In this week’s episode of the Engineering Update starring Editor Kasey Panetta (@kcpanetta), Associate Editor Jamie Wisniewski (@JamieECNMag), and WDD’s Editor-in-Chief, Janine E. Mooney (@JMooneyWDD):
Nanogenerator harvests power from rolling tires
A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers and a collaborator from China have developed a nanogenerator that harvests energy from a car’s rolling tire friction. An innovative method of reusing energy, the nanogenerator could provide automobile manufacturers a new way to squeeze greater efficiency out of their vehicles
A rugged, throwable camera
In 2012, Bounce Imaging showcased a prototype of a throw able camera and they’ve just shipped 100 of them off to police departments. The idea is that instead of having police blindly enter a potentially dangerous situation, they can throw on of these cameras in first. The device will instantaneously send panoramic photos of the area to a smartphone.
Brick-laying robot can build a house in two days
This new robot can lay 1,000 bricks an hour. With a building plan programmed in, a 3D CAD design calculates the location of each brick, then uses its telescopic arm to set them in place and secures them with mortar—all from one set position.
