MIT engineers uncover a surprising reason why tissues are flexible or rigid
Watery fluid between cells plays a major role, offering new insights into how organs and tissues adapt to aging, diabetes, cancer, and more.
MIT mechanical engineering course invites students to “build with biology”
2.797/2.798 (Molecular Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics) explores the intersection of mechanics and biology.
The human body, its movement, and music
Connected by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative, Lecturer Mi-Eun Kim and Research Scientist Praneeth Namburi want to develop an understanding of musical expression and skill development.
MIT scientists engineer starfish cells to shape-shift in response to light
The research may enable the design of synthetic, light-activated cells for wound healing or drug delivery.
To design better water filters, MIT engineers look to manta rays
New research shows the filter-feeders strike a natural balance between permeability and selectivity that could inform design of water treatment systems.
Engineering and matters of the heart
Professor Ellen Roche is creating the next generation of medical devices to help repair hearts, lungs, and other tissues.
Detachable cardiac pacing lead may improve safety for cardiac patients
The minimally invasive, 3d-printable device offers safer application and removal, along with improved bioelectronic performance.
Robotic “SuperLimbs” could help moonwalkers recover from falls
A new MIT system could help astronauts conserve energy and extend missions on the lunar surface.
MIT engineers design flexible “skeletons” for soft, muscle-powered robots
New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots.
MIT engineers design a robotic replica of the heart’s right chamber
The realistic model could aid the development of better heart implants and shed light on understudied heart disorders.
Coloring outside the lines
Mathias Kolle’s color-changing materials take inspiration from butterflies and mollusks.
Crystan McLymore SM ’23: Exceling at sea and in the lab
US Navy officer and recent MechE alumna who served on a nuclear aircraft carrier researches radiation detection.
Bioinspired robotics class offers intriguing surprises
Students learn about the complexity behind simple, everyday movement before experimenting with mechanical models.
Speedy robo-gripper reflexively organizes cluttered spaces
Rather than start from scratch after a failed attempt, the pick-and-place robot adapts in the moment to get a better hold.
Nelson Yuan-sheng Kiang, influential researcher in human hearing science, dies at 93
He conducted groundbreaking research into auditory physiology at MIT and Harvard Medical School, and was the founding director of the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear.