Mechanical Engineering

Explained: Hydrophobic and hydrophilic

Better understanding of how surfaces attract or repel water could improve everything from power plants to ketchup bottles.

July 16, 2013

Pruning the power grid

New algorithm quickly identifies the most dangerous risks in a power grid amid millions or billions of possible failures.

July 1, 2013

Better droplet condensation could boost power efficiency

Improved system for power plants uses oil-infused condenser surface to improve heat-transfer properties.

June 21, 2013

Schematics of a ferroelectric-graphene-ferroelectric nanostructure. Different domains of ferroelectrics can define densely packed waveguide patterns on graphene. Terahertz plasmons at ultrashort wavelength can flow on these waveguides.

Ferroelectric-graphene-based system could lead to improved information processing

New system uses two-dimensional structures to guide plasmonic waves at ultrashort wavelength, offering a new platform for memory and computer chips.

June 21, 2013

Vibrotactile displays mounted around the waist and back are used to study how people use vibrotactile cues to navigate in unfamiliar environments.

Can you feel me now?

New array measures vibrations across the skin, may help engineers design optimal, wearable tactile displays.

June 14, 2013

Making waves

Pierre Lermusiaux quantifies uncertainty to develop better ocean simulations.

June 12, 2013

Meet the maker

MIT alumna Limor Fried has become a pioneer of the ‘maker movement’ with her multimillion-dollar company.

May 31, 2013

This barnacle-covered Japanese fishing boat washed up on the coast of the state of Washington in the summer of 2012.

Before the wreckage comes ashore

MIT paves the way towards smarter environmental disaster response

May 30, 2013

MITxplorers build skyscrapers with spaghetti and marshmallows under the encouragement of co-president and mentor Debbie Nguyen (right).

Local fifth graders explore mathematics with MIT graduate students

MITxplore, a free after-school math program, transforms math into an adventure.

May 28, 2013

Shambhu Baral, Shawn Wen's field research partner, carries a PortaTherm prototype while walking to one of 19 peri-urban and rural health posts where they conducted product demos and interviews with health workers last summer.

D-Lab Scale-Ups awards funds to three MIT social entrepreneurs

Shawn Wen ‘13, Kevin Cedrone SM ’10 PhD ‘13 and Sumana Shrestha MBA ‘13 to join the Phase I Fellowship Program

May 16, 2013

MIT Global Founders’ Skills Accelerator announces 2013 student teams

Startup accelerator includes eight MIT student teams as well as teams from six international universities.

May 16, 2013

Team Meerkat students demonstrate their toys, called Fearkats, which emit "laser" beams when activated using their tail-triggers.

Students with toys: Not just playing around

In mechanical engineering department’s toy-design class, teams design creative board games, plush toys and puzzles.

May 15, 2013

Water from natural gas wells, sent to MIT by the companies that operate them, was run through the humidification-dehumidification (HDH) carrier gas extraction process, producing clean, potable water (right).

Water purification process named 'Technology Idol of the Year'

Humidification-dehumidification (HDH) carrier gas extraction process developed by researchers at MIT.

May 15, 2013