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.
Mechanical engineering
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.
Berkeley engineers propose solutions for reaching U.N. development goals
05/28/19 — Three UC Berkeley undergrads attended the U.N. Environmental Assembly in Kenya and saw their proposals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority partnership advances ‘future energy’ educational program
05/04/19 — UC Berkeley and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are teaming up to establish a new educational program to accelerate infrastructure systems for sustainable energy.
New 3D printer
05/01/19 — A new 3D printer uses light to shape solid objects out of a viscous liquid in a matter of minutes.
Heat-powered hat
05/01/19 — Berkeley students have created WeLumen8, a baseball cap with built-in LED lights powered by human heat.
Going to extremes
05/01/19 — Researchers have developed a thermal regulator that improves the performance of lithium-ion batteries in extreme temperatures.
New hydrogen fuel catalyst
05/01/19 — Engineers used gelatin to create a hydrogen fuel catalyst that works just as efficiently as platinum but at a much lower cost.
Squishy robots can drop from a helicopter and land safely
04/24/19 — New soccer-ball-shaped robots, created by engineers at Berkeley and Squishy Robotics, can fall hundreds of feet and be no worse for wear, or shape-shift in order to crawl from one point to another.
A robot that can be safely dropped out of a helicopter
04/18/19 Tech Crunch — Squishy Robotics, developed in part by mechanical engineering professor Alice Agogino, may someday help first responders assess a situation before they jump into it.
Grace Gu named a Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D scholar
04/09/19 — Mechanical engineering professor Grace Gu is one of six 2019 Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D scholars.
Mass-producing biomaterials
04/08/19 — Researchers have developed a device that allows living tissue, bone, blood vessels and even whole organs to be printed on demand.
UC campuses celebrate National Engineers Week
02/21/19 — In honor of National Engineers Week, University of California campuses are presenting snapshots of exemplary UC engineers, many of whom excelled despite formidable barriers and challenging backgrounds.
Modern technologies needed to prevent wildfires
01/23/19 Daily Californian — In an op-ed, mechanical engineering professor Tarek Zohdi writes about his new Fire Research Group's focus on actions needed to combat fire emergencies in both wildland and urban environments.
‘Ambidextrous’ robots could dramatically speed e-commerce
01/16/19 — In a new paper, Berkeley engineers build on 35 years of research with new algorithms that compute robust robot pick points, enabling robot grasping of a diverse range of products without training.
Jiggly Jell-O makes powerful new hydrogen fuel catalyst
12/13/18 — A cheap and effective gelatin-based catalyst, developed by mechanical engineering professor Liwei Lin and his Berkeley research team, can generate hydrogen fuel from water just as efficiently as platinum, the far more expensive current standard.
New group to explore engineering solutions for wildfires
11/16/18 Fung Institute — The newly formed Fire Research Group, led by mechanical engineering professor Tarek Zohdi, brings together scientists from UC Berkeley, the Space Sciences Lab and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to find more effective engineering solutions for uncontrolled wildfires.
Origami electronics
11/14/18 — Scientists have fabricated electronic switches and sensors directly onto paper, where folding it can switch circuits on and off.