Mechanical Engineering

The Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization has honored five faculty members as 2024 Master Innovators for their groundbreaking research and transformative innovations. These pioneers, recognized for achievements spanning patents, startups and impactful technologies, exemplify Vanderbilt's dedication to translating academic excellence into societal advancements. Read More

Vanderbilt engineering professor Xiaoguang Dong is leading a team of researchers that has developed a system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer. Read More

Paul Slaughter knew early on he wanted an engineering degree that would help amputees, even writing in a high school career essay about designing prosthetics to assist athletes. The mechanical engineering graduate student recently got that opportunity when he designed a prosthetic leg for Army veteran Kelly Elmlinger to compete in triathlons, including a World Triathlon Para Series event where Elmlinger used the leg to help come in first place. Read More

A back-relieving exosuit designed by HeroWear, a Nashville-based workforce wearable technology company, was co-founded by Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, and two alumni, is continuing to show its effectiveness with the Royal Australian Air Force ordering hundreds of additional suits and eyeing larger expansion. Read More

A landmark, multi-institution project being led by Vanderbilt engineering professor Robert J. Webster received an award up to $12 million in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to develop a fully autonomous surgical robot. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have developed technology for sampling body liquids in tortuous and narrow spaces that could lead to early detection of diseases like cancer. Read More

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Deyu Li has been awarded an inaugural National Science Foundation TRAILBLAZER Engineering Impact Award to extend Max Planck’s theory of thermal radiation from equilibrium thermal sources to a regime where non-equilibrium energy carriers can lead to significantly enhanced radiative heat dissipation. Read More

Thirteen innovative projects across seven colleges and schools have been selected for the spring 2024 round of Seeding Success internal grants. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation announced the recipient list on May 31. Read More

Vanderbilt rocket team members are staying in the lab this summer to work on two designs of the drone that netted the team a second place award in the coveted AIAA Reusable Launch Vehicle Innovative Payload category at the 2024 NASA University Student Launch Initiative Division rocket competition in April. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has developed a wirelessly activated device that mimics the wavelike muscular function in the esophagus and small intestine responsible for transporting food and viscous fluids for digestion. Read More

With hundreds of thousands of people in the United States having a stroke annually, Vanderbilt researchers are developing technology that could revolutionize the way blood clots are removed by allowing surgeons to complete the process more efficiently and safely. Read More

Meet some members of the Class of 2024 who are sharing their unique global experiences and identities, enriching the Vanderbilt community. Read More

A front-end lens, or meta-imager (see below), created at Vanderbilt University can potentially replace traditional imaging optics in machine-vision applications, producing images at higher speed and using less power. The nanostructuring of lens material into a meta-imager filter reduces the typically thick optical lens and enables front-end processing that encodes information more efficiently. The imagers... Read More

Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professors Deyu Li and Josh Caldwell are part of a team of researchers who have discovered a new heat dissipation channel using phonon polaritons that could have extensive implications for novel cooling technologies in devices like smart phones and other modern electronics. Read More

Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professors Deyu Li and Josh Caldwell are part of a team of researchers who have discovered a new heat dissipation channel using phonon polaritons that could have extensive implications for novel cooling technologies in devices like smart phones and other modern electronics. The research was recently published in Nature Communications under the... Read More

The research team includes, left to right, Bruno Scaglioni, PhD; Keith Obstein MD, MPH; James Martin, PhD; Claire Landewee; Simone Calò, PhD; and Pietro Valdastri, PhD. (photo by Susan Urmy) by Jill Clendening A Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) research team is conducting the first phase 1 clinical trial of a magnetic, flexible... Read More

Two Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that earned a $1 million grant to develop AI-based training that will help neurodiverse people learn to drive—addressing a huge obstacle for that population. “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence for many neurodiverse individuals,” said Nilanjan Sarkar,... Read More

Two Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that earned a $1 million grant to develop AI-based training that will help neurodiverse people learn to drive—addressing a huge obstacle for that population. “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence for many neurodiverse individuals,” said Nilanjan Sarkar,... Read More

Zeno Power, a startup initiated through the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, has received a total of $30 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and private investors to develop and build a flight-ready radioisotope-powered satellite by 2025. It is expected to be the first launch of a commercially developed space nuclear system in history. Vanderbilt... Read More

Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, is being recognized for his contributions to biomechanics with a Goel Award. The award recognizes accomplishments in translational biomechanics research, entrepreneurship and societal benefit. Read More