Happy Friday!
As the latest addition to the marketing communication team at ANSYS (I’m the new internal PR gal), I think it’s only appropriate to introduce myself to our blog community and start sharing – It’s nice to “meet” you all!
Because my job is to make sure that ANSYS is well-represented in the media, I usually spend time each morning going through the various business and industry news outlets to catch up on the latest trends and themes in our space. I often found myself zinging cool articles around to my colleagues and decided it was time to widen the net to you fine folks! Every Friday, I’m going post some content that (I think) is note-worthy from that week. I’ll try to keep them related to the engineering and engineering technology field, but I can’t promise that there won’t ever be a rogue pop culture piece in there. :)
And of course, as a PR pro, I’ll tell you why I thought they were interesting enough to share. I invite you to comment below or send across any articles that you think are too good to miss! With that said, here’s a roundup of some of this week’s engineering and technology news – Enjoy!
Design News
Video: Volkswagen Engineers Underwater Car for Shark Week
Image from Wikipedia
As most of you may know, Discovery Channel’s 25th Annual Shark Week has just come to a close. Chances are, you’re either sad to see it end or ecstatic you don’t have to listen to your friends pretending to be shark experts anymore (at least for another year).
This innovative vehicle from Volkswagen is a cross between a shark cage and a VW beetle (a bit of PR brilliance on VW’s part, if you ask me!) The structure was engineered from the ground up and revs around the ocean floor — chasing sharks and getting some cool footage in the process. Check it out:
The Wall Street Journal
An Unlikely Fuel Saver: Racing Cars
With increasing pressure from consumers (and national government agencies like NHTSA) for more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles, several auto manufacturers are taking a closer look at what we can learn from Formula One cars.
Basically, engineers developed a system for F1 cars based on a flywheel that spins when the driver brakes, storing the energy and then releasing it when the vehicle accelerates – awesome. This research could make everyday vehicles more powerful and efficient.
Popular Mechanics
Building in the Deep: 7 Feats of Underwater Engineering
Seems like something straight from Disney’s A Little Mermaid – these structures were engineered and designed not only to survive underwater, but to thrive there. Check out these restaurants, museums and hotels that you can visit under the sea.
IEEE Spectrum
Pair of Probes to Visit Van Allen Belts
While we on earth don’t have to worry about solar storms affecting our daily lives, astronauts in space certainly do! Twin probes will soon pass through both the inner and outer Van Allen belts to study how the belts are affected by changes in the solar wind. This is valuable information for engineers because improved predictions of how the belts behave will then guide them toward building spacecraft that can more easily ride out dangerous storms like these.
The Engineer
Scientists Use Cobalt Catalyst to Produce Hydrogen From Water
Until now, there was no affordable molecular substance that could efficiently evolve hydrogen to develop an energy source known as “green hydrogen.” The tricky engineering bit is that it has to function in real-world conditions such as in water, under air and at room temperature. New research has shown that cobalt might actually be a suitable catalyst to fulfill this need. Looks like we’re one step closer to cleaner and more efficient fuel!
I hope you all enjoyed my first news roundup – let me know what you think, what could be better, what would you like to see more of? Unless, of course, you think I should never do this again…and in that case, shhhhhh.
Until next week, my friends!