Engineering News

Toshiba is field testing a new wireless electric vehicle charger for a shuttle bus at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. While similar wireless EV charging uses electromagnetic induction, Toshiba’s system uses a magnetic resonance system that is installed in the ground and controlled with a touch panel on the bus.

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) are developing technology that can help elderly people remain in their homes longer by providing long-term medical monitoring. Radars and sensors placed throughout the home can identify subtle physical and behavioral changes that can alert patients and caregivers to early signs of illness.

Google’s latest report on its self-driving vehicle project focuses on a feature that could easily be overlooked: the car’s sounds. Engineers are now teaching Google’s autonomous cars how to honk and giving the quiet electric vehicle the familiar sounds of a traditional engine.

Researchers from a Scottish university are investigating whether the Q-band of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum could be used for satellite communication systems. Unfortunately, these higher frequency waves are susceptible to breaking up during inclement weather.

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting design proposals for a reusable robotic space plane that will be capable of launching 3,000-pound payloads into orbit. The Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) project aims to be an inexpensive way to quickly get satellites into orbit.

Sensors can now become invisible in both thermal and electric environments. Engineers at the...

A team of University of Wisconsin—Madison engineers has created the world’s fastest stretchable, wearable integrated...

Infrared detectors can see through fog, the dark, and other situations where visible light...

Explosives could soon be detected with a handheld device that uses terahertz spectroscopy to identify chemicals. A team of researchers developed a chip scale system that could replace traditional bulky and slow terahertz spectroscopy systems.

In the past, telecommunications companies have built the infrastructure to support the Internet, but now edge providers (the businesses that provide online content and services) are taking a direct approach. Microsoft and Facebook just announced that they are partnering to build a giant cable that will be capable of moving 160 terabits per second.