With a wide range of healthcare, energy and military applications, stretchable electronics are revered for their ability to be compressed, twisted and conformed to uneven surfaces without losing functionality. By using the elasticity of polymers such as silicone, these emerging technologies are made to move in ways that mimic skin. This sheds light on why…
Researchers Use Shake-Table Testing to Improve Disaster Recovery
Earthquakes are a defining force of nature in areas like San Francisco, where it is often a question of when, not if, another will strike. Residents not only have to deal with billions in property damage loss, but also the emotional toll of losing a home with the uncertainty of when, if ever, they can…
New SmartSuit Promises a Better Fit for Astronauts
NASA’s Management and Development of Spacesuits audit in 2017 noted that NASA continues to manage an array of design and health risks associated with the current suit worn in space, the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). A new intelligent hybrid SmartSuit design proposed by Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles from Texas A&M University has the potential to…
Novel 3-D Printing Process Strengthens Parts By 275 Percent
A doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University has developed a method to transform the landscape of 3-D printing today by making 3-D printed parts 275% stronger and immediately useful in real-world applications. Sweeney began working with 3-D printed materials while employed at the Army Research Laboratory at…
Strengthening 3-D Printed Parts For Real-World Use
From aerospace and defense to digital dentistry and medical devices, 3-D printed parts are used in a variety of industries. Currently, 3-D printed parts are very fragile and only used in the prototyping phase of materials or as a toy for display. A doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas…
Interfacial Dynamics Research May Make Industry Machines Safer, More Efficient
Researchers with the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University are taking complex interactions between drops of water and material surfaces and conducting fundamental research to understand why some droplets adhere to surfaces and why others don’t. The research has applications in many industries, and the team hopes that by using…
The F-35: Soaring to Faster Production
Preparing for the take off of faster production, Lockheed Martin and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University are investigating the use of advanced industrial engineering tools and procedures to study F-35 rate production. “The main focus of the Texas A&M study is the many integrated processes that must be optimized…
Researchers Study Practicality of Drone Use in Ranching
They may not replace the pickup, horse or 4-wheeler, much less a good sheep dog, anytime soon, but a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist thinks drones have practical ranching applications that will expand in the near future. Dr. John Walker, resident director of research at San Angelo, said the small unmanned aircraft have gotten pretty…
Health benefits of Pokémon Go
Do you want to be the very best, like no one ever was? Real-life positive health consequences of playing Pokémon Go — a new GPS-based augmented reality game — are happening across the nation. According to Matt Hoffman, DNP, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Nursing, this quest to “catch ’em all”…