Eye-popping spectacles often require a lot of engineering to produce, as is evident in this latest viral video, entitled L.E.D. Surfer (watch above).

Read More

Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Explore Engineering, Materials | 1 Comment »

Tags: And Now, Electrical, Materials, Sports

Last year, a conceptual, futuristic video featuring interactive glass touchscreens went viral:

This video, called “A Day Made of Glass,” was created by Corning (a company that engineers glass and other materials) and now has been viewed over 17 million times on YouTube. Although the video is admittedly cool, just how realistic is its vision?

Read More

Filed under: Computer, e-News, e-Videos, Materials | 1 Comment »

Tags: Computer, Materials

Anyone who’s ever worked up a sweat running for the school bus knows it takes energy to move. Now, a young inventor in England has come up with a way to capture the ambient kinetic energy of footsteps–or dance moves–and use it to generate electricity.

Pavegen tiles are rubber, waterproof squares made from recycled tires, and 80 percent of their inner workings are made from recycled materials, too. When people step on them, the tiles harvest the energy and convert it to electricity.

Read More

Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Environmental, Materials | 2 Comments »

Tags: dance, Electrical, Electrical Engineering, Electricity, Energy, Green Technology, lights, Materials, Pavegen, recycling, sidewalk, Technology

2011 was another busy year for engineers all over the world. From inventing a device that turns air into water to exploring the oceans in a tiny submarine, scientists and engineers are exploring uncharted territory.

Like last year, we at eGFI have chronicled the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so in case you missed one, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2011

Read More

Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, e-News, Electrical, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Ocean, Transportation | Comments Off on Best of 2011: Our Top Stories

Tags: 3D, Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Aviation, Biomedical, Biomimicry, Biotechnology, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Design, Electrical, Energy, Environmental, Giving Back, Green Technology, Green Transportation, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Ocean, Robotics, Software, Technology, Trailblazers, Transportation

The wings of Costa Rica’s beautiful blue morpho butterfly are so iridescent their shimmer can be spotted more than a half mile away. Yet they contain no pigments. Instead, they have nanostructures that reflect and refract wavelengths of light to produce the vivid blue hue.

Researchers at Canada’s Simon Fraser University have developed a printing method that produces nanoholes 1,500 times thinner than a human hair that can, like the morpho’s nanostructures, each trap a single light wave.

Read More

Filed under: Computer, e-News, Materials | 4 Comments »

Tags: 3D, Biomimicry, Defense, Materials, Printing