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6 news posts in Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering

Engineering

17 Jan 2023

From pylons to pandas: 5 Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, many often fly under the radar. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed. Building better-looking pylons Pylons help support essential amenities – but they can be an eyesore. Italian scientists led by Dr Luca Di Angelo at University of L’Aquila investigated the best way to build a pylon with less visual impact on the landscape. As visual impact is subjective, reducing it requires consultation with residents who will see the pylons every day. But designs invented by residents without technical knowledge may not be able to meet safety standards. Di Angelo and colleagues used the development of new electrical pylons in the coastal regions of Italy to test a novel method of integrating visual impact minimization with the design process. They identified shapes which were related to the geography and culture of the area and streamlined enough for pylon design, and surveyed Italians from different coastal regions to determine which shapes were considered most recognizable and representative. A sail was chosen, and models were developed […]

Engineering

18 Jun 2021

Surprising spider hair discovery may inspire stronger adhesives

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer Cupiennius salei wandering spider. Image credit: Kevin Wells Photography / Shutterstock.com A recent study by the open access publisher Frontiers shows the first evidence that the individual hair-like structures that form spiders’ adhesive feet are far more diverse than expected. By looking at a sample set of these hairs, researchers have found that they have varied shapes as well as attachment properties. Understanding how spiders climb a wide range of surfaces may help scientists design new and better adhesives. Just how do spiders walk straight up — and even upside-down across — so many different types of surfaces? Answering this question could open up new opportunities for creating powerful, yet reversible, bioinspired adhesives. Scientists have been working to better understand spider feet for the past several decades. Now, a new study in Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering is the first to show that the characteristics of the hair-like structures that form the adhesive feet of one species — the wandering spider Cupiennius salei — are more variable than previously thought. “When we started the experiments, we expected to find a specific angle of best adhesion and similar adhesive properties for all of the individual attachment hairs,” […]

Frontiers news

11 Dec 2015

Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering welcomes new Field Chief Editor

Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering is very proud to announce Prof. Juergen Brugger as the journal’s new Field Chief Editor. Prof. Brugger is based at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland), and currently leads the Micro- and Nanoelectromechanical Systems Specialty section of the journal. Launched in January 2015, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering seeks to include in its scope original, theoretical and applied research methods related to the mechanical sciences and their engineering applications. The journal currently hosts 6 specialty sections: Computer-Aided and Digital Manufacturing Technologies Engine and Automotive Engineering Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning Mechanics of Materials Mechatronics Micro- and Nanoelectromechanical Systems We intend on launching several other specialty sections in the coming months, so do keep an eye out! Already confirmed are: Thermal and Mass Transfer (Specialty Chief Editor: Prof. Timothy S. Fisher) and Acoustical Engineering, Sound and Vibration (Specialty Chief Editor: Prof. Fabrizio Scarpa). “Manufacturing and Production Engineering” and “Tribology” should follow soon.

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