This Week in Engineering

Engineering.com

This Week in Engineering explores the latest innovations and tech trends in engineering from academia, government, and industry. We cover topics in energy, transportation, aerospace, manufacturing, infrastructure, and much more.

New episodes uploaded weekly.

You can also watch these podcasts as videos on engineering.com TV: https://www.engineering.com/viewAll?category=this-week-in-engineering

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168 episodes
Updated Oct 22, 2024

Episodes168

Newest first

Sep 26, 2023 · 3 min
Why is LEGO Abandonning the Recycled Plastic Project?
This summer, the legendary Danish toy manufacturer LEGO announced a breakthrough: lasting bricks made from recycled PET, derived from soda bottles. The research project was considerable, requiring a staff of 150 working through 250 different plastic compositions to create a recycled plastic brick that met LEGO’s tough quality standards. Although an engineering success, the company announced the suspension of the project, as an analysis of the carbon footprint of the recycling process showed no net benefit compared to oil-derived plastic resin. The company is switching research efforts to versions of resin derived from e-methanol, feedstock made from waste CO2 and hydrogen. Made from hydrogen derived from electrolysis powered by clean energy, this could prove to be truly zero carbon polymer resin. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Sep 20, 2023 · 2 min
DARPA To Develop Wireless Power Beaming Technology
Wireless optical power relays may revolutionize energy distribution. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Sep 12, 2023 · 3 min
An Opposed Piston Engine with No Crankshaft
The perfection of the internal combustion engine has been sought for almost 150 years. In the process, some innovative and downright odd designs have emerged. Granada, Spain-based INNengine has developed an innovative opposed piston design that does away with crankshafts, replacing them with rotary cam tracks, the pistons functioning in a way similar to roller lifters in pushrod overhead valve engines. Mechanical simplicity and light weight are major advantages, as is a unique advantage offered by the cam system: variable compression ratio. The company has prototypes running now, and is developing engines for both automotive and aviation use. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Aug 29, 2023 · 3 min
Space-Based 5G Networks: The End of Cellular?
Space-based Internet connectivity as a retail product was pioneered by Elon Musk’s Starlink and players such as Amazon, as well as dedicated space data startups, are clamoring to fill the skies with small sat networks to provide direct-to-home data. Barcelona-based Satelliot plans to take this concept to the next level, with 5G connectivity from orbit that operates seamlessly with existing terrestrial 5G networks currently using cell phone technology. In principle, the system will allow seamless high-speed data access to smart phones and handheld devices using existing carrier companies, Sim cards and the same smart phones in use today. The development of this 5G technology is spurred by autonomous vehicles, which are expected to be widely connected and generate staggering amounts of data: Nokia predicts that autonomous driving will generate data at 4 TB per hour. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Aug 22, 2023 · 3 min
Cheaper, Mass Produced Hydrogen Fuel Cells, From a Familiar Technology
Hydrogen fuel cell stacks have been produced commercially since the 1960s, mainly for military and space exploration tasks. Handmade, delicate and expensive, the mass production problem has been a major inhibitor to the widespread adoption of fuel cells as a mass-market power source. U.K.-based Bramble Energy has developed a manufacturing technique for hydrogen fuel cell stacks that uses an existing and well-optimized technology in the electronics industry: printed circuit manufacturing. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Aug 15, 2023 · 3 min
Boom Supersonic Nears Demonstrator First Flight
The XB-1 will pave the way for commercial supersonic flight, but challenges remain. Regularly scheduled, commercial supersonic flight became a reality half a century ago with Concorde, but the high costs associated with supersonic aircraft technology doomed the project to commercial failure, despite its engineering excellence. Boom Supersonic is moving forward with an 80-seat composite faster-than-sound airliner using proprietary engines. Developing a novel airframe and engine both in-house is ambitious for any startup, but Boom h that is cheap that you help me of the sentence as commitments from three major airlines and has begun construction of a production facility in North Carolina. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jul 31, 2023 · 3 min
Vinfast Moves Fast on EV Production
How long does it take to become a major automaker? Vietnam founded and Singapore-based Vinfast has rocketed from a well financed startup in 2017 to a significant producer of electric vehicles. Vinfast has now announced that the company has started construction of a four-billion-dollar US production facility in North Carolina. Production is expected to begin in 2025. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jul 25, 2023 · 3 min
Is the U.S. Power Grid Vulnerable to Chinese Attack?
Cluster munitions, frequently called “cluster bombs,” have an engineering history that dates back to World War II, when the German Air Force used the weapon against Allied civilian and military targets. As the name implies, cluster munitions are canisters of anywhere from a handful to several thousand small explosives which are designed to scatter widely and explode over a very large area. Unexploded submunitions, however, may remain dangerous for months or years after a battle. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jul 18, 2023 · 3 min
What Makes Cluster Bombs Controversial?
Cluster munitions, frequently called “cluster bombs,” have an engineering history that dates back to World War II, when the German Air Force used the weapon against Allied civilian and military targets. As the name implies, cluster munitions are canisters of anywhere from a handful to several thousand small explosives which are designed to scatter widely and explode over a very large area. Unexploded submunitions, however, may remain dangerous for months or years after a battle. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jul 11, 2023 · 3 min
Was the OceanGate Sub Implosion an Engineering Failure?
The catastrophic loss of OceanGate’s Titan submersible with all hands aboard has triggered widespread speculation regarding the cause of the accident. Inadequate design, insufficient testing and the use of carbon fiber as a structural material have all been suggested as contributing factors. Carbon fiber is a well-characterized material that is strong and light, making it a favourite for weight-critical applications in aerospace. Its use in the much less weight-sensitive application of subsea exploration may have more to do with the way composite pressure vessels are built, rather than weight or performance. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jul 4, 2023 · 2 min
Flying Cars Are Coming Sooner Than You Think
Flying taxis are one of the most widely anticipated technologies in aviation, but it’s a very difficult problem to solve. Safety, cost, range and environmental considerations have delayed development by decades, but a new generation of e-VTOLs, combined with advanced engineering tools and materials, suggests that this may be changing. At the 2023 Paris Air Show, one of the companies developing this technology, Supernal, announced partnerships designed to develop the aircraft and the technology to mass produce the aircraft concurrently. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jun 27, 2023 · 3 min
New EV Battery Developments Add Range, Reduce Weight
Current lithium-ion battery technology is limited by physics and economics. Lithium-based batteries are heavy, expensive to produce and are relatively slow to charge. A new silicon nanowire anode technology developed by Amprius Technologies promises to deliver lithium-ion batteries with double the gravimetric and volumetric power density of current systems. The solution to the cost problem is to use an alternate battery chemistry. BYD battery business unit FinDreams plans to do just that with the first large-scale sodium ion battery production plant, planned for Jiangsu province in China. Sodium ion batteries are lower in performance, but are much more cost-effective compared to lithium alternatives. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jun 20, 2023 · 3 min
Automation, AI and Reshoring: Inflation and Interests Rates Won’t Stop Growth
With a chronic industrial labor shortage in America, combined with climbing interest rates and high inflation, the challenges for American manufacturing are increasing. Geopolitical conflict with Russia, strained relations with China and the emergence of artificial intelligence are adding even more uncertainty. For the automation sector however, these challenges present a golden opportunity for a major revamp of the how, why and where of American manufacturing. Association for Advancing Automation CEO Jeff Burnstein makes the case for a bright future, in conversation with Jim Anderton at Automate 2023 in Detroit. https://www.engineering.com/story/automation-ai-and-reshoring-inflation-and-interests-rates-wont-stop-growth?fromID=267 * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jun 13, 2023 · 3 min
Uber Eats Rolls Out 2,000 Meal Delivery Robots
Autonomously guided vehicles, or AGVs, are now common in warehouses and factories. Soon, they may be on city streets, delivering fast food and gourmet meals to homes by Uber Eats, Pizza Hut, 7-11 and others. Can small delivery robots reliably get time-sensitive deliveries like fast food to consumers as efficiently as human delivery drivers? We’ll know soon. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jun 6, 2023 · 4 min
Ford EV’s to Charge at Tesla Superchargers
Standardization is important for the widespread adoption of any mass consumer technology. The Edison lamp base is an example, as is the standardized shape and form of gasoline and diesel fuel pump nozzles worldwide. Electric vehicle charging has yet to develop a single global standard, and the two largest currently are Tesla’s NACS and CCS, which are used by the majority of other electric vehicle makers. Ford has taken a significant step in incorporating Tesla supercharger locations into the company’s charging network for Mustang, F-150 and Transit electric vehicles. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jun 1, 2023 · 3 min
GM Recalls a Million Vehicles Over Airbag Inflators
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalled almost a million GM midsized SUVs due to defective airbag inflators. According to NHTSA, deployment of the airbags may propel metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment, causing possible injury or death. The manufacturer of the modules, ARC Automotive, has rejected the government allegations. The company argues that single-digit failures in parts manufactured in quantities of million or more represent a sample size statistically too small to justify wholesale replacement. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
May 1, 2023 · 2 min
SpaceX Explosion: Was the Launch Pad a Factor?
Since the V-2 rockets of World War II, it’s been axiomatic in large rocketry that a flame deflector is necessary below booster engines to reduce the risk of damage to the launch pad and the booster. Last week’s launch of the SpaceX Starship used no deflector, and post-launch pad damage was extensive. Several booster engines failed shortly after launch, possibly as a result of debris, thermal and acoustic effects. Future launches will likely feature a flame deflector, water deluge system, or both. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Apr 25, 2023 · 3 min
NYC Garage Collapse Puts Spotlight on Construction and Materials
The collapse of a parking garage in lower Manhattan has thrown a spotlight on the structural integrity of older reinforced concrete buildings and bridges in the U.S.. The site is left with unstable partial walls and multiple damaged vehicles which represent an environmental hazard due to fuel, lubricants and coolants. Although the collapse occurred with little warning, a forensic engineering study should reveal the the cause in due time. But the building had been cited for cracks in concrete by municipal authorities a decade ago. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable
Apr 18, 2023 · 4 min
Will New EPA Rules Kill the Internal Combustion Engine?
The Environmental Protection Agency has been setting U.S. motor vehicle emissions standards for over half a century, and in the process has reduced the output of unburned hydrocarbons, particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide by several orders of magnitude since the unregulated engines of the 1950s. Today, however, the Biden Administration is proposing a set of rules that include strict CO2 emissions limits. With no technical way to remediate CO2 emissions from internal combustion engines, the rules may set the stage for the eventual elimination of gasoline and diesel-powered cars and light trucks. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable
Apr 12, 2023 · 2 min
Woven Micro Pumps for Wearable Fluid Technology
Circulating of fluid through woven into a garment was used successfully during the Apollo moon landings to regulate the astronauts’ body temperature. A new development by researchers at Switzerland-based École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne has resulted in miniature tube pumps in the form of fibers that allow high-pressure fluidic circuits to be woven into textiles without an external pump. Pressure and flow are created by electrohydrodynamics, propelling ions in a special dielectric fluid. No external mechanical pump is needed, so the system could be used to create advanced devices for simulation, or potentially as an assistive exoskeleton. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable