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A researcher from VUB has developed a system that can predict wind turbine failures caused by early component malfunctions. He specializes in condition monitoring, a technique that uses data from turbine sensors and artificial intelligence to track the machine's condition. "If operators can anticipate that a specific component is about to fail, they can replace it during regular maintenance, preventing turbine downtime," says Dr. Xavier Chesterman, who completed his PhD on this complex issue.

Labor market policies shape firms' innovation dynamics. A new UZH study shows for the first time that higher minimum wages for low-skill jobs drive firms to develop automation technologies. Rising wages for high-skill labor, in contrast, can hamper this effect. Does increasing wage pressure encourage automation? Economic theory suggests that it does.

As part of the LIMITLESS project, scientists from EPFL, HEIG-VD and Swisspod have completed the longest-ever vacuum capsule journey in Europe's first operational Hyperloop test facility.

Water pipeline leaks were a big issue in Calgary this past summer , plunging the entire city into two extended periods of water-use restrictions after a mainline suffered a major break in June.

Thanks to innovations in design, control and production technology, brushless drives for pumps and ventilation systems work more efficiently and quietly.

Thanks to innovations in design, control and production technology, brushless drives for pumps and fan systems work more efficiently and quietly. Users of electrical appliances and the automotive industry do benefit. Small electric motors can be found in many household appliances, tools and computers as well as in modern cars, where they drive auxiliary units such as pumps and fans.

The first comprehensive model of rotor aerodynamics could improve the way turbine blades and wind farms are designed and how wind turbines are controlled. The blades of propellers and wind turbines are designed based on aerodynamics principles that were first described mathematically more than a century ago.

The approach can detect anomalies in data recorded over time, without the need for any training. Identifying one faulty turbine in a wind farm, which can involve looking at hundreds of signals and millions of data points, is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Engineers often streamline this complex problem using deep-learning models that can detect anomalies in measurements taken repeatedly over time by each turbine, known as time-series data.

Motorcycles are designed to accommodate the average-sized rider, leaving taller and shorter riders vulnerable to discomfort. A new study from the University of Waterloo used software that predicted realistic motorcycle riding behaviours, considering human factors and ergonomic trade-offs. It found that shorter and taller statures require joint adjustments to achieve their preferred riding posture.

Researchers have discovered how sloshing movements can be actively suppressed during the highly dynamic transportation of liquids . In highly automated industrial processes, machines, materials and goods are often moved very quickly. It is important that these movements are carried out precisely and safely.

Scientists have achieved a milestone by controlling quantum phenomena at room temperature. Image: Conceptual art of the operating device, consisting of a nanopillar-loaded drum sandwiched by two periodically segmented mirrors, allowing the laser light to strongly interact with the drum quantum mechanically at room temperature.

Publication of the RDP in the journal PNAS on November 21, 2023. News by CNRS Engineering on December 7, 2023. Water flowing over soluble rocks can create patterns of multiple troughs bordered by sharp ridges. By combining field measurements, a numerical model and laboratory experiments, a team led by the MSC laboratory (CNRS/Université Paris Cité), in collaboration with the LPG (CNRS/Nantes Université/Université d'Angers) and the RDP (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Inrae) has shown that the appearance of these shapes results from a geometric mechanism.

A new ETH study compares 27 humanoid robots with humans and comes to the conclusion that while robots have better components, they are still not capable of achieving as much.

Researchers have published a first study on the mechanics of surgical knots, with results that could be used to train surgeons to tie stronger, safer sutures - a skill that usually requires years of practice to master. Think about the last time you tied your shoe: maybe you tied it tightly, or tied multiple knots to ensure the laces wouldn't come undone.

Publication of the Physics Laboratory in the journal Nature Physics on May 4, 2023. Communication of the CNRS-INSIS on May 9, 2023. The more solids a gel contains, the more solid it is. However, this principle is not sufficient to explain all the mechanical behaviors observed in reality. An international team has discovered that the macroscopic mechanical properties of gels are due to heterogeneities in their structure, inherited from the singular microstructure that the material adopts at the very moment of its gelation.

Solar Team Twente presented its new solar car, with which they will participate in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October this year.

A new Johns Hopkins study investigates the source of back and joint pain with the goal of reverse engineering treatments It's a familiar story: you feel a twinge in your back and next thing you know, you can't get out of bed. From back pain to achy joints, musculoskeletal pain, while common, can be life-changing and debilitating.

Researchers at the University of Toronto are collaborating with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to optimize the design and layout of a new plant for processing used nuclear fuel packages.

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Engineering researchers make a media splash with sleek new 'splash-free' urinal design By Brian Caldwell Faculty of Engineering Engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo followed their curiosity and called on nature for inspiration for a new urinal design that has attracted internatinal attention by solving the messy problem of splash-back.