For decades, engineers have treated movement as the enemy of tall buildings. The taller a tower becomes, the more it sways in strong winds or during an earthquake, so the traditional solution has been straightforward: make the structure stiffer, stronger and heavier. Researchers at Imperial College London and engineering consultancy Arup believe there's another … [Read more...] about Researchers rethink structural control for skyscrapers
New chip design could help future space telescopes search for Earth-like planets
Building a telescope capable of spotting an Earth-like planet orbiting another star isn't just an optical challenge. It's a computing one. Future observatories will need to process enormous amounts of data in real time as they continuously correct tiny distortions in their mirrors and optics. Every calculation has to happen almost instantly. Yet for many of these tasks, the … [Read more...] about New chip design could help future space telescopes search for Earth-like planets
The engineering lesson behind AI’s latest ‘escape’
When headlines claimed an AI system had "escaped" its test environment and hacked its way onto the internet, it sounded like the plot of a science fiction film. But that's not really what happened. The incident took place during an evaluation run by OpenAI, where highly capable AI models were deliberately challenged to solve complex cybersecurity tasks. The models were … [Read more...] about The engineering lesson behind AI’s latest ‘escape’
Could 3D printing transform tungsten carbide manufacturing?
Tungsten carbide is one of those materials engineers love, and manufacturers often curse. It's incredibly hard, remarkably wear-resistant, and capable of surviving conditions that would quickly destroy most metals. The downside? It's also notoriously difficult to manufacture. Researchers have now demonstrated a new form of industrial 3D printing that could make producing … [Read more...] about Could 3D printing transform tungsten carbide manufacturing?
MIT advances photonic chip for next-generation lidar
Lidar has become one of the key technologies behind autonomous vehicles. By firing pulses of infrared light and measuring how long they take to return, it can build a detailed three-dimensional picture of the world around it, allowing vehicles to detect obstacles and respond in real time. The technology works well, but it comes at a cost. Many lidar systems rely on rotating … [Read more...] about MIT advances photonic chip for next-generation lidar