Category Archives: Research

No Way Out for Ions: Continental Introduces Solution for One of the Greatest Hydrogen Challenges

Continental has developed a line for cooling in the hydrogen powertrain of commercial vehicles, which considerably reduces the penetration of ions into the media circuit. The synthetic rubber line has a mixture of materials whose special properties make them less susceptible to the leaching of ions from the line material. Continue reading

Turning Car and Helicopter Exhaust into Thermoelectric Energy

Combustion engines, the engines in gas-powered cars, only use a quarter of the fuel’s potential energy while the rest is lost as heat through exhaust. Now, a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces demonstrates how to convert exhaust heat into electricity. The researchers present a prototype thermoelectric generator system that could reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions — an opportunity for improving sustainable energy initiatives in a rapidly changing world. Continue reading

MIT Swarms of Tiny Robotic Insect Drones Could Aid in Mechanical Pollination

With a more efficient method for artificial pollination, farmers in the future could grow fruits and vegetables inside multilevel warehouses, boosting yields while mitigating some of agriculture’s harmful impacts on the environment. To help make this idea a reality, MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination. However, even the best bug-sized robots are no match for natural pollinators like bees when it comes to endurance, speed, and maneuverability. Continue reading