Mechanical Engineering Category
Vanderbilt researcher receives nearly $2.7 million in NSF and NIH funding to explore how augmented reality can ease loneliness in older adults
Sep. 12, 2022—As the population of older adults continues to boom across the U.S., Vanderbilt researcher Nilanjan Sarkar is partnering with Lorraine Mion of the Ohio State University and two Middle Tennessee long-term care (LTC) facilities to investigate how augmented reality technologies can ease loneliness among residents. Sarkar, the David K. Wilson Professor of Engineering and a...
Caldwell, Landman win Chancellor’s Award for Research
Sep. 2, 2022—Engineering professors Joshua Caldwell and Bennett Landman won a Chancellor’s Award for Research at the 2022 Fall Faculty Assembly. Vanderbilt faculty marking 25 years of service to the university also were recognized, including five engineering professors. Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver and the Faculty Senate celebrated faculty achievements and...
Vanderbilt research shows how a gel that “melts” at cold temperatures can be used to start chemical reactions
Aug. 29, 2022—A new study by Vanderbilt researchers demonstrates the ability to initiate chemical reactions by cooling materials instead of heating them— a counterintuitive process that could open new vistas for applications ranging from monitoring shipping conditions to developing smart clothing that guards against dangerously low temperatures. The paper, published in August by the journal RSC Advances,...
Vanderbilt professor to use portion of $2.3 million grant on robot technology to help patients avoid invasive colectomies
Aug. 25, 2022—Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor of medicine and urology at Vanderbilt University, is part of a collaborative team that has received a more than $2.3 million grant to further develop technology that seeks to prevent patients from having invasive colectomies by using steerable robot-like instruments. Under his...
Vanderbilt, 101st Airborne collaborate on development of exoskeleton for soldier use in inaugural Pathfinder Project
Aug. 17, 2022—A team of Vanderbilt engineers have completed a collaborative project with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell to design and test a first-of-its-kind exoskeleton that supports U.S. Army soldiers participating in sustainment and logistics operations. The exoskeleton—the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply, or SABER—is being prepared for manufacturing and commercialization by HeroWear and...
Simaan tapped as co-editor of IEEE special issue on surgical robots
Jul. 27, 2022—Mechanical Engineering Professor Nabil Simaan was named a co-editor of a special issue on surgical robotics for Proceedings of the IEEE. The July 2022 special issue, “Surgical Robotics and Computer-Integrated Interventional Medicine,” provides a research overview of the major applications and enabling technologies in the growing field of surgical robotics. In the 15 years since...
Three engineering faculty win Vanderbilt grants to support early-stage pioneering research
Jun. 29, 2022—Three engineering faculty members have received grants to support the early stages of pioneering research projects identified as likely candidates for further funding from federal, foundation and industry sponsors. Spring 2022 Seeding Success Grants were awarded to 14 faculty and are the second cycle of the internal early investment funding initiative. The grants, awarded to faculty spanning the...
Two engineering faculty members named 2022 Chancellor Faculty Fellows
Jun. 15, 2022—Engineering professors John T. Wilson and Karl Zelik join 11 outstanding faculty members from across the university as the 2022 class of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. The cohort comprises highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty. “Vanderbilt’s faculty drive the pathbreaking research and transformative education that set our university apart,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “The Chancellor Faculty Fellows program...