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.

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168 episodes
Updated Oct 22, 2024

Episodes168

Newest first

Aug 17, 2021 · 5 min
Super Clean Water from Cooling Towers and Grid-Scale Battery Storage Doubles as Frequency Control
Electrostatics have long been a high-efficiency technology for removing pollutants from the air, from residential air cleaners to the electrostatic precipitators in coal-fired power plants. A new use for this technology has been developed by an MIT spinoff that promises to capture water vapour emitted by industrial and commercial cooling towers. Captured water is pure enough to be practical for human consumption or as boiler feed water for generating plants. Battery storage of electrical power is an essential part of intermittent clean energy systems like photovoltaics and wind turbines. But batteries can have a secondary and equally important purpose: grid forming. Frequency control of large AC grids can be difficult with multiple generating sources and varying loads across a system. With advanced computer control of inverters, battery storage systems can act as a frequency regulator in large grid systems, forming an electrical equivalent of the large rotating inertial mass of a mechanical generator. Technology makes battery storage for grid purposes both more useful and cost-effective. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Aug 2, 2021 · 6 min
New Nuclear Breaks Ground and Ford, Argo and Lyft Team UP for Self Driving
Thorium is long been considered a safer, better alternative than uranium for fission based nuclear power projects. Molten salt designs promise all the nonproliferation benefits of thorium, plus simpler, more cost-effective reactor designs combined with intrinsic safety. But the Chinese and the US have started work on molten salt reactor projects the promise to take this promising technology out of the lab and onto the grid. The autonomous driving space is fluid and dynamic, but a few major players are surfacing as leaders in the race to Level 5. Cruz, Waymo and Tesla are the most quoted, but a new partnership between Ford, Lyft and Argo AI to deploy self driving cabs in American cities promises to shake up the race. The combination promises synergies similar to the Tesla approach: Ford supplies the vehicles and service support, Argo AI the court technology, and Lyft provides scheduling, billing and cloud connected data infrastructure. The result may be more than just self driving, but a new way for automakers to monetize Level 4/5 systems. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jul 19, 2021 · 4 min
Branson Beats Bezos and Musk to Space and German Automakers Guilty in Collusion Scheme
In the billionaires’ space race, Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos have been vying to be the first to fly into space. Branson has won the impromptu contest, flying into suborbital space aboard the VSS Unity, as part of a test crew to validate Virgin Galactic’s commercial flight service before public operations. Bezos is scheduled to fly on a Blue Origin rocket on July 20, and although SpaceX has been flying astronauts to the International Space Station since 2020, Elon Musk will not make his first trip to space aboard a Falcon 9, but will be one of the first paying customers for Branson’s new service. In a landmark ruling, the European commission has levied a substantial fine, over $1 billion, to three major German automakers over a scheme to collude in engineering development of selective catalytic reduction emissions systems for diesel engines. Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen were involved, although Daimler’s fine was waived because the firm came forward in the case. There are potentially serious legal implications for automotive and engineering design in general if the ruling becomes a precedent. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jul 12, 2021 · 5 min
New Tabletop Fusion Technology, Mobile Robotics Standardizes and Contact Lenses for the Ears
Nuclear fusion has been the Holy Grail of power generation for over half a century. The promise is considerable: clean, essentially limitless energy. Multiple approaches to sustained nuclear fusion have been tried and are currently in research, from giant multibillion-dollar tokomaks to mechanically induced shockwave driven liquid metal devices. Colorado-based Electric Fusion Systems claims that a new proprietary fuel combined with a relatively simple electric discharge device can create very low-cost electricity directly from fusion reactions, without nuclear waste. Hearing loss is a serious global problem, one that is growing as Western populations age. Conventional hearing aid technology is limited by the fundamental part of his system: the transducer. Speaker technology based on coils has distinct limitations, but a Mannheim, Germany based startup, Vibrosonic, has developed a piezoelectric speaker element the firm calls a “hearing contact lens” which rests directly on the user’s eardrum. Direct stimulation combined with a very wide frequency response means enhanced understanding of speech for wearers of the new device. Mobile robots are now commonplace in large industrial and warehousing operations but are still largely limited to the jobs formally performed by forklift trucks. A major problem in widespread adoption is finding a way to get robotics from different vendors to communicate with each other, allowing different robots doing different functions to operate seamlessly in a complex factory environment. Industry incubator MassRobotics has released a preliminary set of industry standards that will form a basis for future open-source communications protocols to enable effective use of mobile robotics across multiple industries. The development team included engineers from major robot manufacturers as well as influential end-users such as Procter & Gamble and DHL. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jun 30, 2021 · 6 min
GE Supplies Turnkey Powerplant to Australia, New Solar Manufacturing in Ohio, and Mazda’s One-Size-Fits-All Platform Strategy
General Electric has announced an Australian project to supply a turnkey powerplant with unique multifuel capability. The gas turbine plant will be capable of operating on natural gas and hydrogen blends, with hydrogen enrichment ranging from 5% to 100%. The novel powerplant will be supported by state and federal programs and the power utility has committed to purchasing green hydrogen gas with the goal of full decarbonization by 2050. First Solar is a grid scale photovoltaic manufacturer that specializes in cadmium telluride thin-film technology. The company has announced a huge 1.2 million square-foot factory to be built in Ohio to manufacture the modules using advanced automation, machine to machine communication and the Industrial Internet of Things to ultimately make modules a rate of one every three seconds. The investment comes at a time when continued importation of Chinese made crystalline silicon modules is uncertain. Mazda has traditionally done things differently in the automotive industry, and the firm’s new implementation of the company’s long-range plan, Sustainable Zoom- Zoom 2030, uses a daring approach: a common platform for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EV’s. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jun 22, 2021 · 6 min
GE Aviation & Safran to Develop Open Fan Jet Engines, Chinese EVs in Norway, and GM Hydrogen Fuel Cells Power Clean Trains
The General Electric/Safran partnership CFM International has been renewed to 2050, and the company has announced a game changing engine program that promises to deliver 20% lower CO2 emissions compared to current state-of-the-art turbofans. The engine will use advanced materials and notably, an open rotor design. High bypass turbofans may yet give way to propellers. BYD has made the first move in the long-awaited entry of Chinese electric vehicle makers into Western markets. 100 Tang SUVs have been shipped to Norway, which is emerging as the European testing ground for new vehicles on the continent. If BYD succeeds, they may open the floodgates for multiple Chinese brands in an already crowded market. General Motors and railway equipment heavyweight Wabtec have joined forces to build a hydrogen fuel cell powered locomotive. The green initiative will use GM Ultium batteries currently under development with LG and slated for production at a joint-venture factory in Tennessee. Fuel-cell modules be produced by a GM Honda JV. If it works, the new powerplant might change the paradigm in electric railway and urban transit design. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jun 14, 2021 · 5 min
VW Diesel Scandal Strikes Back, Boeing's Drone MQ-25 Refuels F/A-18 Hornet in Flight and is Keystone XL Dead Forever?
