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.

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 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.

Michael Wehner leads the Machine Interaction Lab, which leverages expertise in machine design, soft systems, and human factors to develop novel solutions in the fields of robotics, soft robotics, and embodied intelligence.

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).

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.