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?

As breathtaking as large, panoramic photos often are, the process of creating them is, to many photographers, a much less attractive prospect. While painstakingly stitching together images from a recent vacation, Technische Universität Berlin graduate Jonas Pfeil came up with a better idea: a spherical camera, called a camera-ball, that can take 360-degree panoramas in a single snap. Once the softball-sized sphere is tossed into the air, a built-in accelerometer tells when the ball has reached its zenith. Then a microcontroller triggers simultaneous action by 36 two-megapixel cellphone cameras, capturing a mosaic of images.

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

Do you spend hours browsing Facebook every day? Chances are, you probably do. But here's something about Facebook that you might not know: just like tech giants Google and Apple, Facebook is also looking to hire lots of engineers.

The social networking site has just announced that it plans to open an engineering office in New York City, according to a press release. The office will be led by Sekan Piantino, a Facebook engineer who has helped with the development of the News Feed and Timeline and now manages the teams that maintain Facebook Messages and Chat.]]>

Do you spend hours browsing Facebook every day? Chances are, you probably do. But here’s something about Facebook that you might not know: just like tech giants Google and Apple, Facebook is also looking to hire lots of engineers.

The social networking site has just announced that it plans to open an engineering office in New York City, according to a press release. The office will be led by Sekan Piantino, a Facebook engineer who has helped with the development of the News Feed and Timeline and now manages the teams that maintain Facebook Messages and Chat. The office will open in early 2012, and the company is already accepting applications. Engineers at Facebook work on designing new infrastructure and tools, managing large data sets, and building mobile applications. Some positions include security engineers, network engineers, and user interface engineers.

Now that sounds like a career worth friending.

This has been a guest post by Gol Arastoopour

Computer chips and electronic circuitry made from diamonds? Sounds like just bling, but nanodiamond-based components for microelectronic devices not only are very robust; they’re inexpensive.

Developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the devices are made by depositing a thin nanodiamond film on a layer of silicon dioxide and then vacuum-packaging it.]]>

Computer chips and electronic circuitry made from diamonds? Sounds like just bling, but nanodiamond-based components for microelectronic devices not only are very robust; they’re inexpensive.

Developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the devices are made by depositing a thin nanodiamond film on a layer of silicon dioxide and then vacuum-packaging it. Electrons flow through the vacuum between the components rather than through materials like solid-state chips, so they don’t produce as much heat. Potentially, they can operate at higher speeds while using less power than silicon-based devices, says Jimmy Davidson, a research professor of electrical engineering. They’re also very tiny. One diamond carat would create a billion chips, so they’re cost-competitive with silicon, and sturdy enough to withstand temperatures ranging from 900 degrees to minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Possible applications include military electronics, circuitry for spacecraft, and sensors that operate in high-radiation areas. In fact, Davidson says, his nanodiamond chips would be ideal for fail-safe circuitry in nuclear reactors. Perhaps Pink Floyd said it best: Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Story originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of Prism magazine

Cartoons have come a long way since the hand-drawn moving pictures of decades past. Now, the animated films at your local cineplex are made possible by sophisticated computer software created by engineers. Modeling the realistic textures and movement of such things as fur, hair and fabric, for example, takes serious computing power.

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What do the blockbuster movie Avatar, high-performance sports gear, the Angry Birds phone app, and pollution-eating bacteria have in common? They are among a host of fascinating innovations developed by engineers and featured in the newest edition of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Engineering, Go For It magazine.

The publication is now available in our online store. You can find a free preview of the magazine here.

Imagine if someone gave you up to $41,000 in cash to realize your dreams. That – plus full tuition and other education-related benefits –is what the SMART scholarship offers students majoring in science, engineering and mathematics. SMART scholars also get paid summer internships and a job placement after graduation. ASEE invited eight current SMART scholars to spend a day in Washington, D.C., and talk about what got them into engineering. Bios after the jump.

Shwetak Patel wants to help you conserve energy in your home. A professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, Patel is also a 2011 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his work developing sophisticated, user-friendly energy sensors for homes and offices.

Patel's unique technology uses advanced algorithms to determine how much energy each household device is consuming by picking up their individual activity patterns.]]>

Shwetak Patel wants to help you conserve energy in your home. A professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, Patel is also a 2011 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the “Genius Grant“) for his work developing sophisticated, user-friendly energy sensors for homes and offices.

Patel’s unique technology uses advanced algorithms to determine how much energy each household device is consuming by picking up their individual activity patterns. By simply installing a few wireless sensors, residents can tell which of their appliances is using the most energy and to monitor water and electricity consumption throughout the day.

In addition to saving the earth and your wallet, Patel imagines other applications for his sensors, like monitoring human motion in a building to improve home security and elder care.

Image courtesy of The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation