Through precise control of the etching process, an inventor in Oxford University’s Photofabrication Unit has made the reliable production of High Resolution Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) with conductors down to 10 µm wide more of a cost-effective reality.

With increasing demands for greater miniaturisation and the use of flexible circuitry, the need for improved fabrication methods for high resolution printed circuit boards is becoming more important. PCBs currently include conductors with

Micro-sensors, developed by the CEIT Technology Centre with the help of Gas de Euskadi, operate by detecting gas leaks and reducing the risks of poisoning through the inhalation of carbon monoxide gas.

Through research involving help from Gas de Euskadi, CEIT has developed a system based on micro-sensors that can detect domestic gas leaks. The increasing use of natural gas in homes, the future regulations for carbon monoxide detection in domestic situations and the growing demand for

An innovative engineering project could lead to fewer night-time accidents on badly lit roads.

It is developing a revolutionary way of assessing whether roads are equipped with appropriate levels of streetlighting.

The new assessment system is quicker, cheaper and more comprehensive than methods previously used. It can also help local authorities avoid the cost of unnecessary streetlight replacement.

The project is being carried out by engineers at Queen’s Univers

nnovationen aus der industriellen Gemeinschaftsforschung

Pro Jahr gehen in Deutschland etwa 22 Mio. Paar Kinderschuhe über die Ladentheke. Rund 30 Prozent davon stellen deutsche Firmen her. Neben seinem modischen Aussehen und seiner richtigen Passform ist die Fähigkeit zur Wärme- und Feuchtigkeitsregulation maßgeblich für den Komfort eines Schuhs. Die Füße sollen warm und trocken bleiben und vor äußeren Einwirkungen geschützt werden. Der Abtransport des Fußschweißes durch Socke und S

A unique University of Southern California design for self-organizing robots controlled by “hormonal” software is moving toward space.

At the Robosphere 2002 conference held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley November 14-15, Wei-Min Shen of the USC School of Engineering’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI) presented an overview of an audacious project to have pieces of the proposed half-mile-long Space Solar Power System satellite put themselves together–self-a

A European website designed to stimulate informed debate on future energy sources this week launches a multi-lingual survey to gauge public attitudes to, and knowledge of, crucial energy issues.

The INTUSER website (www.intuser.net) is a new on-line forum for both the general public and energy experts to communicate about energy issues – from nuclear power and global warming to alternative energy sources such as solar and wave power.

Renewable energy expert Robin Saunders, of the Un

Penn State acousticians have achieved proof of concept for a compact ice cream freezer case based on “green” technology that substitutes sound waves for environment-damaging chemical refrigerants.

Dr. Steven Garrett, the United Technologies Corporation professor of acoustics at Penn State, leads the research team conducting the project with financial support from Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever.

“In our proof-of-concept test system, there is no ’test freeze

The horse, a classic model of grace and speed on land, is now an unlikely source of inspiration for more efficient flight.

So says a group of University of Florida engineers who have recreated part of a unique bone in the horse’s leg with an eye toward lighter, stronger materials for planes and spacecraft.

The third metacarpus bone in the horse’s leg supports much of the force conveyed as the animal moves. One side of the cucumber-sized bone has a pea-sized hole whe

Process may lead to manufacture of nanoscale devices

A University at Buffalo engineer has developed a novel method for assembling nanoparticles into three-dimensional structures that one day may be used to produce new nanoscale tools and machines.

The work could be an important step in fulfilling the immense potential of nanotechnology because it gives scientists and engineers improved control and flexibility in the creation of materials for the manufacture of many nanoscale

Russian scientists of the Kovrov State Technology Academy have proposed a new technology for aluminium alloy welding based on using of two lasers. The first laser removes the oxide film by small portions from the surface of welded components, and the second laser executes the welding. Although the first phase lasts for about one millionth of a second, it is very important, since the refractory oxide film deteriorates the welding strength. The new method is also characterized by one more benefit: the

Airplane wings or railway rails are examples of mechanical components constantly submitted to stress. They consist of materials (metal alloys) with properties that may change under stress. To understand and improve such materials, it is essential to observe them on a microscopic scale. The ESRF and the ILL make today a step forward into looking deep inside engineering components. Thanks to the use of complementary neutron and synchrotron X-ray beams, these two centres offer a unique tool to measure s

The basque company SK10, which works in the integration of aeronautical structures, has given a significant step forward in its innovation range within compound materials of carbon fibre.

Recently, SK10 has signed with the company EADS-CASA a contract for the development, industrialisation and subsequent mass production of the leading edges of the horizontal stabiliser for the new aircraft Falcon F7X, of the French company DASSAULT.

The development of horizontal stabiliser

Tethered Robotic Sub Helps Engineers Refine Computerized Navigation, Control Systems

In a new indoor tank filled with almost 43,000 gallons of water, Johns Hopkins engineers are developing and testing computer control systems to serve as the “brains” for some of the world’s leading deep sea robotic exploration vehicles. To promote advances in underwater robotics, the Whiting School of Engineering recently constructed the circular hydrodynamics tank, 14 feet deep and 25 feet in diamet

The future of nanoelectronics looks promising. Built with nanotubes and various self-assembling molecular structures, this technology may revolutionize the electronic world by replacing the silicon transistor in approximately ten years.

Chemically synthesized nano building blocks are expected to replace semiconductor logic and memory devices and target niche applications over the next decade.

“In 20 to 50 years, we will likely see wide-ranging use of self-assembly,” says Technical I

Researchers in the Materials Sciences Division (MSD) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working with crystal-growing teams at Cornell University and Japan’s Ritsumeikan University, have learned that the band gap of the semiconductor indium nitride is not 2 electron volts (2 eV) as previously thought, but instead is a much lower 0.7 eV.

The serendipitous discovery means that a single system of alloys incorporating indium, gallium, and nitrogen can convert virtually the full spectru

A research team of the Public University of Navarre (Basque Country), under the supervision of professors Jesus Zurita Gabasa and Jesus Mª Pintor Borobia, from the department of Mechanical, Energetic and Materials Engineering, is working in a project to improve and optimise vibrating tables that are used in the agri-foodstuffs sector. The project is being done by the request of the company Tecnologia Alimentaria Urtasun from Navarre (Basque Country) , manufacturer of this kind of machinery.