Why Don't We Have Water Powered Cars Yet?
AdultsCreativityIndustryScience...Today we're dipping our toes into the engineering and physics behind water-powered cars!
Engineering with Origami
AdultsConstructionCreativityScience...Origami is inspiring a plethora of new engineering designs.
Flamethrower vs Aerogel
AdultsConstructionDesignScience...We put aerogel to the test vs 'not-a-flamethrower', a huge 2000°C flame to a large fiberglass blanket infused with silica aerogel - formerly the lightest solid (that title is now held by graphene aerogel).
Why Machines That Bend Are Better
AdultsConstructionEducationScience...Compliant mechanisms have lots of advantages over traditional devices. SimpliSafe is awesome security. It's really effective, easy to use, and the price is great.
How to Build a Dyson Sphere
AdultsConstructionDesignHuman...If humans want to expand into space, it will take us incredible amounts of energy. How do we do that?
Five Firsts for Mars InSight
AdultsHistoryScienceSpace...Mars InSight will be the first to detect seismic activity on Mars’ surface, first to measure rate of heat transmitted from interior, first to dig nearly 5m down, first to measure magnetic fields on Mars’ surface, and first to use a robotic arm to place instruments on the surface of Mars (assuming it lands of course…)
What if cracks in concrete could fix themselves?
AdultsConstructionScienceTechnology...Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It can be found in swathes of city pavements, bridges that span vast rivers and the tallest skyscrapers on earth.
How Do Helicopters Fly Without Wings?
AdultsScienceTechnologyTransportation...Engineering tons of metal to fly straight up is no easy feat. Here's how helicopter blades make vertical flight a reality.
Engineers Love to Break Airplanes Before You Fly in Them, Here's Why
AdultsTechnologyTransportationTravel...Airplane technology has come a long way, but it has limits. Lucky for us, there are teams of people whose job it is to find those limits.
MIT's self-folding origami technology
AdultsCreativityTechnologyEngineering...MIT's self-folding origami technology that could change how we design everything from airbags to wearables.
The snakey, viney robot that can go almost anywhere
AdultsCreativityScienceTechnology...Researchers at Stanford University developed a soft, squishy robot that "grows" like a vine and can squeeze through tight spaces. It can also lift heavy objects, which makes it potentially ideal for search-and-rescue operations.
The bizarre physics of fire ants
AdultsAnimalsNatureTechnology...They're not just an animal, they're a material. And that's got engineers interested.
How ancient Romans made stronger concrete than today
AdultsCitiesConstructionHistory...Many structures built by ancient Romans around 2,000 years ago are still standing, and some are still in excellent condition. Over the last decade, researchers have come discover the Romans' secret concrete recipe that has maintained so many of its now-ancient buildings.
How the Pyramids Were Built (Pyramid Science Part 1!)
AdultsConstructionHistoryEngineeringWho built the pyramids? The colossal geometric monuments found at Giza and elsewhere in Egypt are some of Earth's most impressive constructions. Pyramids are truly wonders of the ancient and modern world.
How the Pyramids Were Built (Pyramid Science Part 2!)
AdultsConstructionHistoryEngineeringJust because something is difficult doesn't mean it's impossible. Over the past centuries, archaeologists, historians, and engineers have reconstructed a great deal of the technology and science used to build the Egyptian pyramids. This week we look at ancient Egyptian mathematics, building techniques, tools, and culture to reconstruct the Great Pyramid's construction.
Jumping Water Droplets Could Be the Future of Cooling Computers
AdultsSoftware EngineeringTechnologyEngineering...Engineers have created a new water-based cooling system that could put an end to electronics crashing and overheating.
Why don't perpetual motion machines ever work? - Netta Schramm
AdultsScienceTechnologyWork...Perpetual motion machines - devices that can do work indefinitely without any external energy source - have captured many inventors' imaginations because they could totally transform our relationship with energy. There's just one problem: they don't work. Why not? Netta Schramm describes the pitfalls of perpetual motion machines.
How Engines Work - Smarter Every Day
AdultsScienceTechnologyEngineeringSee Through engine in slow motion.