Innovation
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First light at the most powerful laser in the U.S.
Michigan Engineering recently fired up the Zetawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, promising new developments in medicine, electronics, and national security. Funded by the National Science Foundation, ZEUS will explore the physics of the quantum universe.
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Engineering tough: Taking the F-150 electric
As chief nameplate engineer for the F-150 Lightning, Linda Zhang, BSE EE ’96/MSE CE ’98/MBA ’11, has impacted the design, development, and delivery of the electric vehicle, as well as the creation of its new manufacturing plant and Ford’s marketing campaign.
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U-M study: Local renewable energy employment can fully replace U.S. coal jobs nationwide
As of 2019, coal-fired electricity generation directly employed nearly 80,000 workers. A new U-M study quantifies—for the first time—the technical feasibility and costs of replacing those coal jobs with local wind and solar employment nationwide.
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Emulating impossible ‘unipolar’ laser pulses paves the way for processing quantum information
A laser pulse that sidesteps the inherent symmetry of light waves could manipulate quantum information, potentially bringing us closer to room temperature quantum computing. The study could also accelerate conventional computing
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21 research takeways from ’21
Pandemic-related stories may dominate the news, but these other significant findings and developments at U-M also deserve attention.
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1,000-cycle lithium-sulfur battery could quintuple electric vehicle ranges
A new biologically inspired battery membrane has enabled a battery with five times the capacity of the industry-standard lithium ion design to run for the thousand-plus cycles needed to power an electric car.
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U-M forms collaboration to advance quantum science and technology
U-M has formed a collaboration with Michigan State University and Purdue University to study quantum science and technology, drawing together expertise and resources to advance the field.
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Spray-on coating could make solar panels snow-resistant
Researchers have demonstrated an inexpensive, clear coating that reduced snow and ice accumulation on solar panels, enabling them to generate up to 85% more energy.
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U-M, Humotech partner to bring open-source bionic leg to research labs
First released in 2019, the open-source leg’s free-to-copy design is intended to accelerate scientific advances by offering a unified platform to fragmented research efforts across the field of bionics.