Archived News for Engineering Professionals - September, 2013
Engineering students from schools around the country will be putting their custom-built robotic companions into battle for the 2013 National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition.
Auditors asked to lay off the little guy
The federal Minister for Small Business has instructed the Australian Tax office to lay-off on audits of independent contractors and the self-employed.
Clear thoughts found amid the noise
New research has digitally remastered our view of the brain, leading to a clearer picture which could help define better methods for brain-computer interfacing.
Easy sell on smart arm for strokes
Researchers at north Queensland universities have reportedly been fending off waves of interest in their new robot arm for stroke suffers.
Firms to patch cannon-balled broadband plans
Several companies in the telecoms industry are taking the uncertainty over the future of the National Broadband Network as an opportunity to drum up some profits.
Neurons shine in nanoscale photo-op
The average brain contains about 100 billion neurons, each with one to ten thousand synapses each. A technique has been tested which allows scientists to view the electrical activity of just one synapse at a time amid a torrent of trillions.
Re-heating steam for solar storage
Australian engineers are bringing back the steam engine, revamped as a cheap storage medium for solar power.
Report cuts to core of water risk in QLD
A new report says millions of litres of water are at risk from proposed coal mines in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
Smooth design for resistant device
Current materials are being pushed to their physical limits in the quest for higher-density switches for computer storage and memory, leading to expanded research into “resistive switching” as the next standard form.
Nano-tape for grasping liquid beads
The structure of a new material created at the University of Sydney manages to mimic the petals of a rose on a nano-scale – capturing beads of water and other liquids across its skin.
Charcoal burns a path to greener industry
Environmental engineers have used a recent mining conference to highlight the benefits of bio-char; a material created by industrial manufacture but which can be used to mitigate its environmental effects
Export point decking down
Things are coming together on the site of the new coal terminal near Gladstone.
Micro-bots making their way to macro-bodies
Microscopic robots have been created which can be injected into the human body to carry drugs or conduct analyses without the need for invasive surgery.
Parbuckling project to right the past
UPDATE: After tireless effort the wrecked Costa Concordia now sits upright. Pictures and a time lapse video have been taken.
Road board dreams of forever open highways
Word this week from the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) says the country’s transport infrastructure could be employed as a much more valuable resource than is currently realised.
Big farm funded as green bank faces demise
A massive wind farm in Victoria has been awarded $70 million by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, in what may be the last such renewable energy pay-out for some time.
Bomb-makers turn code-breakers on cyber battlefield
The group that builds virtually everything used in modern combat is looking to pick up some technology companies in Australia, after buying a UK firm.
Fungus furnishes the future
Houses of the future will certainly see some exciting new material components, but few would have expected mushrooms could be the building blocks of tomorrow.
Holden barely letting axeblade dry
Holden workers face an uncertain future; with word the company is undertaking more job cuts.
Moves to soften tender hardship
The South Australian Government is attempting to make it easier for small and medium sized businesses to tender for public sector contracts, with a new training package for operators.