Archived articles

Mechanical engineering

Artist's rendering of the Neisseria gonorrhea bacteria
Medical devices
Johns Hopkins develops portable device for rapidly diagnosing STIs
Published May 12, 2021
The low-cost device matches the specificity and sensitivity of current hospital tests, and can detect which strains of disease may become resistant to antibiotics
A study participant wears a head piece and prosthetic glove
Prosthetics
Get a grip
Published April 14, 2021
Through neuroimaging, engineers discover that prosthetics that provide haptic sensory feedback lessen the mental energy users expend when using the device
Comparison of two imaging results, showing the increased specificity and clarity of the DNA-STROBE nanomaterial
Engineering
Tiny structures generate powerful beams for enhanced optical imaging
Published Jan 19, 2021
Using DNA as a scaffold, engineers create synthetic nanomaterial that could pave the way for rapid and more accurate diagnostic testing from a single molecule
Mark Shiffman and Christopher Shallal work in their home engineering lab
Student life
There's no workspace like home
Published Jan 11, 2021
Christopher Shallal, Parker Treadway, and Mark Shifman have converted their pingpong table room into the manufacturing laboratory of their dreams, complete with metal-working stations, 3D printers, and electronics cabinets
Detail from infographic shows an infected woman speaking
COVID-19
New model calculates risk of COVID-19 transmission
Published Oct 21, 2020
The Contagion Airborne Transmission inequality seeks to make sense of the many variables, including environmental ones, that can affect transmissibility of COVID-19
Plane exterior
Mechanical engineering
New method can pinpoint cracks in metal long before they cause catastrophes
Published Oct 13, 2020
Testing metals at the microscopic level could prevent the kinds of material cracks that plague industries such as air travel and construction
Desert sand dunes with waves
Mechanical engineering
Researchers catch a wave to determine how forces control granular material properties
Published June 30, 2020
Mechanical engineering study reveals how and why granular materials respond to wave force, paving the way for a new understanding of how to design materials and technologies
Illustration of particles moving through a mask
Fluid dynamics
The ill winds of COVID-19
Published May 11, 2020
A group of Johns Hopkins mechanical engineers believes fluid dynamics can tell us a great deal about the COVID-19 pandemic—and how people can protect themselves when the country reopens
Rishibrata Biswas
Mechanical engineering
For engineering students, classes are an at-home design challenge
Published April 28, 2020
Teaching engineering design during COVID-19 is a tricky business—but professors are retooling projects to give students hands-on design experiences at home
An engineer works on a snake robot
Robotics
Slithering snakes help engineers learn how to build better robots
Published Feb 18, 2020
Mechanical engineers design a snake robot based on the climbing technique of the kingsnake that could help advance search-and-rescue technology