Uploaded October 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this week's episode of the Engineering Update:
The Dynomak fusion reactor
While fusion energy has generally sounded too good to be true, University of Washington engineers have designed a concept for a fusion reactor that could challenge traditional coal-fired plants. Starting as a class project, the Dynomak, builds on existing technology and would be mainly self-sustaining The design uses a magnetic field in a closed space that holds the plasma still long enough for fusion to occur. The plasma is heated continuously to maintain thermonuclear conditions, and the heat generated from the reactor would heat a coolant that spins a turbine to generate electricity.
A mini quadcopter for your pocket
Do you know that sinking feeling when you reach for your smartphone, and it’s not there … almost like a piece of you is missing? Well, a San Francisco-based company called Aericam wants to produce this same feeling – only with mini quadcopter drones. The company has created a drone so small and compact that it can fit in your pocket, meaning you can pull it out whenever you’re feeling the urge to use it. It’s about the size of a slightly thicker iPhone 6. The drone, called Anura, works with your smart phone, via Wi-Fi, so you don’t need to carry around bulky transmitters. The drone even has a micro camera, so you can stream images to your smartphone while in flight.
The U.S. Air Force’s space-based infrared system
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have delivered the payload for the fourth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite of the U.S. Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS. The SBIRS program works to deliver missile warning and infrared surveillance information to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, combatant commanders, and other members of the intelligence community. This information enhances missile launch detection capabilities, supports the nation’s ballistic missile defense system, and improves situational awareness for those in combat.
In this week's episode of the Engineering Update:
The Dynomak fusion reactor
While fusion energy has generally sounded too good to be true, University of Washington engineers have designed a concept for a fusion reactor that could challenge traditional coal-fired plants. Starting as a class project, the Dynomak, builds on existing technology and would be mainly self-sustaining The design uses a magnetic field in a closed space that holds the plasma still long enough for fusion to occur. The plasma is heated continuously to maintain thermonuclear conditions, and the heat generated from the reactor would heat a coolant that spins a turbine to generate electricity.
A mini quadcopter for your pocket
Do you know that sinking feeling when you reach for your smartphone, and it’s not there … almost like a piece of you is missing? Well, a San Francisco-based company called Aericam wants to produce this same feeling – only with mini quadcopter drones. The company has created a drone so small and compact that it can fit in your pocket, meaning you can pull it out whenever you’re feeling the urge to use it. It’s about the size of a slightly thicker iPhone 6. The drone, called Anura, works with your smart phone, via Wi-Fi, so you don’t need to carry around bulky transmitters. The drone even has a micro camera, so you can stream images to your smartphone while in flight.
The U.S. Air Force’s space-based infrared system
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have delivered the payload for the fourth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite of the U.S. Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS. The SBIRS program works to deliver missile warning and infrared surveillance information to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, combatant commanders, and other members of the intelligence community. This information enhances missile launch detection capabilities, supports the nation’s ballistic missile defense system, and improves situational awareness for those in combat.
