Engineering (Page 8)

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

Latest in Engineering

Skydio X10 drone flying at night

A new drone might help cops stop high-speed car chases

Driving a McLaren at 200 mph is a thrilling, dangerous experience

Sierra Space module exploding screenshot

Watch a space station habitat prototype pop like a water balloon

This massive armored vehicle has a giant plow for clearing Russian mines

This massive armored vehicle has a giant plow for clearing Russian mines

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Drawing of the Tsuruhama Rain Forest Pavilion project in Osaka, Japan.

In pictures: 7 things from MoMA’s new design and architecture exhibits that made us go ‘wow’

By Charlotte Hu

Saab says it has solved a modern camouflage conundrum

Saab says it has solved a modern camouflage conundrum

By Kelsey D. Atherton

biggest hot air balloon in us

The biggest hot air balloon in the US was built to carry skydivers

ETH Zurich electric race car in motion

Swiss students just slashed the world record for EV acceleration

A remote Air Force base in Alaska is getting its own nuclear reactor

A remote Air Force base in Alaska is getting its own nuclear reactor

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Robotic origami microflier

Microflier robots use the science of origami to fall like leaves

an inchwoom robot climbing up a smooth surface

This wormy robot can wriggle its way around a jet engine

By Charlotte Hu

3D printer making algae-based water decontaminate

‘Living material’ water filter uses bacteria to neutralize water pollutants

wedges in the anechoic chamber and a hand holding a sound level meter

What it’s like to step inside a room with no echoes

By Charlotte Hu

MIT Van Atta Backscatter array closeup

This new subsea communications system can run on an iota of power

shadowy figure holds spy satellite

How corporations helped fuel the big business of spying

By Sarah Scoles

Closeup of solar panel installation

This alternative to lithium-based batteries could help store renewable energy

Lagos Blue Line Rail train next to traffic jam

Traveling through the world’s most traffic-heavy city just got a lot quicker—and greener

Pants on hangers

The US wants to dress military in smart surveillance apparel

From clay cars to VR: How GM is designing an electric fleet at top speed

From clay cars to VR: How GM is designing an electric fleet at top speed

By Kristin Shaw

water main break caused water to run on to the times square subway lines

Disruptive water main breaks happen more often than you think

By Charlotte Hu

Why machines don’t work as well in extreme heat

Why machines don’t work as well in extreme heat

By Srinivas Garimella and Matthew T. Hughes/The Conversation

California high speed railcar concept art

A high-speed rail line in California is chugging along towards 2030 debut

a bugatti chiron super sport car

What’s a V8 engine doubled? The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport’s W16.

By Kristin Shaw

a b-2 bomber in flight

B-2 bomber’s latest tech upgrade brings it into the 21st century

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Japan begins releasing treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean

Japan begins releasing treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean

two drones coming together while flying

These nifty drones can lock together in mid-air to form a bigger, stronger robot

By Charlotte Hu

MIT kirigami tentacle scultures

The latest kirigami-inspired engineering materials are also works of art

Scientists brew stronger concrete with coffee grounds

Scientists brew stronger concrete with coffee grounds

Shipping container used as passive cooling test chamber

Ancient Egyptian ‘air conditioning’ could help cool modern buildings

Pyxis Ocean retrofitted with WindWings setting sail for its maiden voyage, August 2023

A cargo ship with 123-foot ‘WindWing’ sails has just departed on its maiden voyage

Jaguar's Formula E racecar

How Formula E race cars are guiding Jaguar’s EV future

By Charlotte Hu

Elemental chromium

The same metal found on hot rods and Harleys could revolutionize solar panels

food wrapped in aluminum foil

Scientists shake crumpled tinfoil to create electricity

By Charlotte Hu

Japanese bullet train leaving station at dawn

Texas could get a 205-mph bullet train zipping between Houston and Dallas

This communications company is a lifeline for far-flung operators

This communications company is a lifeline for far-flung operators

By Sarah Scoles

Nvidia's GH200 chip

A new chip can power the billions of calculations the AI age requires

By Harry Guinness

Two astronauts walking in spacesuits in a desert

How do you keep a spacesuit clean? One answer is antimicrobial fabric.

Orion space capsule capturing surface of moon during NASA Artemis I mission

An art-filled time capsule is headed for the moon

By Charlotte Hu

Trinity test color photo

How the real Trinity test was filmed and photographed, and where to watch it

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Two researchers look at green plasma ray in lab setting

Plasma beams could one day cool overheating electronics in a flash

a john deere motor grader in a factory

In photos: How John Deere builds its massive machines

By Christopher Payne, Kristin Shaw

A streak of blue lightning, representing energy, spreads horizontally across a textured cement surface.

Two ancient materials may help solve a modern energy dilemma

a robot starting at toy objects on table

Robots could now understand us better with some help from the web

By Charlotte Hu

The U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 4

What is DARPA? The rich history of the Pentagon’s secretive tech agency

By Kelsey D. Atherton

MIT breast cancer device

MIT develops an at-home mammogram alternative that fits in a bra

By Sara Kiley Watson

A TV on an entertainment console, where you'll need to figure out what HDMI 2.1 is and why it matters.

What is HDMI 2.1?

By Brandon Russell, Harry Guinness

space shuttle endeavour blasts off

What it takes to display a 176,000-pound space shuttle in a launch configuration

hyperspectral imagery next to black and white imagery

Hyperspectral imaging can detect chemical signatures of earthbound objects from space

By Charlotte Hu

A WiFi sign in a cafe.

WiFi 5 vs. WiFi 6: Which should you choose?

By Harry Guinness

Microscopic view of glass-coated DNA nanostructure

These super strong nanostructures are made of glass-coated DNA

Deep underground, robotic teamwork saves the day

Deep underground, robotic teamwork saves the day

By Kurt Kleiner/Knowable Magazine

Illustration of metal nanomaterial healing cracks

Scientists accidentally capture metals ‘healing’ themselves

Streets of New York City.

How ‘underground climate change’ affects life on the Earth’s surface

By Carla Delgado

wood cross sections

DARPA would like to make scrap wood stronger with WUD

By Charlotte Hu

deep sea bubbles

The key to bringing deep sea samples up to the coast? An underwater freezer.

By Annie Roth / Hakai Magazine

first road constructed with plastic waste in Agartala

Turning plastic waste into streets faces roadblocks

By James Bruggers/Inside Climate News

Model of the Titanic and the Boeing 737 Max at the Museum of Failure.

The Museum of Failure challenges how we think about mistakes

By Charlotte Hu

super glue invention mistake

How a shot at making better gunsights became Super Glue instead

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Arco del Tiempo (Arch of Time) mockup

This art installation will tell time and produce solar energy

By Sara Kiley Watson

Study author shows off the compressed mycelium sheets she created for the project

This fungi-based substance might protect homes from ever-worsening wildfires

By Sara Kiley Watson

the view from on a container ship

The first container ship fueled by food scraps is ready to set sail

By Charlotte Hu

person holding latest fairphone

The most sustainable phone on the market is the one in your pocket

By Carla Delgado

Fervo Energy Project Red geothermal mining site in Nevada

An American start-up claims it just set a geothermal energy record

Two hands against a white background, each holding an iPhone 14. The one on the left has its silver back to the camera, while the one on the right has its screen toward the camera.

Memory vs. storage: What to know when buying a new smartphone

By Harry Guinness