Engineering News

Last year was a remarkable one for scientific advancement across a wide range of fields, from aerospace to fundamental physics.

As the renewable energy sector struggles to make up the difference in cost with traditional fossil fuels, one of the most prominent new power sources is running up against an efficiency barrier.

Star Wars fans across the world are being encouraged to take part in an ambitious engineering research project that will see the recreation of the only ship to make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

Peter Higgs, the British physicist who inspired a generation of engineering research into the existence of the particle that now bears his name, has been recognized in the New Year Honors list, according to the BBC.

Scientists at Stanford University have revealed a flexible solar panel that works like a band-aid, an engineering innovation that could see a renewable energy source on the back of an iPhone.

Undergoing a medical procedure is never a pleasant experience, but for some people the thought of going under the knife is enough to make them put off surgery for as long as possible.

In terms of frustration, motor vehicles can quickly head to the top of the list. An essential part of getting from A to B, with the odd detour to C, they have the capacity to either run smoothly or come to a juddering halt at the slightest indication of a problem.

While the end of the year can be used for reflecting over the achievements of the past 12 months, engineers tend not to rest on their laurels and are thinking instead of the engineering tools of the future.

Growing crystals could be turned on its head, with researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands discovering that crystals actually form more cleanly when suspended from the top of a solution rather than resting on the bottom.

This year has already proven to be an auspicious one for the aerospace industry, and NASA in particular.