-and-coming minds in science

By Mara Grunbaum, Yasmin Tayag

laguna beach
Technology

As California plans for a new desalination plant, take a look at how these facilities work

By Charlotte Hu

Siemens Gamesa wind turbine against blue sky backdrop
Technology

A wind turbine just smashed a global energy record—and it’s recyclable

By Andrew Paul

Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility
Environment

The US’s first utility-scale renewable energy triple threat is online in Oregon

By Sara Kiley Watson

a bundle of charging cables
Technology

USB-C is on track to become the charging cable standard in the EU

By Harry Guinness

a high speed rail train in black and white over a map of US rail lines in purple in the background
Technology

High-speed rail trains are stalled in the US—and that might not change for a while

By Bill Gourgey

bella hadid's spray on dress at paris fashion week
Technology

Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress was inspired by the science of silly string

By Charlotte Hu

depiction of dna as library bookshelves
Technology

Can these government efforts crack the code for DNA storage?

By Sarah Scoles

Air Company and US Air Force's SAF test flight.
Technology

Sustainable jet fuel is taking off with commercial airlines

By Charlotte Hu

Worries of disaster follow blast close to a second Ukrainian nuclear power plant
Technology

Worries of disaster follow blast close to a second Ukrainian nuclear power plant

By Rob Verger

A century ago, wind power was a farming norm. What happened?
Environment

A century ago, wind power was a farming norm. What happened?

By Hal Harvey & Justin Gillis

an art rendering of a disk shaped probe in space
Science

When Voyager 1 goes dark, what comes next?

By Tatyana Woodall

Why do nuclear power plants need electricity to stay safe?
Technology

Why do nuclear power plants need electricity to stay safe?

By Rob Verger

harvard university campus
Technology

We have quantum computers—now Amazon and Harvard want a quantum internet

By Charlotte Hu

Iran grabbed two of the Navy’s Saildrones earlier this month. Why?
Technology

Iran grabbed two of the Navy’s Saildrones earlier this month. Why?

By Kelsey D. Atherton

playable video games at a new MoMA exhibit
Technology

Dive into the wonderful and wistful world of video game design

By Charlotte Hu

a t-shaped module space station in orbit above the earth
Science

How Tiangong station will make China a force in the space race

By Tatyana Woodall

Apple’s two big new safety features, explained
Technology

Apple’s two big new safety features, explained

By Rob Verger

quantum computer dilution fridge
Technology

In photos: Journey to the center of a quantum computer

By Charlotte Hu

This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech
Technology

This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech

By Kristin Shaw

Solar PV panel up close.
Environment

Are solar panels headed for space?

By Thor Benson

the three pyramids of giza under a sunny day
Environment

A dried-up arm of the Nile provides another clue to how Egyptians built the pyramids

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

How a ‘digital twin’ of an Apache helicopter could help keep these old birds flying
Technology

How a ‘digital twin’ of an Apache helicopter could help keep these old birds flying

By Rob Verger

building with Fujitsu logo
Technology

Fujitsu’s quantum computers could beat rival machines to the market

By Charlotte Hu

Atarraya's Shrimpbox design
Technology

This startup wants to farm shrimp in computer-controlled cargo containers

By Charlotte Hu

jet engine blades up close
Technology

A new power-generating system works like a jet engine

By Charlotte Hu

a black, white and purple designed image of a man driving a levitating car
Technology

The century-old dream of traveling by hovercraft is still alive

By Bill Gourgey

a drone operator
Technology

Why controlling a drone with a laser has its perks—and pitfalls

By Kelsey D. Atherton

a hot wheels car
Technology

A look inside the design center where Hot Wheels creates its timeless toy cars

By Bradley Iger

Can the Chips and Science Act help the US avoid more shortages?
Technology

Can the Chips and Science Act help the US avoid more shortages?

By Rob Verger

Golf balls on forks
Gear

A peek inside Callaway’s factory reveals the complex anatomy of high-end golf balls

By Stan Horaczek

A Navy ship got a giant liquid-metal 3D printer earlier this month
Technology

A Navy ship got a giant liquid-metal 3D printer earlier this month

By Rob Verger

The James Webb Space Telescope’s first image shows the universe in a new light
Science

The James Webb Space Telescope’s first image shows the universe in a new light

By Maria Parazo Rose

MIT 3D knits
Technology

Pressure-sensing mats and shoes could enhance healthcare and video games

By Charlotte Hu

Two aerospace engineers holding a slim white Mars Sailplane in a lab at Arizona State University
Science

This sailplane could cruise Mars for months on only wind

By Tatyana Woodall

fireworks over the water
Technology

The explosive science of fireworks, explained

By Aparna Nathan

How computer-aided engineering shaped Cadillac’s first EV to a tee
Technology

How computer-aided engineering shaped Cadillac’s first EV to a tee

By Dan Carney

a ship at sea
Technology

The world’s largest hybrid ship will set sail in 2024

By Colleen Hagerty

How the massive ‘flow battery’ coming to an Army facility in Colorado will work
Technology

How the massive ‘flow battery’ coming to an Army facility in Colorado will work

By Rob Verger

Fabric carbon filter
Environment

A protein-filled cotton sheet can filter carbon emissions

By Sara Kiley Watson

Tidal turbine against cloudy sky.
Environment

Tidal turbines put a new spin on the power of the ocean

By Sara Kiley Watson

the frontier supercomputer system at oak ridge national laboratory
Technology

The new Frontier supercomputer will be the fastest in the world

By Charlotte Hu

Jars containing various materials from battery recycling.
Technology

The race to close the EV battery recycling loop

By Jake Bittle

firefighter in a field
Technology

A network of 1,000 cameras is watching for Western wildfires—and you can, too

By Colleen Hagerty

a purple and black and white stylized image of a historic foldable flying car with newspaper clippings in the background
Technology

What it would take for cars to actually fly

By Bill Gourgey