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February 21, 2013

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Essential news for the global engineering community

Today's Tech Buzz

Human-like ear produced with cartilage, 3D printer
Using cow cartilage, scientists have created an ear with a 3D printer in a step further along the road to eventually producing custom human body parts and organs. The child's ear was created with the help of a 3D camera that rotates rapidly around the head to gather the necessary data. The technology in the future could allow "us to rapidly customize implants for whoever needs them," said Cornell biomedical engineer Lawrence Bonassar, who co-authored the Cornell research published online in the journal PLoS One. The Detroit News/The Associated Press (2/21) , Philippine Daily Inquirer/Agence France-Presse (2/21)

Global Window

Irish students seek savings with lighter-weight rocket-fuel tanks
Thermoplastic composite materials for rocket fuel tanks are the subject of research by Ph.D students in mechanical engineering at Ireland's NUI Galway. The new material could significantly lower the weight of the tanks, thus reducing launch costs for both commercial and exploratory missions. Silicon Republic (Ireland) (2/21)

U.K.'s first hand transplant recipient gains sensation
The recipient of the U.K.'s first hand transplant says fingernails on both hands are growing at the same rate, and he appears to be gaining sensation in the new hand. Plastic surgeons removed the man's nonfunctioning hand during the transplant operation to facilitate nerve reconstruction. The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model) (2/19)

Innovations & Trends

Mars rover prepares to analyze rock sample
The Mars Curiosity rover is preparing to process a sample of rock powder retrieved after drilling a hole into bedrock that scientists believe was formed by water. NASA scientists are hoping to learn more about any possible organic matter that may have existed on the Red Planet. "The rocks in this area have a really rich geologic history and they have the potential to give us information about multiple interactions of water and rock," said Joel Hurowitz, a scientist working with the rover. Reuters (2/20) , Space.com (2/20)

Landing rover on Mars: No margin for error in 7 minutes of terror


Source: Industryweek

The engineers behind the successful landing of the Curiosity rover near Mars' equator last year recount the difficulty of the mission and its enormous complexity, all with no margin for error. Among other things, the seven minutes it takes for communications to reach Mars meant that computers had to operate independently to safely guide the probe from orbit at 13,000 mph to a safe and stable landing using a heat shield, a giant parachute and a crane supported by rockets. IndustryWeek (2/20)

Transocean rig reaches water depth record
Transocean's drilling rig operating off the Indian coast set a new record for the deepest water depth made by such units. The company's Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 reached a depth of 10,385 feet, which is 191 feet more than the record it set in 2011. United Press International (2/20)

Honda finds way to join aluminum, steel
Reduced vehicle weight should be the result of three new technologies from Honda that allow the joining of steel and aluminum. In its first application in door panels on Honda's Acura RLX, total weight has been reduced 17%. Environmental Leader (2/20)

Side benefit of Air Force research may "transform supercomputing"
Computer architecture that improves energy performance will be the key as the Air Force looks to accelerate its simulations of planned unmanned micro air vehicles. Wu Feng, associate professor of computer science in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been awarded the contract, and he plans to do the research with an energy-conserving, multi- and many-core parallel strategy that he says will "transform supercomputing." Government Computer News (2/20)

Study of microstructures could lead to designer fluids


Source: ASME.org

Fluids that look similar can flow and behave with marked differences, sometimes even acting more like solids, an observation that Paulo Arratia, associate professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, says has long captured his interest. Arratia says his research has revealed that the differences can be accounted for by the various liquids' microstructures, a fact that may lead to fluids that can be custom designed to serve in an array of applications. ASME.org (2/1)

Leadership & Development

Students get STEM training through Raytheon
During Raytheon's daylong "Engineering is Awesome" program Monday in southern Arizona, students got a chance to see science, engineering, math and technology principles at work in robots, missiles, and electron microscopes -- and Raytheon got a chance to encourage the students who could become its future engineers. High-school students from around the region took part in the event, held at Raytheon Missile Systems' airport plant, and many said they came away inspired to study engineering. "You get a really good idea of what you're looking forward to," said high-school senior Charlotte Mitchell. Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (2/19)

ASME News

Top nanomedicine experts meet in Boston
More than 350 people attended ASME’s 2nd Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology (NEMB 2013), a three-day conference that was held in Boston this month. Nearly a third of the attendees were from Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Iran, Israel, Libya and Singapore. Read more.

ASME student mechanisms and robotics contest deadline soon
The ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition offers an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their abilities in designing mechanisms and robots. The deadline for submitting a letter of intent to join the competition is March 15. Get the details.

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