The Robotic Equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife Scientists tinker with controlling not just the shape of an object, but also its behavior
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 12:36
The device doesn’t look like much: a caterpillar-sized assembly of metal rings and strips resembling something you might find buried in a home-workshop drawer. But the technology behind it, and the long-range possibilities it represents, are quite… What Can Logistics Do for You? Investment in global transportation hubs can spur ‘feedback loop’ of regional growth
Tue, 11/27/2012 - 13:22
A couple of decades ago, visitors to the quiet city of Zaragoza, Spain, had no reason to think it would become a capital of world trade. But in 2000, the city opened Europe’s largest logistics hub, called PLAZA, and now Zaragoza is a global shipping… How to Clean Up Oil Spills MIT researchers propose a simple but effective method
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 12:11
MIT researchers have developed a new technique for magnetically separating oil and water that could be used to clean up oil spills. They believe that, with their technique, the oil could be recovered for use, offsetting much of the cost of cleanup… Frustrated Engineer Designs Device That Improves on CNC Routers Hand-held tool precisely follows a digital plan with minimal guidance from user
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 12:00
Anyone who has tried to build a piece of furniture from scratch knows the frustration of painstakingly cutting pieces of wood, only to discover that they won't fit together because the cutting was not quite accurate enough.
That's exactly what… Better Product Design Through a Simple Square Chart Design structure matrix analysis helps improve products and organizations
Fri, 08/03/2012 - 13:07
Suppose you were asked to streamline the process of real estate development. Or to better organize the offices of an international manufacturer. Or to explain how the parts of a digital printer interact. The complexities of all these tasks would… Aircraft Engineered with Failure in Mind May Last Longer New design approach tailors planes to fly in the face of likely failures
Mon, 06/25/2012 - 10:53
Complex systems inhabit a “gray world” of partial failures: While a system may continue to operate as a whole, bits and pieces inevitably degrade. Over time, these small failures can add up to a single catastrophic failure, incapacitating the system… Robotic Assistants May Adapt to Humans in the Factory New algorithm allows robots and humans to work side by side
Thu, 06/14/2012 - 14:26
In today’s manufacturing plants, the division of labor between humans and robots is quite clear: Large, automated robots are typically cordoned off in metal cages, manipulating heavy machinery and performing repetitive tasks, while humans work in… Exploding the Myths of Manufacturing Contrary to popular opinion, the industry is not in a state of terminal decline
Tue, 06/05/2012 - 11:51
The manufacturing sector, its advocates note, is burdened by negative stereotypes. Outsiders often mistakenly think that manufacturing consists of jobs that are “dumb, dirty, and dull,” as MIT President Susan Hockfield said during a recent… The Secrets of the System MIT’s ‘Beer Game’ sheds light on the mysteries of manufacturing and business
Fri, 05/04/2012 - 09:18
“Everyone, take your order slips and move the shipment to the left,” says Nelson Repenning, a professor of systems dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Factories, brew beer.”…
Engineering a Safer World For our increasingly complex systems, safety requires more than harmless parts
Thu, 04/26/2012 - 15:44
Innovations in software and technology are creating increasingly complex systems: cars that park themselves; medical devices that automatically deliver drugs; and smartphones with the computing power of desktop computers, to name a few. Such complex…