Volkswagen has taken the unusual step of going after the firm’s former board members involved in the diesel emissions scandal. Several key figures, led by former chief executive Martin Winterkorn, will pay millions of euros to Volkswagen to settle claims around their involvement in the emissions cheating scheme. Volkswagen’s insurer will take the biggest hit, over €270 million. In an aviation first, a Boeing MQ – 25 Stingray drone has operated in an air-to-air refuelling role, offloading fuel to a manned F/A-18 Hornet. The buddy tanking procedure used standard Navy equipment and the transfer was made at what Boeing calls “operationally relevant altitudes and speeds”. The on-again, off-again Keystone XL pipeline project, intended to carry Canadian oil sands derived crude to American refineries, has been officially cancelled by the Canadian firm spearheading the project. The formal cancellation comes after the January revocation of Pres. Biden’s presidential permit, reversing Pres. Trump’s prior reversal of Pres. Obama’s 2016 cancellation. Is Keystone dead? It would appear so, but the project has been through this before. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jun 8, 2021 · 5 min
JBS Meat Processor Cyber-Attacked, Sustainable Pirelli Tires and Auto Chip Shortage Worsens
In another cyber-attack on critical American industry, meat processing major JBS suffered an attack which shut down several meat processing plants in the US, Canada and Australia. At its worst, the attack stopped 20% of US beef production. Russian hackers are suspected. Italian tire maker Pirelli has introduced a low rolling resistance tire for hybrid SUVs that uses latex harvested with sustainable forestry practices, signaling a new definition of “green” in the tire industry. And as the semiconductor shortage becomes a full-blown crisis in the auto industry, the major auto manufacturers association has teamed with a major semiconductor industry association to call on the Biden Administration the speed passage of the Chips for America Act. In the meantime, the industry will likely be affected until the third quarter at least. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Jun 1, 2021 · 5 min
Graphene Reinforced Concrete, Denso and Honeywell Team Up for Electric Air Taxis and Peloton Opens a US Factory
The UK-based University of Manchester and Nationwide Engineering have test poured a commercial concrete slab using a mix reinforced with graphene instead of the usual rebar, and the results show 30% better strength per unit volume, and an unexpected benefit: lower CO2 emissions. Automotive Tier 1 heavyweight Denso Corporation has formed an alliance with aerospace systems supplier Honeywell to develop electric propulsion systems for a new generation of urban air mobility vehicles. The partnership is expected to combine Denso’s high-volume automotive mass production expertise with Honeywell’s extensive experience in aircraft power systems to produce certified hardware at unit costs low enough to make autonomous air vehicles a practical proposition. Exercise equipment maker Peloton has announced that the firm will open its own US manufacturing facility in Troy, Ohio. Built on a 200-acre campus, combined facilities will cover over 1,000,000 ft.² and will give the company supply certainty at an unusual time for the company: unprecedented demand, combined with disrupted supply from the firm’s traditional Asian manufacturing base. The new plant will join two other smaller factories acquired by Peloton in December of 2020. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
May 25, 2021 · 5 min
Nord Stream 2 is Go For Natural Gas, Mahle Changes EV Motor Technology and Boeing Builds Faster, Digitally
The Biden Administration has quietly dropped a key sanction that both Democrats and Republicans have been using to block the completion of the Russia to Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. While the administration has announced that their opposition to the line continues, it’s scheduled to be completed by mid-summer. Automotive Tier One major Mahle has developed a new type of electric traction motor for EV use, one that promises low cost, very high efficiency and critically, no expensive permanent magnets. The technology does away with slip rings or brushes using an AC inductive pickup to pass power to rotor mounted electromagnets. Boeing has demonstrated the superiority of model-based engineering with a lightning fast 30-minute splice between fuselage sections on the new T–7A Red Hawk jet trainer. Dramatic improvements in build quality and assembly time suggest that match drilling and splicing may become as obsolete as dope and fabric. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
May 19, 2021 · 6 min
Hackers Cripple Gasoline Supplies, Covid Vaccine IP in Question and Commercial Robotaxi Operations are Ready to Go
The mysterious cyber-attack on the Colonial gasoline pipeline this week created something unseen in America since the late 1970s: gas lines at filling stations. Panic buying appears to have made the problem much worse, and critical infrastructure that’s cloud connected is now under the microscope. With the Biden Administration and other world governments examining the possibility of removing intellectual property protection from Covid vaccine makers, a WTO agreement that has existed for 25 years has been widely ignored. It may offer a way to increased production. Cruise is now joined Waymo in a formal request from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to operate paid Robotaxi services in the Bay Area. If approved, this could be the beginning of the end for the taxi driver. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
May 12, 2021 · 6 min
NASCAR leaps into the 21st century, Baidu launches robotaxis in Beijing and Paying hackers to crack the Pentagon
