Engineering News Round-Up 3
Welcome to the Omnia Manufacturing weekly aggregation of news articles, scientific journal releases, current research, and events that have been published recently. If you would like to see your research, article, event, or some other piece of news here, please send me a message here:
Mechanical Engineering
Diabolical ironclad beetles inspire tougher joints for engineering applications
The splendidly named diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus, Fig. 1) has an impressively tough exoskeleton — allowing it to survive attacks from predators, being stomped on by hikers and even being run over by cars. Writing in Nature, Rivera et al.1 reveal the secret of this beetle’s crush resistance. Using a combination of advanced microscopy, mechanical testing and computer simulations, the authors find that layered, jigsaw-like joints and a variety of support structures connect the various parts of the exoskeleton, accounting for its toughness.
Innovation spins spider web architecture into 3D imaging technology
The Purdue researchers used some architectural features from spider webs to develop the technology. Spider webs typically provide excellent mechanical adaptability and damage-tolerance against various mechanical loads such as storms.
Electrical Engineering
Student Turns Old Polaroid Into New Digital Camera
Like any aspiring do-it-yourselfer, Sam Zeloof knew the idea in his head might not exactly match the finished product. But Zeloof is an aspiring engineer who’s not afraid to try something new, and a quarantine is a fine time to try new things.
Aerospace Engineering
Firefly Aerospace Signs Launch Agreements with Spire, Geometric Space
Launch and in-space service provider Firefly Aerospace was contracted by imagery and sensing satellite operator Spire Global to send multiple Lemur spacecraft into orbit on Firefly’s Alpha rocket spread out over multiple missions. Spire and Firefly have not publicly announced launch dates or disclosed the length of the contract. Firefly is targeting the inaugural flight of its new Alpha rocket, Alpha Flight 1, for later this year.
Aerospace engineer: nuclear energy will play important role in Mars mission
The Russian nuclear industry has passed the 75 year mark, and as part of this big event we talked to Chiara Chocciara, aerospace engineer who contributes to the preparation of the future space missions.
Computer Engineering
“Viterbi vs. Pandemics!” Lecture 5: Estimation of Risk
This Fall, following the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Call to Action for engineers to “crowdsource and collectively brainstorm engineering solutions for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19),” USC Viterbi is offering “Viterbi vs. Pandemics!,” a new lecture series by USC Viterbi faculty to comprehensively provide an engineering-centric framework for addressing and understanding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jarrett Linowes
Mechanical Engineer
omniamfg@gmail.com
Did I miss anything you are interested in? Send me an email or comment below!
