Texas A&M University

Robotics

Spherical RoboBall could tackle Moon’s toughest terrain

We're used to rovers exploring the Moon or Mars to have legs and wheels for moving around, but a team at Texas A&M led by Robert Ambrose wants to go more geometrical with a new mobile robot shaped like a ball for literally rolling about rough terrain.

A limb-inspired bridge column undergoes testing at Texas A&M University

Architecture

Limb-inspired bridges promise high earthquake resistance at low cost

Today’s bridge columns offer great strength, but a new study suggests an alternative could not only offer greater durability under seismic activity, but also be repaired on the cheap should cracks start to appear.

Scientists have made a breakthrough in the development of advanced lithium batteries that could enable them to charge faster and be less prone to failure

Energy

Safe, fast-charging lithium battery handles 5 times the current

Carefully introducing new materials into the design of today’s lithium-ion batteries has the potential to greatly improve their performance, and scientists have just happened upon a promising possibility in carbon nanotubes.

An artist's rendition of the new antioxidant nanofiber mats

Materials

Antioxidant nanofiber mats help prevent food spoilage and heal wounds

Antioxidants fight oxidation, which can spoil food and alcohol and harm cells in the body. Now, researchers have woven antioxidants into nanofiber mats, which release the vital compounds slowly and could be useful for food coverings or bandages.

A process developed at Texas A&M can turn the waste from the paper and pulping industries into carbon fiber

Materials

Mining carbon fiber from paper and biorefinery waste

Forget taxes on imports. If a new scientific development lives up to expectations, the real job creator for the US could lie in harnessing lignin waste. Scientists have found a way to make high quality carbon fiber from it, which could turn industrial discards into a major money spinner.

Competing teams will present their pod designs to a panel made up of judges from SpaceX, Tesla and Texas A&M

Urban Transport

SpaceX selects 124 engineering teams to do battle in Hyperloop pod design competition

SpaceX has invited over 120 engineering teams to show off design concepts for a Hyperloop pod to a panel of judges in January. The more promising will then put their human-scale prototypes through their paces at SpaceX HQ the following US summer.