NASCAR is America’s favorite motorsport, but it has been historically resistant to change. With the launch of their Next Gen car, the sanctioning body has moved in a single leap from steel bodied, solid axle 1980s technology to full modern race car technology. Baidu’s Apollo AI business has launched a robotaxi system in Beijing, using factory equipped luxury cars in one of the future venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Combined with a larger, integrated traffic control system, Baidu hopes to take the lead in self driving technology. With millions of lines of code in most systems, making websites and databases secure is a major headache for the Pentagon. A new initiative from the Department of Defense aims to use a different approach: pay hackers to attack systems to find weaknesses. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
May 5, 2021 · 6 min
Chip Shortages Continue, Heavy Equipment Makers Post-COVID Optimistic and the EV Battery Arms Race
With the combination of Covid 19 related supply chain disruptions and a major fire at a critical supplier, Ford Motor Company is reporting that the shortage of semiconductors will result in 50% production setback in the second quarter. To compensate, the company is moving to an online sales model with lower dealer inventory levels. The heavy equipment industry is an important leading indicator for overall economic health, and a new survey of senior management in the off-the-road sector shows high levels of optimism for 2021, especially if the Biden Administration follows through on infrastructure spending plans. And industry heavyweight ABB has commissioned a report on electric vehicle battery supply chains that suggests a global arms race is developing between Asia, Europe and America. The winner may determine the future of global automobile production. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
May 5, 2021 · 7 min
How Star Wars Inspires Engineers to Design Medical Devices and Radar Technology
Engineers can find inspiration anywhere. Past designs, nature and scientific breakthroughs are great fodder for these new ideas. However, one of the oldest sources for the dreams we have of tomorrow is the art of science fiction. On today’s special May the 4th episode, we see how engineers can dream up future technologies to expand the quality of life for the differently abled. Obvious examples are prosthetics, like Luke Skywalker’s hand. But Vader’s suit reminds us that not all disabilities are visible. These conditions can also benefit from new technologies. Then, we learn about Jared Hansen, manager of Electronics Engineering Solutions at Rand Simulation. He was inspired to discover if the Rebel Alliance could use ground radar to track Tie Fighter attacks. In doing so, he stumbled upon something that correlates to the technology behind a famous stealth bomber! See what he found in this video. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.
Apr 27, 2021 · 5 min
Self-Flying Cargo Planes, GM Builds Another EV Battery Factory and Manufacturing Roars Back
Robotic drone delivery for small parcels and last mile applications are in development everywhere these days, and major air framers like Boeing have been working on cockpit automation for decades, but what about the space in between? California startup Xwing has demonstrated fully autonomous gate to gate operation of a Cessna 208 cargo aircraft, a type commonly used for short intercity light cargo operations. The technology may fill the gap between heavy lift between major hubs and local door-to-door delivery. General Motors has pressed the gas pedal on electric vehicle development with the announcement of second large battery factory in conjunction with LG. The big new plant, located next to the Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly operation will create packs for automobiles and light trucks, and will support Spring Hill as GM’s third electric vehicle assembly complex. And, over a year into the Covid 19 global crisis, supply chains everywhere are strained. American manufacturing however is enjoying steady growth, and this week the Institute for Supply Management reports that April is the 10th consecutive month of steady growth, despite serious issues in commodity pricing and logistics. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.
Apr 21, 2021 · 6 min
Geosynchronous Satellite Servicing, Cryo Keeps CMOS Chip Technology Alive and Level 4 Autonomous Delivery Services Street Ready
Communication satellites orbit 22,000 miles above the earth to provide wide area coverage as the earth rotates. That’s a long way up, and once solid propellants are depleted, orienting the spacecraft becomes impossible and the satellite is retired. Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a new robotic service satellite that attaches to communication satellites to provide orientation and extend their service life. The result could be lower broadband costs for millions of users. Moore’s Law has been around for half a century, in the end of transistor density and computer chips has been predicted for decades. Real physical limits do exist, but a new project from the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency promises to give CMOS technology new life in high-performance computing applications. The key is cryogenics, with new forms of MOSFET operating at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The agency is opening the research to commercial participation. Autonomous driving technology continues to advance, with Intel’s Mobileye inking a deal to create a large fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles with Silicon Valley-based Udelv. The project promises to create a large fleet of self driving delivery vehicles optimized for last mile service, in response to the dramatic increase in online shopping brought about by Covid 19. The project plans on 35,000 vehicles in use by 2028. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.
