Wettability – Controlling How “Odd Couple” Surfaces and Liquids Interact
Spread out or bead up? A new process enables control over liquid-solid interfaces even with the most unlikely pairs of materials. The wettability of a…
Mechanical Engineering
Physics-Based Engineering and the Machine-Learning “Black Box” Problem
In MIT 2.C161, George Barbastathis demonstrates how mechanical engineers can use their knowledge of physical systems to keep algorithms in check and develop more accurate…
MIT Scientists Overcome a Major Bottleneck in Carbon Dioxide Conversion
Study reveals why some attempts to convert the greenhouse gas into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions. If researchers could find a way to…
Wear and Tear in Vulnerable Brain Areas Lead to Lesions Linked to Cognitive Decline in Aging
Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology show that strain on ventricular walls explains where lesions develop in the aging brain. As our brains age, small…
Meet the Oystamaran: MIT’s Robot Developed To Help Oyster Farmers
Working directly with oyster farmers, MIT students are developing a robot that can flip heavy, floating bags of oysters, helping the shellfish to grow and…
New Synthetic Biomaterial Can Repair Hearts, Muscles, and Vocal Cords
Scientists from McGill University develop new biomaterial for wound repair. Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial…
Ancient Arts of Origami and Kirigami Inspire Mechanical Metamaterials
Origami- and kirigami-based metamaterials have applications from robotics to medical devices. The ancient arts of origami, the art of paper-folding, and kirigami, the art of…
Rice University Creates Effective Recipe To Decontaminate Disposable COVID Facemasks at Home
Heating PPE to the right degree kills 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 virus without degrading material. Here’s the recipe to decontaminate a disposable facemask: Heat it at…
Peeking Into a Chrysalis, Incredible Videos Capture Butterfly Wings Forming During Metamorphosis
The findings could inform the design of new materials such as iridescent windows or waterproof textiles. If you brush against the wings of a butterfly,…
Through the Eyes of Underwater Creatures: Wearable, Whole-Body Sensing Networks
Michael Bartlett will engineer wearable, whole-body sensing networks with a Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research. The horseshoe crab is often referred…
Shape-Shifting Materials With Infinite Possibilities: Totimorphic Structural Materials Can Achieve Any Shape
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any…
Blueprint for Robust Artificial Tissues: Synthetic Hydrogel Mimics Lobster Underbelly’s Stretch and Strength
The membrane’s structure could provide a blueprint for robust artificial tissues. A lobster’s underbelly is lined with a thin, translucent membrane that is both stretchy…
Autonomous Robot Swarms To Mine the Moon’s Resources
University of Arizona aerospace and mining engineers are mapping out a plan for harvesting the moon’s resources using autonomous robot swarms and new excavation techniques….
High-Energy Shape Memory Polymer Could Help Robots Flex Their Muscles
When stretched or deformed, shape memory polymers return to their original shapes after heat or light is applied. These materials show great promise for soft…
New Nanomaterial Resists Projectile Impact Better Than Kevlar
Thinner than a human hair, new material can absorb impacts from microparticles traveling at supersonic speeds. Engineers at Caltech, MIT, and ETH Zürich have developed…
The Incredible Secret Science of Ants’ Underground Cities: How Ants Build Amazingly Complex and Stable Structures
Picture an anthill. What do you see? A small mound of sand and crumbly dirt poking up through the lawn? A tiny hole disappearing into…
How an Elephant’s Trunk Manipulates Air To Eat and Drink – Animal’s “Swiss Army Knife” Could Help Build Better Robots
New research from the Georgia Institute of Technology finds that elephants dilate their nostrils in order to create more space in their trunks, allowing them…
Injecting Drugs Without Needles: High-Speed Camera Captures a Water Jet’s Splashy Impact As It Pierces a Droplet
The results may help engineers develop a way to inject drugs without needles. Squirting a jet of water through a drop of liquid may sound…