2023
May
Majidi comments on new material for “soft robotics” in Scientific American
Scientific American
MechE’s Carmel Majidi talks about a new low-density gel material that is able to conduct electricity to power a motor in Scientific American. In his recent study published in Nature Electronics, he used this material to power two basic machines, a toy car and a snail-like soft robot. “There are so many possibilities that arise when you take machines and robots out of the hard case and engineer them out of materials that are soft and squishy,” Majidi says.
MFI Faculty Director talks digital twins, supply chain issues
Supply Chain Dive
ECE’s Gary Fedder spoke to Supply Chain Dive about the promise of digital twins and their potential to address supply chain issues. “One can do basically virtual experiments to understand: How do you make the factory more efficient?” Fedder said. “The reason that’s super important is that usually translates into a lot of money.”
Bockstaller discusses his self-healing plastic research with CBS News Pittsburgh
CBS News Pittsburgh
MSE’s Michael Bockstaller discusses his self-healing plastic research with CBS News Pittsburgh. Typically, plastic’s short lifespan results in substantial waste production, and creating new plastic is much cheaper than recycling it. “The idea is that by creating polymers that would feature self-healing properties, we might be able to prolong the lifetime of these systems and reduce waste formation,” Bockstaller says.
April
Jayan talks about representation and her unconventional career path
Utah Public Radio
MechE’s Reeja Jayan talks to Utah Public Radio about her nonlinear path toward becoming a professor in engineering. She is the author of a chapter in the recently published book Women in Mechanical Engineering.
Rollett talks to NASA about 3D printed metal parts for spaceflight
NASA
MSE’s Tony Rollett, principal investigator of NASA’s new additive manufacturing institute, talks about 3D printed metal parts that will be used for NASA’s spaceflight endeavors in climate research. “The internal structure of this type of part is much different than what’s produced by any other method. The institute will focus on creating the models NASA and others in industry would need to use these parts on a daily basis,” Rollett says.
February
Pistorius helps create industrial decarbonzation partnership with a $1.5 million NSF grant
Scott Institute
MSE’s Chris Pistorius and colleagues have been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education. With this money, they created the Industrial Decarbonization Analysis, Benchmarking, and Action (INDABA) partnership which aims to accelerate industrial decarbonization on both a regional and global scale.
YKK AP to research feasibility of virtual factory at Mill 19
USGlass News Network
YKK AP Technologies Lab, who has partnered with MechE’s Kenji Shimada since 2020, has signed a five-year lease for space at Mill 19. They hope to develop a “virtual factory” that simulates engineering and supply chains in a virtual space for construction, glass, and fenestrations industries.
CMU partner and tech-oriented door and window manufacturer to co-locate at Mill 19
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
YKK AP Technologies Lab has decided to locate at Mill 19 because they wanted to be close to CMU, with whom they have been conducting joint research into advanced technologies involving the installation of windows, doors, curtain walls, and other building products since 2020.
January
Ozdoglanar and LeDuc speak to Additive Manufacturing Media
Additive Manufacturing Media
The video of a new 3D ice printing method developed by Carnegie Mellon engineers is magical according to Additive Manufacturing Media. MechE’s Burak Ozdoganlar, Philip LeDuc, and Akash Garg are printing sacrificial structures that are as small as blood vessels.
2022
December
Panat quoted in Lifewire
Lifewire
MechE’s Rahul Panat tells Lifewire, “Brain research aims to understand the communication between individual neurons or groups of neurons and can help us understand natural intelligence.” He explains that although natural intelligence can be used to develop AI, this proves to be a “herculean task” as neural recording limitations hinder the investigation of communication between different parts of the brain. “So advances in the recording density and interpretation of the signaling patterns of the neurons has been of immense interest,” Panat says.
November
Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing
MITRE Grand Challenges Power Hour
NextM/MFI’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf participated in a recent panel discussion during Mitre’s Grand Challenges Power Hour: Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing. Panelists discussed how the newly released National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing can help grow the U.S. economy, create jobs, enhance environmental sustainability, address climate change, strength supply chains, ensure national security, and improve healthcare.
Fedder answers the big questions about advanced manufacturing in the US
Authority Magazine
September
CMU and Pittsburgh benefit from Build Back Better grant
US Economic Development Administration
Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh region will share the benefits of a $62.7 million Build Back Better grant to upskill workers and expand the equitable adoption and commercialization of robotics, AI, and automation in SWPA.
June
Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette emphasizes MFI's impact on the region's manufacturing
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In an article about Nexii Building Solutions considering Pittsburgh as a new potential location, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette emphasizes the impact that the Manufacturing Futures Institute, as well as Mill 19, has had on the region's manufacturing.
Wolf featured on additive manufacturing
Velo 3D
MFI/NextManufacturing’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf spoke about the unique benefits of additive manufacturing versus traditional manufacturing on the new episode of the @Velo3D podcast, #LaserFocused.