PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) — Two slick new mile-long tunnels are undergoing final safety tests this month, poised to divert motorists away from an ocean cliff-hanging roadway dubbed Devil’s Slide south of San Francisco to a smooth, Alpine-like passageway unlike any in the U.S. today. See the photos here. The $439 million project, paid with federal […]
Automotive/Transportation
‘Nanowelding’ by Applying Light to Aligned Nanorods
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a way to melt or “weld” specific portions of polymers by embedding aligned nanoparticles within the materials. Their technique, which melts fibers along a chosen direction within a material, may lead to stronger, more resilient nanofibers and materials. Physicists Jason Bochinski and Laura Clarke, with materials scientist […]
Brown Researchers Build Robotic Bat Wing
Researchers at Brown University have developed a robotic bat wing that is providing valuable new information about dynamics of flapping flight in real bats. The robot, which mimics the wing shape and motion of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat, is designed to flap while attached to a force transducer in a wind tunnel. As the […]
Science Works for U.S. Sustains Call to Prevent Sequestration
With only one week left before sequestration is to take effect, America’s research community sustained its call for an end to the across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending that will severely restrict the nation’s ability to invest in the basic scientific research that drives innovation and produces economic growth. Sequestration will reduce federal funding for scientific […]
Smart agriculture: Using intelligent system to improve age-old farming techniques
Climate change, population growth and increasingly scarce resources are putting agriculture under pressure. Farmers must harvest as much as possible from the smallest possible land surface. Until now, the industry confronted this challenge with innovations in individual sectors: Intelligent systems regulate engines in order to save on gas, for instance. With the aid of satellites […]
Crane Working on New Bay Bridge Span Falls
A crane tipped over while working on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Thursday, but there were no injuries and nothing leaked into the bay, authorities said. See all of the photos here. The crane was on a barge underneath the new span helping to remove a temporary support […]
Extreme Challenges, Extreme Results
“It´s the fastest-growing motor sport today, bar none,” says David Buchberger, vice president, Hi-Speed Corp. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), a Manufacturer Representative of WIDIA-brand products and services. By day, that is. By night, Buchberger can be found building parts and putting the finishing touches on his Ultra 4-class racer which WIDIA is sponsoring for his 2012-2013 […]
What’s Next from Mouser: Will 12 V Solar Disappear in 2013?
The established solar architecture based on 12 V photovoltaic panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters will continue to give way to grid-tied inverter architectures. This approach to harvesting solar energy brings with it a lot of key benefits. Grid-tied systems can lower electric bills by delivering power on demand when solar power is available. Using […]
Insects Inspiring New Technology
The way in which the locust’s distinctive visual system could be transferred into technology for state of the art vehicle collision sensors, surveilance technology and video games has been detailed as part of robotics research being carried out by an academic from the University of Lincoln (UK). Scientists from the University of Lincoln and Newcastle […]
Robots to Help Decommission Crippled Fukushima Nuke Plant
Japanese developers say applied robotics could help to eventually end the nuclear crisis in Fukushima. Nine teams came together to unveil their latest projects on Wednesday. For more information visit www.youtube.com/user/NTDTV.