School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Biological systems are mechanically soft, with complex, time-dependent 3D curvilinear shapes; modern electronic and microfluidic technologies are rigid, with simple, static 2D layouts.

While robots and engineering artifacts are becoming increasingly smart, innovations in their structural design have not kept pace.

Biological machines, in particular insects, still surpass their robotic counterparts in almost every aspect, including power conversion, actuation, sensing, and control.

Design and decision making are pervasive in scientific and industrial endeavors: scientists design experiments to gain insights into physical and social phenomena, engineers design machines to execute tasks more efficiently, and pharmaceutical researchers design new drugs to fight disease.

The current manufacturing paradigm is shifting toward the development of more flexible manufacturing systems that can produce highly personalized products, adapt to unexpected disturbances in the system, and readily integrate new manufacturing system technology.