Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment. The discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin. The research will be published in the next issue of Advanced Materials and is currently online. "This stretchable electronic fabric we developed has many practical uses," said Michael ...

One of the first attempts at humanoid robot design took place in 1495, when Leonardo Da Vinci developed the mechanical knight. The robot was designed to make several human-like motions, but it was not until the 1990s, when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) invented Kismet, the world’s first sociable robot. Over the years, the manufacturing industry has looked towards these humanoid robots in optimising productivity in the sector, leading to the creation of soft robots. But ...

Haulbowline Island, located in the centre of the second-largest natural harbour in the world, where the River Lee flows down to meet the sea, is a place of rich history. Tucked away in an unassuming corner of a disused building, a historical gem had being waiting rediscovery. In 2012, while passing the Seamanship Bay in the island’s Naval Base, Petty Officer/Engine Room Articifer (PO/ERA) Alan Duggan chanced upon an old collection of engineering parts and machinery during some renovation ...

Benjamin Franklin once said, “It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” This rings true for the industrial sector, where it is easier to form a habit of good predictive maintenance than to recover from machinery breakage or downtime. However, this is easier said than done. Predictive maintenance requires constant vigilance in order to be effective, ensuring that maintenance engineers know when it is the right time to lubricate bearings, apply a rust-preventative coating or ...

When the Wright brothers accomplished their first powered flight more than a century ago, they controlled the motion of their Flyer 1 aircraft using wires and pulleys that bent and twisted the wood-and-canvas wings. This system was quite different than the separate, hinged flaps and ailerons that have performed those functions on most aircraft ever since. But now, thanks to some high-tech wizardry developed by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA, some aircraft ...

As the new year beds down and we find ourselves emerging from the usual post-holiday nutritional and financial hangover, there’s no better time to broach the subject of cost benefit and the tightening of finances. Whatever stage you’re at in your financial year, despite recovering economies and buoyant industry sectors, the spectre of cost benefit looms large at all times in today’s business environment. Whether it is the result of past lessons learnt or simply a continuation of your ...