Mechanical engineering

This proof-of-concept device, built at MIT, demonstrates a new system for extracting drinking water from the air. The sequence of images at right shows how droplets of water accumulate over time as the inside temperature increases while exposed to the sun.

Water, water everywhere … even in the air

Scientists discover a way to harvest fresh water from air, including in arid regions.

April 14, 2017

A new surface coating developed by Kripa Varanasi and his team causes water to bead up on the inner surface of a pipe rather than spreading out. This prevents the formation of ices that could lead to a clog in an oil pipeline or well.

Researchers design coatings to prevent pipeline clogging

Solution developed at MIT could stop buildup of hydrate ices that slow or block oil and gas flow.

April 14, 2017

Zhu Zhenqi (left), president of ENN Energy Research Institute, and Robert Armstrong, director of the MIT Energy Initiative, sign the agreement for ENN's membership in MITEI's Center for Energy Storage Research.

ENN Group becomes MIT Energy Initiative member to advance energy storage technologies

ENN Group, one of China’s largest private energy companies, will join MITEI’s Center for Energy Storage Research.

April 13, 2017

With support from the NSF CAREER program, three rising faculty stars at MIT will receive funding to explore new frontiers and make a meaningful impact of everyday life.

Three MIT engineering faculty win 2017 NSF CAREER Awards

Support will enable the exploration of new research terrains.

April 10, 2017

Researchers have found a way to make tiny particles that can be injected into the body, where they emit short-wave infrared light. The advance may open up a new way of making detailed images of internal body structures such as fine networks of blood vessels.

Nanoparticles open new window for biological imaging

“Quantum dots” that emit infrared light enable highly detailed images of internal body structures.

April 10, 2017

Tata Center students and staff pose with Ratan Tata (center-right), chair of the Tata Trusts.

Tata Center adds 14 new projects to its portfolio for 2017-18

MIT principal investigators will apply cutting-edge research to the challenges of the developing world, seeking a large-scale impact.

April 7, 2017

MIT Professor Ernesto Blanco stands next to a model of his invention, the stair-climbing wheelchair, during the 2011 MIT 150 kickoff celebration at the MIT Museum.

Ernesto Blanco, mechanical design professor and inventor of the stair-climbing wheelchair, dies at 94

Longtime professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering patented over a dozen inventions and inspired generations of engineers.

April 5, 2017

Engineers at MIT have devised a microfluidic technique to capture and count circulating plasma cells from small samples of blood. The technique, which relies on conventional blood draws, may provide patients with a less painful test for multiple myeloma.

Method may help myeloma patients avoid painful biopsies

Microfluidic device isolates plasma cells from blood rather than bone marrow.

April 4, 2017

As part of a $35 million materials science discovery program, The Toyota Research Institute will support three MIT-affiliated projects directed at advancing technologies that underpin the future of mobility and autonomous systems and energy storage, such as rechargeable batteries used in hybrid and electric cars.

Multi-university effort will advance materials, define the future of mobility

With support from the Toyota Research Institute, MIT faculty will focus on next-generation energy storage.

April 3, 2017

Researchers at MIT have found a way to make graphene with fewer wrinkles, and to iron out the wrinkles that do appear. They found each wafer exhibited uniform performance, meaning that electrons flowed freely across each wafer, at similar speeds, even across previously wrinkled regions.

Researchers “iron out” graphene’s wrinkles

New technique produces highly conductive graphene wafers.

April 3, 2017

MIT seniors Victoria Gregory and Gabe Alba intend to bring their product, the Coffee Cookie, to market before graduation. “We like the idea of seeing if we can pull it off,” says Gregory.

With Coffee Cookie, MIT duo takes product from idea to launch

“We really want to make something fun and get it to people fast," says senior Gabe Alba.

March 30, 2017

The Edgerton Center hosted 10th-grade students from Beijing, China, for a workshop on underwater remotely operated vehicles.

Wisdom gained: A good engineer should have artisan spirit

In a three-day workshop, 60 Beijing high school students build underwater remotely operated vehicles and launch them in the Zesiger pool.

March 27, 2017

“My upbringing fostered the desire to tackle big problems that have a global impact," says MIT grad student Julien Barber. "Fusion fits the bill of a global remedy for both energy needs and some environmental problems. It’s trying to change the game.”

Julien Barber: Protecting magnets and the environment

Master's candidate explores ways to cool high-temperature superconductors used in fusion research.

March 27, 2017

Plastic sliding calipers known as Squirrel Devices, developed by MIT grad students, make geometry’s continuous shapes and lengths measurable for blind and limited-vision students, who can read measurements in Braille.

A measurable improvement in STEM access for the blind

Two MIT graduate students have developed a device that provides better access to STEM materials for the blind and low-vision community.

March 22, 2017

Engineers have designed a microfluidic device they call a “tree-on-a-chip,” which mimics the pumping mechanism of trees and other plants.

Engineers design “tree-on-a-chip”

Microfluidic device generates passive hydraulic power, may be used to make small robots move.

March 20, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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