Mechanical engineering

Alumnus Darryll Pines named president of University of Maryland

02/18/20 UMD Right Now — Pines, the current dean of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, will start his appointment July 1.

Is spaghetti the key to building a better robot?

01/22/20 — Studying how spaghetti reacts to water might offer clues to how robots built from flexible materials can better mimic human movement, according to Oliver O'Reilly, professor of mechanical engineering.

Tarek Zohdi named 2019 AAM Fellow

01/02/20 American Academy of Mechanics — Tarek Zohdi, Chancellor's Professor and Will C. Hall Endowed Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named the 2019 Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics. This is an honor accorded to only one person per year in the country.

Vacuum chamber used to test heat transfer

Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness

12/11/19 — In a surprising new study, Berkeley researchers led by Xiang Zhang, professor of mechanical engineering, showed that heat energy can travel through a complete vacuum due to invisible quantum fluctuations, a discovery that could have profound implications for the design of computer chips.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot not dying

12/03/19 NBC News — After studying the behavior of Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot with computer simulations, Berkeley researchers, led by mechanical engineering professor Philip Marcus, say there is no evidence that the giant storm is dying, despite observations over the past decade suggesting it is shrinking.

Illustration detail of human cisculatory system

Mass-producing biomaterials

10/25/19 — A new 3D printing technique may allow whole organs, living tissue, bone and blood vessels to be printed on demand.

Roach-inspired robot

10/25/19 — Engineers have created an insect-sized robot that can move as fast as a cockroach and withstand the weight of the average human.

Andrew Packard, professor and pioneer in robust control systems, dies at 59

10/07/19 — Professor Andrew Packard, professor of mechanical engineering, passed away in September. A popular and gifted teacher, Packard was a pioneering researcher in robust control theory.

Berkeley Engineering is #3 in U.S. News rankings

09/09/19 U.S. News & World Report — Berkeley Engineering's undergraduate program was again ranked third overall and the top public engineering school by U.S. News & World Report. Eight individual engineering programs were ranked among the top 5 in their respective fields, and all were in the top 10.

Engineering research entices community college students to pursue STEM careers

08/12/19 — A program called Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates offers students from California community colleges the opportunity to work alongside Berkeley researchers.

George Leitmann on rocket test track, Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake

Bancroft Library oral history, podcast highlight Berkeley Engineering achievements

08/01/19 — Berkeley Engineering's contributions to the rise of the semiconductor industry were featured in a recent library podcast, while mechanical engineering professor emeritus George Leitmann was interviewed for an oral history project.

You can’t squash this roach-inspired robot

08/01/19 — A new insect-sized robot created by Berkeley researchers can scurry across the floor and squeeze into tight spaces like a cockroach, a big advantage in search-and-rescue missions.

Adding touch to virtual and augmented reality

07/15/19 — A new device developed by Berkeley Engineering researchers could allow users to feel their way through an augmented and virtual reality experience.

Berkeley professors named innovators under 35

06/25/19 — Two Berkeley Engineering professors - mechanical engineering's Grace Gu and EECS' Raluca Ada Popa - were included in MIT Technology Review's list of “innovators under 35” today. This honor is given annually to technologists whose work has great potential to change the world

Cassie Cal makes campus moves on hovershoes

06/12/19 TechXplore — A new video by the Hybrid Robotics Group shows bipedal robot Cassie Cal riding in hovershoes down a few stairs, on uneven outdoor terrain, up and down steep inclines and leaning into a turn to navigate corners.

Are we on the cusp of frictionless mechanical systems?

06/06/19 — Machines often require expensive maintenance or replacement because the physical contact of their moving parts creates friction that wears these components down. Now, Berkeley engineers have developed a novel approach to eliminate friction in mechanical systems.