MIT Mechanical Engineering

Most human physical interaction tasks require the production of force, but factors like the mechanical stability of a task or the person’s body configuration can compromise force production. A new paper published in the journal Nature Communications by researchers in MechE’s Eric P. and Evelyn E. Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation reframes the understanding of human physical performance, showing that force generation is not just a muscle strength problem but a mechanical stability problem. 📸: Adobe Stock

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/exploring-biomechanics-human-force-pushing

The “HardFlow” algorithm, developed by researchers in Associate Professor Navid Azizan's lab, could help generative AI models produce high-quality outputs that obey strict requirements in safety-critical situations. 📸: MIT News; iStock

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/new-method-enables-ai-safety-critical-situations

Using materials that are safe for human consumption, MIT researchers have created tiny batteries that could be used to power ingestible electronic devices. The entire battery is bioresorbable, meaning that it can be fully broken down and absorbed by the body.

Giovanni Traverso, the Karl Van Tassel (1925) Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is senior author of the paper, which is available now in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering. Former MIT postdoc Mehmet Girayhan Say is the paper’s lead author. Over the past decade, Traverso and his collaborators have developed ingestible capsules that can monitor vital signs, deliver a variety of drugs, and detect opioid overdoses.

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/batteries-safely-break-down-gi-tract-could-improve-ingestible-devices

Developed in MIT’s Design Computation and Digital Engineering (DeCoDE) Lab, CADFit, an AI-guided optimization tool, turns meshes and images into editable CAD and makes product design faster and more accessible.

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/ai-guided-optimization-tool-makes-product-design-faster-and-more-accessible

The world needs more homes. The world also has too much plastic. Both of these problems are hard to solve. MIT spinout Atlas Building Composites, which emerged from MIT HAUS, a research effort in MechE, is on a mission to address both problems with a single solution. Atlas uses waterless plastic recycling and large-scale composite additive manufacturing technology to make parts like home foundations, decks, and trusses for walls, floors, and roofs. 📸s: Atlas

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/mit-spinout-turns-plastic-waste-resilient-building-materials

MechE junior Wyatt Vick, a 2A-6 major, spent the summer working with Centrus Energy as a mechanical engineering intern. As a member of the Design Engineering team, he gained experience in project management, procurement, and nuclear engineering. Centrus Energy is described as "a trusted supplier of nuclear fuel and services for the nuclear power industry, helping meet the growing need for clean, affordable, carbon-free energy." Here Wyatt is pictured in front of Centrus's operational demonstration cascade located in Piketon, Ohio.