Engineering news
Electric plane takes flight
The Verge
The world’s first electric commercial aeroplane has flown. The retrofitted de Havilland Beaver used a 750-horsepower Magni500 electric propulsion system for the flight, which manufacturer MagniX and operator Harbour Air hope could lead the way towards emission-free commercial flight. The plane is limited to about 100-mile range (160km) owing to battery energy density, making it suitable for short flights only.
Kamikaze robot will ‘hug’ space junk out of orbit
Space.com
The European Space Agency will launch a robotic satellite aimed at tackling the growing space debris problem. The ClearSpace-1 will use four arms to grab a defunct satellite before pulling it towards Earth, destroying both of them.
Ultra-lightweight new material could capture carbon emissions
Professional Engineering
A lightweight and sustainable new material could make carbon capture and storage technology more accessible to industry, researchers have claimed. Scientists and engineers from Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University in Sweden developed the porous material, which reportedly has a high capture rate and low operating costs.
Chips could make driverless cars cheaper
E&T
Two companies have announced chip-based lidar (light detection and ranging) capabilities, a potentially important breakthrough for driverless cars. Autonomous vehicles use lidar to sense their surroundings, but currently rely on expensive mechanical systems. The chips could be significantly cheaper, helping bring down the price of driverless cars.
F1 tech could enable ‘needle-like’ thin skyscrapers
Professional Engineering
New vibration-control devices based on Formula 1 technology could enable "needle-like" high-rise skyscrapers, researchers have claimed. ‘Adaptive vibration suppression devices’ installed at the top of buildings would combine inerters similar to those used in suspension systems of Formula 1 cars with tuned mass dampeners.
Rocket booster makes sixth flight in a row
New Atlas
A Blue Origin New Shepard reusable rocket booster has made six consecutive missions, flying to an altitude of 106km on its mission this week. The booster reportedly had “minimal refurbishment” between flights, and will carry its first passengers next year.
Carbon-fibre bogie could reduce track wear
The Engineer
Coseley, ELG Carbon Fibre and Huddersfield University have unveiled a rail bogie made of recycled carbon fibre. Its creators said it could cut track wear and maintenance costs thanks to reduced weight compared to steel. It could also help reduce energy consumption.
’Pulsing’ charger could fill electric car batteries in minutes
New Atlas
A fast-charging system in development at Canadian firm GBatteries could offer much faster charging for electric cars. The charger would use an AI system to keep track of the battery’s impedance and other factors, deciding when to send ‘micro-pulses’ of constantly changing current.
Tiny endoscope captures images of neurons
The Engineer
Engineers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland have created a tiny lens-free endoscope that produces high-quality images of neurons thanks to a ‘coded aperture’, which randomly blocks light entering the endoscope but provides rich information. That information is then reconstructed into images.
Mollusc-style material could make flexible body armour
New Atlas
The overlapping shell of the chiton, a type of mollusc, has inspired a new material that could be used to create a flexible yet impact-resistant body armour. The material consists of overlapping 3D-printed scales, which are flexible as a whole but resistant to outside mechanical forces.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.