Core77: Free Online Auto Design Course by the Petersen Automotive Museum. “The Petersen Automotive Museum has partnered with online education company Yellowbrick to release ‘Auto Design & Sketching,’ a free online course. Auto design history, principles, case studies, theory and of course sketching are all covered.”
UC San Diego: Nanoengineers Develop a Predictive Database for Materials. “Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering have developed an AI algorithm that predicts the structure and dynamic properties of any material—whether existing or new—almost instantaneously. Known as M3GNet, the algorithm was used to develop… a database of more than 31 million yet-to-be-synthesized materials with properties predicted by machine learning algorithms.”
Also New-to-me, from Penn State: Mont Alto professor creates open educational resources textbook online. “Called the Mechanics Map Digital Textbook, [Professor Jacob] Moore’s site contains written explanations, video lectures, worked examples and homework problems. The licensed materials are free for online visitors to use, share or rework. They include a table of contents with links to all the available topics, plus information for those who want to learn more about the project in general.”
Ubergizmo: China To 3D-Print A 590-Foot Dam, Without Human Workers. “Regular people are barely using 3d-printers at home, and 3D-printed homes are not yet commonly printed, but China is already planning to 3d-print a massive dam in Tibet, with an AI-powered design and no human laborers. The endgame is to deliver 5 billion kWh of electricity per year.”
MIT News: Is it topological? A new materials database has the answer. “In 2007, researchers predicted the first electronic topological insulators — materials in which electrons that behave in ways that are ‘topologically protected,’ or persistent in the face of certain disruptions. Since then, scientists have searched for more topological materials with the aim of building better, more robust electronic devices. Until recently, only a handful of such materials were identified, and were therefore assumed to be a rarity. Now researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered that, in fact, topological materials are everywhere, if you know how to look for them.”
USC Viterbi School of Engineering: Students improve mobile app accessibility for people with disabilities. “Although a growing number of people are dependent on their mobile devices for everyday obligations, developers seldom seek to make their apps accessible to people with disabilities. Mobile apps don’t often pay heed to accessibility guidelines and this can make it more difficult for people with motor disabilities and older individuals to use the app, or even prevent them from carrying out those everyday obligations. Enter Ali Alotaibi and Paul Chiou, two Viterbi Ph.D. students who want to make the process of redesigning apps for accessibility convenient, too.”
GIM International: Creating a 3D Model of the Famous Budapest Chain Bridge. “Two Hungarian companies designed a three-step data collection workflow to overcome the challenges in this urban surveying project, which included the use of UAVs and remote-controlled boats for Lidar and photogrammetry data. The result: a digital 3D BIM-compatible model of Budapest’s iconic bridge over the River Danube to assist in preparations for restoration and renovation work.”
Ars Technica: Researchers home in on possible “day zero” for Antikythera mechanism. “The mysterious Antikythera mechanism—an ancient device believed to have been used for tracking the heavens—has fascinated scientists and the public alike since it was first recovered from a shipwreck over a century ago. Much progress has been made in recent years to reconstruct the surviving fragments and learn more about how the mechanism might have been used. And now, members of a team of Greek researchers believe they have pinpointed the start date for the Antikythera mechanism, according to a preprint posted to the physics arXiv. Knowing that ‘day zero’ is critical to ensuring the accuracy of the device.”
Australian Financial Review: Meet the woman who saved the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “Kathleen Butler is barely remembered today. But in the 1920s, she became known as ‘The Bridge Girl’ – she even went overseas with engineers from [engineer John] Bradfield’s team to review tenders for the construction process…. Now her contribution to the successful construction of ‘The Coathanger’ is being revived, thanks in part to the University of Sydney’s decision to digitise 596 photos of the bridge’s construction from Bradfield’s three personal albums, which he had entrusted to his loyal companion and protégé in 1927.”
Drone DJ: Nigerian TikTok star, 22, lands Finland drone job through social media videos . “At first, Ignatius Asabor’s journey from Nigeria to Finland could sound like feel-good fiction. ‘You can’t imagine how happy I am,’ he tells you with his trademark toothy grin. But dig deeper, and you realize it’s a story of ambition, hard work, and tenacity. It also serves as a case in point that social media can be a very powerful tool in landing your dream job. Ignatius was born in 1999 in the Nigerian village of Utagba-Ogbe (Kwale). Last week, the 22-year-old engineer shifted base to Oulu, Finland. Filling the gap between the two coordinates are a curious mind, scrapyard robotics, and a ton of TikTok videos.”
PR Newswire: New Landmarks Illinois database highlights over 100 women who built Illinois (PRESS RELEASE). “Landmarks Illinois has published an online database, Women Who Built Illinois, which includes information on over 100 female architects, engineers, developers, designers, builders, landscape architects, interior designers and clients and their projects between 1879 and 1979.”
Afloat Ireland: Minister Noonan Launches Waterways Ireland Historical & Cultural Digital Archive. “For the first time visitors will be able to search the free online catalogue and view some of the collections held in the Waterways Ireland Archive. The backbone of the archive is the Engineering Collection which is now available online. It contains the original drawings tracing the development of the waterways from their conception in the eighteenth century through to their construction and their ongoing maintenance during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Included are engineer’s plans for locks, sluices, bridges and harbours, all providing a fascinating insight into our waterway heritage.”
Tyre Press: Tyres Industry Publications: the next 75 years. “The consumer tyre advice site WhatTyre and a new paywall-free digital archive of Tyres & Accessories magazine lead a range of new services from Tyre Industry Publications.”
IEEE Spectrum: Introducing the New IEEE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Website. “The platform lists a variety of IEEE resources such as its nondiscrimination policy, code of ethics, and accessibility statement. The new site also highlights ongoing efforts by various IEEE groups that are taking action toward building a diverse, equitable, and welcoming environment such as IEEE regions and geographic units, technical societies, the IEEE Board of Directors, Technical Activities Board committees, and IEEE Women in Engineering.”
DeZeen: “One tonne of olivine sand can take in up to one tonne of CO2” says Teresa van Dongen. “Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen has launched Aireal, an online library showcasing materials that can capture atmospheric carbon. The fledgling library contains images and descriptions of materials developed by companies and institutes around the world.”
The ResearchBuzz Firehose is regular RB content presented as individual posts.
For digest-type posts a couple of times a day, please visit ResearchBuzz.
Want to know how to best use the Firehose for content discovery?
Check out this handy article.