Apr 13, 2021 · 5 min
Rolls Royce Builds the World’s Biggest Turbofan, Additive Replaces Landing Gear Forgings and New Life for Space Shuttle Engines
Rolls Royce has started construction of the world’s largest turbofan engine, called UltraFan. The 140-inch diameter fan of the engine is not only a record, but will help the engine achieve a 25 percent lower fuel burn than existing designs of similar thrust. Reduction gearing keeps blade tip velocities manageable and advanced digital twin technology tracks the history of each blade. NASA’s Space Shuttle Main Engines were state of the art thirty years ago, and today, they’re the basis for the upgraded power plants that will lift the Space Launch System to the moon. Modern technology at Aerojet Rocketdyne has reduced the manufacturing cost of the engines by 30 percent while increasing power. Additive manufacturing is making bigger and bigger parts today and SAFRAN has built an entire jet nose landing gear rough casting using an SLM process in titanium powder. The big part is 15 percent lighter than conventional forging and promises to change the way this critical part is made in the future. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.
Apr 6, 2021 · 5 min
Saab Flies the First 3D Printed Battle Damage Repair Part and New Technology for Grid Decarbonization: Artificial Intelligence
Swedish airplane maker Saab has tested a new application for 3D printing: aircraft battle damage repair. Using a Gripen jet fighter as a test subject, the company has flown an external access panel 3D printed from an engineering grade of nylon, with good results. The company worked from a part scan, rather than a CAD file and hopes to make the process portable for field use in austere conditions. Energy is also in the news this week. The World Economic Forum is a bellwether institution for the impact of future technology, and they are reporting that artificial intelligence is the inevitable technology for electric grid decarbonization, as systems move away from large central power plants and towards energy consumers who also generate power. According to the report, what’s lacking is a well understood regulatory framework that will allow millions of electricity generators to use national grids as a form of virtual storage battery. Grid scale storage won’t disappear, but real time load and capacity control is coming, whether the world is ready, or not. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.
Mar 30, 2021 · 6 min
Piggyback Aircraft for Inter-City Travel, VW Doubles Down on EV Batteries and Blue Ammonia from CO2
Two former SpaceX engineers have formed a startup to develop a composite, piggyback air transportation system that combines vertical takeoff drones with fixed wing aircraft for downtown-to-downtown intercity transportation. It’s all electrically powered, but can it really work? Also this week, Volkswagen has placed a massive 14 billion-dollar order with Sweden’s Northvolt that will result in a major expansion in EV cell production. The deal will involve a deeper investment from VW in Northvolt and a takeover of battery manufacturing by Volkswagen. And finally, reducing atmospheric CO2 can be approached in two ways: emit less or reduce what’s already in the atmosphere. A major oil exploration services company and a new energy tech firm have joined forces to convert CO2 into useful ammonia and do it profitably. The results could work hand-in-hand with electrification and keep the fossil fuel industry relevant without worsening climate change. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.
Mar 23, 2021 · 5 min
GE Makes a Massive Turbine Blade, the World’s First Liquid Hydrogen Cargo Ship, and Hybrid Power for Airplanes
Thermal power generation is all about converting heat into rotational motion, and for grid scale generation that means steam turbines. Scaling factors matter in turbine efficiency, and General Electric has delivered a new record in single blade low pressure turbine technology with a 75-inch blade. It will be used in very large steam turbines to be installed in the British Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. Liquid hydrogen is notoriously difficult to store and transport, both due to the extremely cold temperatures required, and the propensity of the tiny hydrogen molecule to diffuse through most barrier materials. Kawasaki Heavy Industries has commissioned the world's first bulk LH2 carrier, which will be used in a new green supply chain initiative to deliver coal derived hydrogen from Australia to Kobe Japan. Could this be the start of a new renaissance for coal, with a green twist? Battery electric aircraft are hobbled by very poor range performance with current battery technology. Could hybrid power plants bridge the gap between turboprops and pure electrics? Honeywell has developed a lightweight turbogenerator system that may give small regional airliners and vertical takeoff air taxis the range and reserve requirements needed to make electric flight a practical proposition. Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on Engineering TV along with all of our other series.