Mechanical Engineering

Group of capsules moving in tubular tortuous structures and sampling liquids.   Vanderbilt researchers have developed technology for sampling body liquids in tortuous and narrow spaces that could lead to early detection of diseases like cancer. The research led by Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering,… Read More

Vanderbilt engineering students Rais Nurhidajat, Jonathan Zak, Leo Brenes, and graduate student Andrew Noonan gained invaluable aerospace career experience this summer at the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory (VADL). Their project, developing an autorotative lander, advanced their technical skills and provided a springboard for their future careers in the… Read More

When kidney stone surgery is performed using an endoscope, about a fourth of those patients will require a repeat surgery within 20 months due to residual stone fragments being left behind. These remaining pieces can lead to obstruction, pain, kidney injury and recurrent infections. Jie Ying Wu Gaining and assessing… 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. The resulting… Read More

  Xiaoguang Dong Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded an R21 Trailblazer Award by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue a project about “Wirelessly Actuated Ciliary Stent for Minimally Invasive Treatment… Read More

A grappling hook or grapnel is a fierce looking object with multiple claws or flukes attached to a rope or cable. It is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand so at least one claw can catch and hold on to an object. For U.S. Army combat… Read More

Piran Kidambi, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and mechanical engineering, was recently invited to participate in the 2024 China-America Frontiers of Engineering symposium where he presented his team’s latest research in energy and sustainability. Piran Kidambi Kidambi was one of 30 highly accomplished early-career engineers from… Read More

Four engineering faculty members have been selected for spring 2024 Seeding Success internal funding. Their projects are among 13 chosen across seven colleges and schools. This year’s cycle was highly competitive, with 29 applications. All applicants receive tailored feedback from reviewers, regardless of whether their proposals are funded. The engineering… Read More

Vanderbilt rocket team at the NASA USLI competition at Bragg Farms in Toney Alabama, April 13, 2024.   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… 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. The soft-robotic prototype, which is driven by strong magnets controlled by a wearable external actuator,… Read More