Prismier

A robot that can jump 30 feet. 🤯

Boston Dynamics’ Sand Flea uses a CO₂-powered piston to launch itself roughly 10 metres into the air — high enough to clear walls and even reach second-story windows.

Originally developed for situations where getting eyes over an obstacle could put people at risk, it’s a pretty wild example of engineering solving a very specific mobility problem.

Sometimes wheels just aren’t enough.

🎥 Credit: Boston Dynamics

A closer look at laser etching in action. 🔍

From part numbers and identification marks to custom logos, laser etching creates clean, permanent markings directly on manufactured parts.

Just one of the finishing details we can handle before parts head out the door.

AI infrastructure is heading offshore.

NetworkOcean recently deployed a 20 kW floating solar array in San Francisco Bay, using it to power an Nvidia H100 GPU completely off-grid. The company says it went from design to deployment in just 53 days.

It’s a fascinating engineering concept — but one that raises some interesting questions too. How does something like this scale while dealing with saltwater, storms, maintenance and the impact on marine ecosystems?

What do you think — clever solution to growing data-centre power demands, or does putting this much infrastructure on the ocean create a whole new set of problems?

🎥 Credit: Interesting Engineering

Possibly one of the most badass analog computers ever built.

The Soviet Globus navigation instrument tracked a spacecraft’s predicted position over Earth without GPS or a digital computer.

Instead, it did the math mechanically.

Inside was an intricate system of gears, cams and differentials that translated orbital parameters into movement of a 5-inch globe. As the spacecraft travelled around Earth, the mechanism accounted for the orbit and the rotation of the planet beneath it, displaying latitude and longitude to the crew.

It could even mechanically advance the globe to show where the spacecraft was expected to land if the crew initiated re-entry.

And because apparently that wasn’t impressive enough, the early system was designed to continue operating in a vacuum if the cabin depressurized.

Hundreds of mechanical components. Orbital mathematics. No screen required.

A pretty incredible example of what mechanical engineering can accomplish when software isn’t an option.

Cred: Alok Jain

Air-to-air refueling is an incredible example of precision in action.

At speed and thousands of feet above the ground, seemingly small components and systems have to perform exactly as intended — under conditions with virtually no room for error.

A pretty remarkable view of engineering at work.

🎥 Credit: Luis L.

What if a single 3D-printed part could have different material properties exactly where they’re needed?

This multimaterial multinozzle (MM3D) technology developed at Harvard uses multiple material channels and high-speed valves to rapidly switch between materials during printing.

The result is particularly interesting from a manufacturing perspective: rigid and flexible regions—and potentially other functional properties—can be incorporated into a single printed structure rather than produced as separate components.

As additive manufacturing continues to advance, the opportunity isn’t just more complex geometry. It’s greater control over what a part does in different areas of the same build.

A fascinating look at where multimaterial additive manufacturing could be headed.

Credit: Harvard University

A microscopic leak can become a major failure.

In applications like EV battery cooling plates, fuel cells and other fluid-handling components, weld integrity isn’t simply a cosmetic quality issue. The joint may need to maintain a gas- or liquid-tight seal while working with thin materials, complex geometries and tight process tolerances.

This is a great look at how advanced laser welding technologies are being used to tackle that challenge—controlling heat input and weld geometry while creating reliable, repeatable seals.

For manufacturing engineers, it’s another example of why the process behind a part matters just as much as its dimensions.

Credit: Peter Wirth

Industrial automation gets especially interesting when robots start going where traditional automation can’t.

This Korean robotics company is developing magnetic climbing robots designed for shipyard welding — allowing robotic systems to operate directly on large steel structures rather than bringing the work to a fixed automation cell.

It’s an interesting example of where advanced manufacturing is heading: more adaptable automation built around real-world production environments.

Credit: Yu Been Park / DIDEN ROBOTICS

Sometimes, the smartest way to make a part stronger isn’t to add more material. It’s to change the geometry.

This simple demonstration shows how folds can dramatically increase the stiffness of a thin sheet. By moving material away from the neutral axis, those folds increase the section’s resistance to bending — essentially allowing the geometry to do more of the structural work.

It’s a principle that shows up constantly in sheet metal design. Bends, flanges, ribs, beads and other formed features can add rigidity without automatically moving to a thicker gauge.

For engineers, that can mean opportunities to reduce weight and material use while still meeting performance requirements. But those decisions also have to account for manufacturability — including bend radii, tooling access, material behaviour and forming limitations.

It’s a great example of why DFM isn’t only about whether a part can be made. It’s about finding the right balance between design, performance and manufacturing.

🎥 Credit: Arch20