Topology optimization is a mature branch of engineering.
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2026
58 points (96.8% liked)
science
28150 readers
358 users here now
A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.
dart board;; science bs
rule #1: be kind
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Must be a slow news day. We did this in our studies at university 20 years ago.
I was gonna say, the headline looks like it was written in 1997
Yup.
I've never heard a good engineer ever say "let's use an unnecessary amount of material", usually engineers say "this is what you need to achieve the goal and this is why....". Then management adds contingency while trying to also cut cost, then the project manager orders material too early to drive revenue and it expires or get lost, then the crew always has waste, the list goes on.
Efficient engineering is rarely the problem, but if there's a tool that reliably makes my job easier and faster then sure, bring it on
You have safety margins which could be excess material.
Then management adds contingency while trying to also cut cost,
No, they just cut cost, beyond what the engineering was designed for. Then they end up as a mini-documentary on some channel like Plainly Difficult.
Yeah, my gut reaction was, “someone just figured this out!?”
Don't mention this to building contractors here. Some of them already use less materials than regulations.
Let's go back to build ramps and jumping over rivers.
Are they sure there isn't any "AI" in there?
Seriously though I vastly prefer the term "computer model". Props to everyone involved for honest journalism and honest science. Refreshing.