Mechanical engineering

MIT researchers have developed a method to grow artificial muscle tissue that twitches and flexes in multiple, coordinated directions, and could be useful for building “biohybrid” robots, reports Andrew Corselli for Tech Briefs. Prof. Ritu Raman explains that her lab is focused on creating “artificial muscle tissues that can be used to understand and treat muscle diseases that impact healthy human mobility,” and making “safe muscle-powered robots that can perform complex tasks in dangerous environments that are not suitable for humans.”

MIT researchers have developed a “simple way to administer long-acting drug delivery systems without the need for invasive procedures – an appealing prospect for parts of the world with poor medical infrastructure,” reports Nicola Davis for The Guardian. “It’s suitable for any poorly soluble hydrophobic drug, especially where long-acting delivery is needed,” says Prof. Giovanni Traverso, “This includes treatments for HIV, TB, schizophrenia, chronic pain, or metabolic disease​.” 

MIT researchers have developed a new method to grow artificial muscles for soft robots that can move in multiple directions, mimicking the iris of an eye, reports Mrigakshi Dixit for Interesting Engineering. The researchers developed a new technique called “stamping” to create “an artificial iris-like structure,” Dixit explains. “For this, they 3D-printed a tiny stamp, patterned with microscopic grooves. This stamp is then pressed into a soft hydrogel to create a blueprint for muscle growth.”

MIT has been named among the top-performing intuitions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, reports The Economic Times. MIT ranks “first in 12 subjects, maintaining its stronghold in fields like engineering, technology, and computer science,” explains Economic Times. 

Writing for Fast Company, graduate student Sheng-Hung Lee and Devin Liddell of Teague highlight four types of AI technologies that could aid senior citizens in their homes. “To better understand how seniors want AIs and robots to help in their homes, we asked them,” they write.  “We recruited seniors from the MIT AgeLab’s research cohort—each around 70 years old and in the early stages of retirement—and then engaged in wide-ranging conversations about their aspirations and fears about these technologies.”

Prof. Seth Lloyd speaks with Fast Company reporter Sam Becker about quantum computing firm D-Wave and their recent work successfully simulating “the properties of magnetic materials.” Lloyd explains: “The D-Wave result shows the promise of quantum annealers for exploring exotic quantum effects in a wide variety of systems.” 

Researchers from MIT have “identified genes that the tuberculous bacteria rely on to survive and spread,” reports Allison DeAngelis for STAT. “Until now, very little was known about how tuberculous bacteria survived temperature changes, oxygen levels, humidity, and other environmental factors during the journey from one person’s lungs to another’s,” explains DeAngelis. 

WCVB spotlights MIT course 2.984: The Art and Science of Time Travel, taught by Prof. Seth Llyod and lecturer Michele Reilly, which explores time travel and other physical paradoxes. “The course idea came from both knowing science fiction authors and understanding what physicists can do when they try to think in an artistic way,” says Reilly. 

MIT has multiple projects represented in this year’s STAT Madness, a bracket-style competition “highlighting important scientific advances emerging from labs at the nation’s universities, medical schools, and other U.S. research institutions and companies,” reports STAT staff.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers reporter Cathy Cecere spotlights Ashley Lederman, a senior studying mechanical engineering who plays midfield and defense for the MIT field hockey team. Lederman relates how being an athlete has helped her learn to manage her time “meticulously.” Cecere writes: “Juggling practice, games, and travel led Lederman to use what time and energy she does have to be productive and disciplined especially during field hockey season. She explained this includes knowing when to seek out support from her teammates.” Lederman explains: “I know I have a support system to lean on.” 

MIT researchers have developed a technique to use a damage suppressing protein called “Dsup” to help protect cancer patients from the side effects of radiation therapy, writes Shane Galvin for The New York Post. “Scientists, encouraged by this remarkable discovery, believe they can create an upgraded version of Dsup which can be used to radiation-proof human cells without any unwanted drawbacks,” writes Galvin. “They also believe that the protein could be used by astronauts to prevent space-related radiation [damage].” 

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found that a protein developed by tardigrades could be used to help protect cancer patients from the side effects of radiation therapy, reports Ed Cara for Gizmodo. “The findings could someday lead to an invaluable add-on treatment for many cancer patients,” writes Cara. He adds that the new technique “could even possibly be used to protect astronauts from space-related radiation or to protect cancer patients from other sources of treatment-induced DNA damage, such as chemotherapy drugs.”

Mohamed Elrefaie speaks with Automotive World reporter Will Girling about his work developing an open-source dataset of 8,000 car designs, including their aerodynamic characteristics, which could be used to develop novel car designs in a more efficient manner. “If an automaker wants to reduce drag and improve performance, it can guide the GenAI model to produce those specific designs,” Elrefaie explains. “The standard development cycle for a design using legacy tools can take anywhere from three to five years, as it requires collaboration between many specialized departments. With AI, you could validate up to 600 designs in just one or two minutes.”

After suffering a concussion during her sophomore year, senior Emiko Pope, a mechanical engineering major and midfielder on the MIT women's soccer team, was inspired to study the effectiveness of concussion headbands, reports Cathy Cecere for Mechanical Engineering Magazine. “After collecting data simulating concussions and testing multiple concussion headbands, my data revealed that certain concussion headbands can reduce the force of direct impact by up to 80 percent,” says Pope.

Graduate student Palak Patel speaks with BBC News reporter Chris Baraniuk about her work designing an “experimental molten regolith electrolysis system, for extracting oxygen and metal from the lunar soil.” Palak explains: “We’re really looking at it from the standpoint of, ‘Let’s try to minimize the number of resupply missions.’”