Liquid oxygen has unusual magnetic properties, as shown in this demonstration by Physics Girl with the MIT Technical Services Group. You can also check out a blowtorch demonstration of the Curie point of iron to get an idea of how different kinds of magnetism work. We recently featured a video that demonstrates the Curie point…

A new spray-on, self-healing coating developed at the University of Michigan promises to repel water even after a surface has been scratched. The coating was created by a team of researchers led by Anish Tuteja, associate professor of materials science and engineering and associate professor of macromolecular science and engineering. The researchers claim the coating…

This rotary engine constructed by Latheman’s Crazy Machines puts Nikola Tesla’s reciprocating thermo-magnetic motor design into practice. The motor Tesla developed consists of a movable rider composed of a soft magnetic material pulled in one direction by a spring and the other by a magnet. The magnet pulls the rider to a position in which…

Wintergatan, a Swedish folktronica band, has a new upgrade to its marble machine — 3D-printed drums. You can check out the original marble machine video here.

Soft robotic devices can be controlled using magnetic fields to remotely manipulate microparticle chains embedded in the robots, researchers at North Carolina State University found. “By putting these self-assembling chains into soft robots, we are able to have them perform more complex functions while still retaining relatively simple designs,” says Joe Tracy, an associate professor…

This simulation from Damien Masselot, a PhD student at the University of Michigan, illustrates a row of hydrogen coming through fuel injectors and mixing with oxygen and argon, a mixture that mimics air as an oxidizer for combustion. The wave is a detonation wave in slow motion. The combustion actually occurs at 1,600 m/s. The wave…

Dummies and baggage inside a section of airplane fuselage were recently dropped from 14 feet at a speed of 30 feet per second at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. The tests will be used to develop new crashworthiness guidelines for future aircraft designs.

NASA Goddard offers a peek at its new forecasting model, which allows it to predict Arctic sea ice melt months before the minimum melt begins. Arctic sea ice melt is impacted by a number of factors, including warmer temperatures, storms, and changes in the ocean, which makes it difficult to predict.

Nanomachines are already useful for delivering medication and serving as computer memories at the nanometer scale. But thanks to advance 3D printing techniques, researchers at Dartmouth College have found a way to make nanomachines useful at the human scale. “Up until now, harnessing the mechanical work of nanomachines has been extremely difficult,” says Chenfeng Ke,…

Nereis virens, a sand worm, may not be the most attractive creature on the planet, but the strength, stability, and mechanical performance of its jaw inspired a new material that adapts to changing environments. The soft, gel-like material developed by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology could be used to control the movements of soft…

The metal bonding adhesives market is poised to grow to $7.7 billion by 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 percent, according to market research firm Markets and Markets. Market value for this sector was valued at $5.3 billion in 2015. This steady growth is due in part to the increasing adoption of metal…

This rolling pin is the product of expert engineering and exceptional woodworking skill. Check out Jeremy Schmidt‘s handiwork. 

Lockheed Martin will serve as the prime contractor for the Department of Defense’s Defense Cyber Crime Center, providing technical, functional, and managerial support for the initiative. The $347 million, five-year contract was awarded by the General Services Administration Federal Systems Integration and Management Center. Lockheed, as part of the contract, will provide assistance in the…

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently observed whirlwinds carrying Martian dust across Gale Crater. These so-called “dust devils” result from sunshine warming the ground and the subsequent convective rising of air. All the dust devils were seen in a southward direction from the rover.

Jennifer Rozenkrantz, a 2005 MIT graduate and owner of design studio Nervous System, has partnered with New Balance to develop a 3D-printed midsole for running shoes that mimics cellular structures found in bones and wood.

What happens when you eject at supersonic speeds? The results can be catastrophic, but the proper testing and engineering can save lives. Video is courtesy of The Joint Forces Channel.

Brainiac75 risks painful pinches and battles strong magnetic fields to test out powerful magnets intended for use in electric generators. Learn more about these monolith magnets here: 

Grady Hillhouse of Practical Engineering demonstrates how sand can be reinforced to serve as a strong building material. It can even hold up a car.

IBM and Salesforce have joined forces to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the business decisions companies make every day, the two announced this week. The partnership will leverage IBM Watson, an AI platform for business, and Salesforce’s Einstein AI, which powers the world’s top customer-relations management platform. The two will be combined into a seamless…

The Plasticity Forum hopes to tackle the big questions when it comes to the future of plastics. The event, which will be held in Dallas and Anaheim on April 21 and May 9, respectively, hopes to bring full-circle the use of plastics in design. “Plasticity convenes leaders to share information, network, and primarily discuss best…

Stratasys released its Agilus30 rubber-like 3D printing material. The family of materials offers tear resistance, elongation at break, and tensile strength, making it useful in prototyping applications for parts that bend or stretch.

​How do you like your eggs? Scrambled? Over easy? How about boiling in a vacuum chamber? Or maybe you’d prefer them in a hydraulic press? Whatever your preference, the curious minds over at Hydraulic Press Action have got you covered — in yolk.

XTI Aircraft Co. and Bye Aerospace, Inc. will jointly develop a hybrid/electric prototype of XTI’s TriFan vertical takeoff airplane, the two companies say. The TriFan 600, a six-seat plane, will have the speed and range of a business jet with the ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter. It will have a…

Raspberry Pi, a series of small, single-board computers, is celebrating its fifth birthday this weekend. It will be a big weekend for the little board with the Raspberry Pi Foundation hosting a birthday party of sorts.  Raspberry Pi has evolved quite a bit over the past five years. The first-generation board utilized a Broadcom BCM2835…

Let’s kick off the weekend by revisiting Wintergatan‘s innovative marble machine tune released a little more than a year ago. We introduced the video back in December. In the year since its release, makers, gamers, and musicians of all kinds have covered the unique and peculiar tune. Here’s a look at some of the interesting…