Mechanical Engineering Research

The Biomechatronics, Assistive Devices, Gait Engineering and Rehabilitation Lab applies scientific and engineering principles to promote quantitative assessment, restored function, and physical recovery after orthopedic or neurological injury. The lab’s goal is to apply mechanical engineering principles to rehabilitation in order to improve lower limb mobility impairments.

Prof. Yunus Alapan’s research group works at the interface of robotics, microtechnology and bioengineering, developing soft micro-robots inspired by nature for healthcare applications. The overarching theme of their research is bionic cellular and tissue robots for size-matched and spatiotemporally resolved physical and biochemical manipulation of cells and tissues, with applications in in vitro disease modeling, therapeutic cell and tissue manufacturing and targeted drug delivery.

The focus of LPES is developing new printed electronic devices for interdisciplinary sensing applications. Our lab takes a holistic approach to the invention and design of electronic sensors with multiple layers of emphasis including ink development, sensor design, and device validation.

The Simulation-Based Engineering Lab (SBEL) is led by Dan Negrut and Radu Serban. The lab investigates modeling approaches and develops software solutions that enable fast computers to accurately predict how complex mechanical systems change in time.

The Pikul Research Group seeks to make transformative advances in energy storage, energy conversion, multifunctional materials, and robotics by understanding and exploiting nanoscale to macroscopic characteristics of electrochemistry and soft matter. Prof. Pikul’s work intersects the school’s efforts in energy storage, robotics, multifunctional materials, and manufacturing.

The Thermal Transport Lab led by Dakotah Thompson studies thermal nanoscience, nanofabrication, and energy conversion. Control of thermal transport at the nanoscale is of great interest for creating novel thermal logic and energy conversion devices.

Prob. Wei Wang’s lab is broadly interested in designing and controlling autonomous robots within complex environments, with a special focus on aquatic settings. Their mission is to enable trustworthy and coordinated autonomy for a broad range of robotics applications, including but not limited to, aquatic monitoring, oceanic exploration, underwater construction, and urban transportation.

The Wisconsin Expeditious Legged Locomotion Laboratory (UW WELL Lab) studies the fundamental theory and methodologies in promoting mobility of legged robots that are robots moving in our environment using robotic legs: common examples include bipedal humanoid robots and quadrupedal animal-like robots.

The ARC lab focuses on the control of autonomous systems and cyber-physical systems by leveraging tools from control theory, convex optimization, machine learning, etc. Their research strives to build rigorous analytical frameworks and reliable control algorithms to enhance the safety and efficiency of autonomous and cyber-physical systems (e.g., drones, self-driving cars).

Prof. Lei Zhou’s research focuses on developing novel and high-performance mechatronic solutions through exploiting the synergy between precision machine design, electric machines and drives, and control algorithms, thereby broadly impacting applications such as manufacturing equipment and robotic systems. She is jointly appointed in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, and is an Associate Director of WEMPEC.

The REACH Lab is focused on the investigation of a wide range of human-centered robotics topics including medical robotics, manufacturing, and haptics. Our projects are collaborative in nature and involve researchers from a broad set of disciplines, including the departments of computer science, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering and various departments in the UW-Madison medical school.