The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed a ten-by-five-metre inflatable structure that could be quickly deployed to isolate sections of transit or rail tunnels in the event of ...

Researchers tested a simple but ingenious approach to limiting damages in flooding tunnels. To take part in the Machine Design infrastructure survey, click here. Flooding due to natural disaster or ...

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — Large Inflatable Rubber Plugs have been in use in large-scale infrastructure projects since at least the early 1920’s, when they were used in large cities to isolate and empty ...

After Hurricane Sandy decimated the subway system last year, officials pledged to install new devices to help halt the rising tides—including flood gates and, more ...

Chris Welch is a former senior reviewer who worked at The Verge from 2011 until May 2025. His coverage areas included audio (Sonos, Apple, Bose, Sony, etc.), home theater, smartphones, photography, ...

Coming to a subway tunnel near you: giant, inflatable bladders. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is exploring using inflatable and expandable devices to seal subway tunnels and prevent the ...

A giant inflatable plug that can be filled with 35,000 gallons of water at a moment’s notice could have prevented some of the flooding that crippled New York City’s transit in the wake of Sandy, ...