All articles tagged with #engineering
Ford rehired about 350 veteran engineers—including former employees and suppliers—after automated AI quality systems underperformed. The “gray beard” engineers will train younger staff and help reprogram AI tools, a move Ford says has reduced warranty/recall costs and supported its top initial-quality ranking in a JD Power survey.
Ford rehired 350 experienced engineers after its AI systems failed to replicate decades of know-how; they mentored staff, rebuilt data pipelines, and expanded QA, helping Ford reach the top spot in JD Power's 2026 initial quality study for mainstream brands (152 problems per 100 vehicles) though the company continues to issue recalls, underscoring that AI cannot fully replace human judgment.
Honda’s S2000 earns its cult status from a purpose-built six-speed manual with a direct, top-mounted metal shift linkage, an aluminum lever floating in a rubber mount, and multi-cone synchros that deliver ultra-short, precise shifts. Tight packaging keeps the lever close to the steering wheel, reflecting Honda’s long-running focus on shift feel and design philosophy.
Chris Bird, the structural engineer who helped design the Obama Presidential Center’s bold top tower wrapped with Obama quotes, says the unprecedented design was the president’s vision and anchors the site as the center opens to the public; critics have called it a monstrosity, but Bird argues it’s a grand, sky-reaching gesture that blends with the park, with attendees praising the center as futuristic and breathtaking.
Using only a basic mill and lathe, Camden Bowen machines a billet aluminium into a single-cylinder two-stroke engine, exploring multiple fabrication approaches and the accompanying risks. The build achieves about 150 psi compression and runs with a spark and premixed fuel, though a slight flywheel wobble reveals a minor manufacturing glitch. Overall it demonstrates the feasibility of a DIY two-stroke engine while underscoring safety, cost, and practical challenges.
Daniel Wm. McAndrew of Erie, a lifelong electronics and engineering enthusiast who led Simulation Engineering at the International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots and later worked at Northrop Grumman, is remembered for his kindness, talent, and music; he is survived by his brothers Joey, Denise, JoAnne, Patrick, and Matthew, and was preceded in death by baby brother Paul; a private memorial will be held.
Meta is tying some employees’ performance to AI-tool usage, setting targets for AI-assisted coding and broader AI adoption across engineering teams as it pursues an “AI-native” company model. Goals include 65% of Creation Org engineers writing more than 75% of their committed code with AI, 50–80% AI-assisted code for the Scalable ML team, and 80% of mid-to-senior engineers adopting AI tools, with 55% of code changes agent-assisted. Leadership changes and organizational reshaping accompany the push, while Meta says rewards will focus on impact from AI rather than usage alone and doesn’t clearly outline how reviews will tie in.
Team GB’s skeleton program thrives on cutting-edge engineering, elite coaching, and talent pipelines rather than a home ice track. Matt Weston’s Milan-Cortina 2026 gold extends Britain’s skeleton medal haul to 10, built on sled design, wind-tunnel testing, and a culture of open knowledge sharing among athletes, plus investment and UK Sport funding with a high-performance environment at Bath’s push track. The squad’s camaraderie and systematic preparation—expanded leadership from coaches like Martins Dukurs—drive strong results even with limited ice time and, at times, challenging equipment choices.
Amazon laid off 2,198 workers across Washington state, with more than half in core product and engineering roles; about 1,400 are in Seattle and 600 in Bellevue, as part of a broader 16,000-corporate layoff announced last week—the latest in a series of cuts culminating in Amazon's largest workforce reduction.
David A. Duffield, a Cornell alumnus and founder of PeopleSoft and Workday, is donating more than $520 million to Cornell, including a new $371.5 million pledge and a $100 million 2025 commitment, to establish the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering. The historic gift—the largest in Cornell history—will fund a $250 million Duffield Legacy Fund and a $50 million priorities fund, with the remainder supporting the Duffield Launch Fund to upgrade infrastructure and advance research in areas like quantum engineering, artificial intelligence, and health as part of the university’s final campaign, “To Do the Greatest Good.” It also includes plans to expand Duffield Hall, cementing Duffield’s name for generations and continuing his broader support of Cornell programs.
Eric R. Fossum, inventor of the active-pixel CMOS image sensor used in billions of cameras, has been awarded the 2026 Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering, a distinction often described as the “Nobel Prize of Engineering.”
The article reflects on lessons learned from 14 years at Google, criticizing the company's user experience, internal culture, and the disconnect between engineers and user feedback, while also discussing broader industry trends affecting UX quality.
China has developed a new hypergravity centrifuge, CHIEF 1900, capable of generating accelerations of 1,900 g·tonne, to study materials and fundamental physics under extreme conditions, with applications in civil engineering and scientific research, though such forces are lethal to humans.
China has opened the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest expressway tunnel, in Xinjiang, reducing travel time between Urumqi and Korla to 3.5 hours. Built over five years at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, it utilized innovative construction methods to overcome extreme environmental conditions, setting world records for length and depth.
Researchers at the University of Leicester have developed a practical design framework for magnetic cloaks that can be manufactured and tailored to complex shapes, moving the concept from theory to real-world applications such as shielding sensitive equipment from magnetic interference in various industries.